Wageningen University vision about the future of the food system
What the food system will look like in 2100
If you want to develop food systems based more closely on nature, you automatically get more diversity and regionalisation.
Marian Stuiver, programme leader for Green Cities
Because systems in the future will be so intelligent and interconnected, they’ll see immediately how to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Xuezhen Guo, a research associate in Food Informatics and Supply Chain Management
An AI-driven world where everyone looks out for each other. Products with a large footprint will be taxed in an inclusive way.
Jan Verschoor, an expertise leader in Post-Harvest Physiology and Post-Harvest Technology
What will our food systems look like in the year 2100? Three teams of Wageningen researchers, supported by students and external experts, have been pondering this question. They will be presenting their visions at the Imagine Food Systems 2100 event, held on 20 November 2023 at the Wageningen Campus.
The three visions have been selected from 10 submissions in response to an open call to come up with creative solutions to problems related to European food systems. The project was initiated by agricultural economist Siemen van Berkum. He explains why it’s important to take a collaborative approach to considering the issue: “Our food systems are not functioning well. We produce a lot, but there are still hungry people in the world.
If we take a close look at the Netherlands, it’s evident that food production comes at the expense of the environment and even of people’s health. We’re familiar with the problems of food-related illnesses such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. And we can see the pressure on farmers’ incomes all over the world. So there’s every reason to consider the design of our future food system. A system able to provide everyone with sufficient healthy food within our planetary boundaries. The trick here is to consider the issue as holistically as possible, so that we don’t solve one problem while causing another.”
The event on 20 November included the presentation of three visions of the future, designed to bring new momentum to the debate about what the food system in 2100 will look like.
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What the food system will look like in 2100: 3 visions
