On 12 and 13 September, the second consortium meeting of Food4CE was held in Poznań, Poland, hosted by Łukasiewicz – Poznański Instytut Technologiczny.
Project partners from Slovenia, Italy, Austria and Hungary came together for two exciting days of discussion on how to improve the efficiency of alternative Food Supply Chains.
As part of the Poznań meeting, the Agricultural and Orchard Experimental Farm Przybroda – one of the ten Agricultural Experimental Units of the University of Life Sciences in Poznań, as well as a virtuous example of how agricultural products can be produced and marketed in a more sustainable way – invited the Food4CE project partners for a study visit, where they had the opportunity to see a cow farm, orchards and, above all, learn about the logistics processes implemented in the field of agricultural crops. Finally, a visit to one of the most modern biogas plants in Europe.
The video summary of the visit is available on the OpenEnlocc YouTube channel.
The Food4CE Project in a nutshell
Food4CE is a European project funded by the INTERREG Central Europe Programme, aimed at supporting Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) in their efforts to create sustainable and resilient food supply systems. AFNs are essential for promoting short food supply chains and reducing the carbon footprint of food distribution. However, they face challenges such as lack of knowledge on logistics collaboration, digitalisation and distribution/delivery systems, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Food4CE seeks to address these challenges by establishing 5 local and 1 Transnational Innovation Hub (IH), bringing together actors from different sectors including researchers, business experts, food producers, logistic and transport operators, and policy makers. These hubs will focus on advancing AFNs logistics efficiency through the development of innovative tools and solutions.
More information is available on the project website.
The role of OPEN ENLoCC in the FOOD4CE Project
As the project’s communication and dissemination lead, OPEN ENLoCC will work to ensure that the project’s progress and findings are effectively communicated to a wide audience.
Within WP3, OPEN ENLoCC’s role is multi-faceted. The organization will primarily oversee the development of the AFN Innovation Hub Sustainability Framework. This comprehensive framework will serve as a cornerstone for the project’s sustainability efforts, providing a structured approach to assess and enhance the sustainability of alternative food networks (AFNs).
To find out more, read here.