From Field to Forks: Innovating our Food Future through Research

Written by Hattie Bracey, Postgraduate Researcher at the University of Glasgow. 

As part of this year’s Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) Curious Festival, SCAF held an interactive From Field to Forks workshop, bringing together SCAF members and others curious about food system transformation.  

The workshop was moderated by the SCAF leadership group and brought together perspectives from disciplines including arts, humanities and sciences. Quoting the work of June Jordan’s Civil Wars, the big question at the event was how can we transform the food system into one which makes love an easy, reasonable response? As a group, we agreed on the importance of equitable access to nourishing food and fostering a greater connection to food through education. 

My group discussed different provocations which highlighted the need for change to occur at every level and for action to come from all stakeholders. We deliberated about the intersection of health, equity and sustainability and whether it is really possible to simultaneously achieve all three, particularly given the lack of consensus definitions for each of these principles.  

We did, however, agree on the need for both individual and collective action, supported by corporations and government legislation. Around the room, other groups discussed different provocations, including the roles of food security, ultra-processed foods and imported foods, plant-based and sustainable foods, and how to address them while being mindful of individual beliefs against evidence and knowledge. Throughout the workshop, the discussions emphasised the complexity of the food system and the multifaceted, interlinking nature of each problem.  

All groups went on to discuss the provocation "We can’t change how food is produced or distributed without first changing what people want to eat". Around the room, everyone commented on this being a real “chicken and egg scenario”, returning to the need for collective action. Whilst we do have individual agency, our choices and lives are shaped by our environment, so it is crucial that our environment supports health and makes love an easy, reasonable response.  

Whilst the extent of transformation required feels overwhelming, we all brought stories of our own experiences of initiatives within our communities that give us reason to be hopeful. We agreed that we should move away from catastrophe framing and instead emphasise positive action and highlight small success stories to leverage bigger changes. Right now, we have time to choose and move towards the changes we want to see, but the window of opportunity is closing, and we must act now. 

First published: 16 October 2024

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