Journalistic Article by Diego Giuliani
Our food choices shape the planet. From farms to our plates, sustainable eating impacts biodiversity, climate, and social justice. A travelling exhibition and a visionary farmer are working to transform the global food system. One bite at a time.

In the Colombian region of Antioquia, Miguel grows mangos, pineapples and other fruit and vegetables on a 6-hectare farm. It receives some 600 visitors per year and works in partnership with schools and nearby municipalities in order to run educational projects for women and children. "We have different demonstration modules of production based on the socioecological reality of the region and on what farmers grow locally, which are all managed without external inputs, and only relying on ecological diversity and processes," he explains, calling it a "lighthouse farm". "It is open for the community. Farmers, students, and all those interested in the principles of agroecology can come to learn and get inspired." Miguel is Miguel Altieri, professor emeritus of agroecology at Berkeley University in California. He served there for almost 40 years, while also coordinating a UN program on Sustainable Agriculture, leading the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology, and writing over 200 publications. His book "The Science of Sustainable Agriculture" is commonly seen as "the Bible of agroecology" and spreading its principles is his life's mission. "Educating consumers is very difficult because they are bombarded by the propaganda from the industry, but they have to understand that eating is a political and an ecological act. If we support small farmers instead of industrial agriculture, we will already be promoting sustainability and resilience in our communities," he says.

Showing that "by choosing the food we eat, we shape the world we live in" is also the main objective of the exhibition "Cleverfood for everyone", says Gonçalo Praça, a project manager at the Portuguese agency Ciência Viva, that coordinated its design and construction. "The exhibits highlight the multiple interconnections of the food system, to make people aware that by adopting sustainable food habits, and by taking part in local initiatives, they can significantly impact the environment, society, human health and the economy," he explains. Created within Cleverfood, a European project aimed at promoting "a fair, healthy, sustainable and circular food system", the exhibition is structured around a circular space, designed to host workshops and debates and facilitate open exchanges among visitors. All around, 11 interactive exhibits are installed on top of what looks like big suitcases, to stress how global the modern food system is, with respect to travelling of goods, people, technology and obviously the food itself. One section highlights the impacts of food choices on health, society, and the environment, and another one focuses on the environmental damage linked to the current food system, but all share a common goal: pushing visitors to question themselves and play an active role. "Right at the entrance they bump into a colourful wall inviting them to write down on stickers the reasons behind their food choices. The result is a striking, collective representation that encourages reflection on them,” recounts Praça.

The purpose of the exhibition is to get visitors to think about the consequences of their dietary habits directly inspired one section, meaningfully named: "The power is on your plate." "When people go shopping, they rarely think of what it implies for the world we live in. All our daily choices, from eating at home or in a fast food outlet, trigger a butterfly effect not only on the food system but on our society as a whole. Many people are unaware of the range and diversity of local initiatives working towards a more sustainable food system, promoting alternative food chains and fostering education and innovation, or advocating for changes in governance. “This is why we aim to raise visitors' awareness and let them understand that they can be 'agents of change,'” he stresses. “The concept that we make a kind of political choice whenever we decide what to eat ties into the idea of "consumers voting with their wallets", and expressing through their choices the trajectory that they envision for the future," explains Mónica Truninger, a sociologist specializing on local food, and researcher at the Institute of social sciences of the University of Lisbon. "However, this relies on a freedom of choice that isn't always guaranteed. Economic constraints, as well as social, cultural, and religious norms, often limit consumers' ability to adopt certain eating habits," she points out, echoing the opinion of Altieri: "The poor people, which is the mass, don't have the luxury of choosing their food. Only once poor and marginalised people also have access to good, healthy and just food, can food become a major force and a real driver of change."

Yet, the urgency for this change is also stressed by the race against time to counter some devastating side-effects of our current food system. “Today 60% of the terrestrial biodiversity has been lost because of the advance of monocultures and 80% of the agricultural land is managed with industrial methods that emit more than 31% of the greenhouse gases, injecting into the biosphere about 2.5 billion kilos of active ingredients of pesticides, while producing only 30% of the global food,” highlights Alfieri. Reversing this trend is a global challenge, which the exhibition "Cleverfood for everyone" took up by bringing its message all across Europe. Recently inaugurated in Hungary, it will soon move to Poland, and then to Denmark, Cyprus and Ireland, always following the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, until January 2026. "This travelling format reflects the journey food takes through food system, while also highlighting the people involved in every step, from production to our tables. It conveys the message that many people are not fully aware of: "food is a global issue, and as such our dietary choices not only affect our local reality but have far-reaching consequences all over the world," explains Praça. Although the forces at play are disproportionate, collective action starting with small everyday gestures can alone contribute to making things evolve. He concludes: "By simply cooking more often at home, or giving up strawberries in December, we can play a part in a global push for change. If only a small part of Europe's 300 million inhabitants did rethink their eating habits, it would alone trigger a wide range of cascading effects."

Picture courtesy of Chiara Serio

Background:
The EU-funded CLEVERFOOD project aims to establish a fair, healthy, and sustainable food system. It created and made operational the two networks: the FOOD 2030 Project Collaboration Network and the FOOD 2030 Connected Lab Network, to effectively achieve its goals.


Contacts:
Project coordinator:
Christian Bugge Henriksen – University of Copenhagen, cbh@plen.ku.dk

Communication Manager:
Ilaria Bonetti, ICONS, ilaria.bonetti@icons.it
Chiara Serio, ICONS, chiara.serio@icons.it

Online platform: https://food2030.eu
Project website: https://food2030.eu/projects/cleverfood/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/food2030-eu/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/food2030eu/