Food Futuring Tours

food-futuring-tours

Food Futuring Tours

Contact
Angela Pereira
Main Organisation
DG Joint Research Centre
Department/Sector/Unit
JRC.I2

Description

On the occasion of the EXPO 2015 in Milan, we have organised citizen engagement around futures of food. This was an occasion to experiment with different formats of material deliberation techniques, as well as a unique opportunity to engage with futures in the making.

Participation Spectrum
Involve

When and Where

Start Year
2015

Policy Context

Policy Stage
Not applicable
Context of activity
Research Project
Science or Policy Field
Food Safety
Specific Topic
Foods of the future, imaginaries of food production and food distribution.

Participants

Participants
100
Who was involved
Citizens
How were the Participants selected?
Volunteered through an open call
Through what means citizens knew about the call for participation?
The call was made mainly through a web page but also through social media.

Methodologies

Events
6
Methodologies used
Futuring Tours
Tools Used
Other
Expo
Spaces Used
Other
Expo pavilions

Impact

Output
Book
Other
Scenarios
Main Outcomes and Lasting Achievement
The main outcome was a book shared with participants, but importantly also new opportunities of research in this policy field. Collaborations with JRC.F1 and DG SANTE were ensued and new project started.
How were the outcome taken up within the process they were carried out?
Research agenda mainly.
Feedback provided
Organised a public event
Other
Other Feedback
Sent them the BILINGUAL book containing their contributions and discussions
Were the methodologies used elsewhere?
Dry Walks in the Canary Islands and more to come.

Assessment

Main Challenges
Difficulties in recruiting participants
Reason for such challenges and solutions
Putting a call out there in a web site for participation is not really ideal. It is crucial that publicity is made through other media. We had to snow ball the process and contact people in NGOs and other places.
Lessons Learn
The focus of the discussions were on ethical issues. Whilst there was not a definitive agenda, what emerges is that citizens should be able to gear the process as well, by providing the questions themselves. Tours such as these where experience is valued is much more efficient than any discourse. People make sense of what they see in a reflexive way.
Recommendation
Co-create agendas. Embrace material deliberation techniques.