FCRN Blogs
The FCRN is all about the conversations and about transmitting knowledge and ideas in ways that people understand and that encourage further exploration and debate. We have created this space to encourage more personal stories with a focus on new ideas, debates and collaborations. The blog-posts are written by people who wish to share something related to new research, reflections from conferences and events or just to highlight thoughts on new ideas and emerging topics of concern. We encourage all of you to contribute. Don't hesitate to get in touch to pitch a topic.
When we eat food we eat stories. Think about your last trip to the supermarket. Many of the labels will tell you of the places and people that have brought the different products to the aisles. A family farm in North Yorkshire, a cocoa grower in Ghana. They may also feature images of those...
Should food be grown in cities? If so, how? These questions have a long history, with the last few hundred years taking in the Garden City movement where towns were designed to include homes, industry and agriculture,...
In achieving the transition to more healthy and sustainable diets, a major challenge is how to do so in an inclusive and equitable way. In a Western context, this issue is particularly relevant as cities increasingly become more diverse in their ethnic make-up; it is essential to include the...
Have you ever wondered how your food choices affect the environment? Fancy exploring data on nutrition and greenhouse gas emissions and coming up with new ideas for changing food choices? Come along to a Hacknight in Manchester, or other northern cities, play with the data and share your ideas...
Plant-based prominence
It’s no secret that the popularity of plant-based foods has grown exponentially in recent years. Be it for environmental, health or animal welfare reasons – or all three – many people are looking to incorporate more plant foods, especially plant-based...
Many UK consumers want to shop more sustainably. They also want to buy healthier products and, increasingly, from brands that share a commitment to ethical principles such as corporate responsibility, fairness and transparency.
However, it’s incredibly hard for people to actually...
Dear FCRN community members,
My name is Despoina Dadarou. I’m a PhD student at Warwick University and my work is in the field of food security. Specifically, I’m studying the role of chromatin remodelling in altering gene expression during plant immune responses.
As part...
I am Johanna Jacobi, living and working in Bolivia on the topics of agroecology and sustainable food systems. I am doing research and involved in coordinating the project “Towards food sustainability...
I have spent much of the last 6 years helping caterers to implement and monitor sustainable and healthy food policies, and have seen plenty of opportunities for change, but also plenty of room for improvement.
First things first, the opportunities. Our understanding of what we mean...
The current systems and scale of livestock production have a severe impact on the environment
It is widely recognized that food production, especially animal production, generates a broad range of environmental impacts, increasing the pressure on the Earth’s system. The global...