This is Europe

Feeding Our Future Generations

Episode Summary

As panic buying emptied supermarket shelves during the pandemic, the question of where our food comes from has rarely been closer to the forefront of our minds. Stories about local food initiatives that can start a revolution in what we put on our plate.

Episode Notes

In Sweden, a food revolution has been going on for some time. Consumers are increasingly demanding local produce of superior quality. We hear how meat farmer Agnetha Björnsdotter Berglund has capitalised on the trend, transforming her business by going local thanks to an Interreg programme linking small producers to national supermarkets.

Meanwhile, perched a few miles from the French riviera, the small town of Mouans-Sartoux has held out against the advances of property developers to build a farm feeding its schoolchildren organic food. The town’s deputy mayor, Gilles Pérole, tells us why he’s on a mission to get his citizens ‘thinking globally and acting locally.’

In Eastern Europe, another Interreg initiative is helping micro producers grow their businesses by linking them directly to local consumers through a platform many had never used before - the internet. Tomislav Katančić, project manager at Croatian e-commerce portal eCeker, explains the “0km” philosophy that has driven his work with the project and invigorated the local food economy.

In addition, we hear from Matt Reynolds, Science Editor at WIRED magazine, about the challenges the world faces in sustainably feeding a population set to reach 9.7 billion by 2050.

Participating programmes: North Sea Region, Urbact and Mediterranean

Powered by Interact. Co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). 

Presented by Shahidha Bari. Produced by Max Bower. A Tempo & Talker production.