Presenting the findings of a project aimed at achieving more sustainable and transparent food production
The findings of the research project H2020-VALUMICS, in which researchers and students at the University of Iceland have participated, will be presented at a final online conference on Tuesday 21 September. The conference is open to all.
The project has been active for the last four years under the leadership of University of Iceland researchers and specialists and received almost ISK 800 million in funding from the Horizon 2020 EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, of which ISK 140 million went to the University of Iceland.
The VALUMICS project was an investigation into food value chains by researchers, specialists and PhD students at the University and 18 other institutions in 14 European countries, as well as two universities in China and Vietnam. Food value chains span everything from the processing of raw ingredients to the final products on the consumer market. The aim was to develop methods and models that make it easier for those involved in managing food production to predict the effects and consequences of strategic decisions, e.g. in terms of sustainability and environmental issues, societal factors, fairness and transparency.
Each individual link within the value chain was explored in depth as part of the overall food system. These links are numerous links and affect not only producers themselves but also policy makers and politicians whose decisions influence the environments in which food is produced.
The project was based on case studies looking at certain foods – wheat, dairy, beef, salmon and tomatoes – and working closely with producers and stakeholders within the value chain.
The research involved, for example, analysing policy and governance decisions, mapping material and information flows, life cycle assessments, consumer behaviour analysis, optimising logistics, and economic analysis and modelling, with the aim of guaranteeing fair value distribution within the chain. The tools that have been developed can therefore benefit all food value chain actors, including producers, service providers and transporters, consumers and governments.
Among the fascinating papers that University of Iceland researchers have written in relation to the project are articles concerning fairness in food systems (Operationalization of Interorganizational Fairness in Food Systems: From a Social Construct to Quantitative Indicators) and European policy on sustainable consumption (Stakeholder perceptions of policy tools in support of sustainable food consumption in Europe: policy implications).
The final conference for the VALUMICS project, which will take place on 21 September, will share results and open further dialogue on the findings and how they could be applied in food production policy in Europe. Registration for the conference takes place on the project website, which also contains further information on the research.
