Thought for Food: student challenge to securing future food supply

From March until May 2011, talented students from ten top European universities dove into the deepest challenges surrounding food security. They were expected to push boundaries, merge their creativity and imaginations and develop visionary ideas for a new generation. Each university brought together a cross-disciplinary team representing a breadth of knowledge – from agriculture, economics and business to humanities, arts and sciences. Together, they brainstormed ideas, developed practical solutions, and brought them to life in their local communities. They used social media outlets like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Skype and Tumblr to connect to each other, share ideas and approaches and inspire the world.

 

Some of the ideas the teams generated include a smart phone app with recipes for leftover foods; bringing young children to the farm to increase understanding about food production; visiting schools to talk about the importance of healthy food choices; eating locusts; establishing leftover food sharing programmes in university dormitories; and visiting local supermarkets with fact-filled ‘awareness bins’ to remind people of the problem of food waste.
 
Each team captured their ideas and experiences in short video compilations, which they submitted via YouTube and other social media channels for public vote. A judging panel of experts in agriculture, communications and young global communities also cast their votes, and the winning entries were selected for the creativity of their solutions, the awareness generated and the impact on people’s behaviours.

 

The three winning teams from Imperial University, Reading University and Wageningnen University, comprising of 13 students, will now prepare to attend One Young World in Zurich, Switzerland, in September 2011. They will have the exciting chance to provide a voice for the next generation on a global stage, and kick off a global student-led work stream about food security.

 

Thought for Food is a new initiative that challenges students from top universities to tackle the world’s escalating food issues. The 2011 Thought for Food Challenge was sponsored by Syngenta in partnership with One Young World, the Sandbox Network and Euro RSCG.