PIXABAY
A study carried out by the Institute for Innovation and Knowledge Management (INGENIO), a joint center of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), analyzed the evolution of the agri-food model of the city of Valencia in recent years.
According to this work, developed by researcher Nancy Sarabia and researchers Jordi Peris and Sergio Segura, the Valencian capital is moving towards a more sustainable model, although the transformation is still “nascent”. The latest results of the study have been published in international journals Environmental innovation and societal transitions Yes Cleaner newspaper production.
“In our work, we build on previous work by Wolfram, which identifies 60 sustainability accelerators and groups them into 10 components, in an operational framework that we first applied to agrifood systems”says Nancy Sarabia.
In the study, the INGENIO team determines the degree of development of the accelerators in each territory, collecting the point of view and reflecting with different key players in the agri-food system, public administration, private companies, social organizations, NGOs and academics. In addition, he analyzes information published in the press, academic documents and public policies.
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agri-food system
With all this information, INGENIO researchers conclude that the Valencian agrifood system has several strengths, including shared leadership and the implementation of innovative initiatives, among which the creation of the Consell Alimentari de València stands out. “Furthermore, in the study, we identified three key stages that drove the agrifood transition in the city: empowered social movements, a window of opportunity through a change in local government, and the signing of the Food Policy Pact urban of Milan, which in Spain has signed 29 cities »explains Nancy Sarabia.
However, the study points out that Valencia still needs a “significant progress” move towards greater agri-food sustainability. “Greater involvement, social learning and collective reflection are needed, as well as a correct articulation of political-administrative levels, among other changes. Moreover, agri-food innovations are still isolated, fragmented and poorly integrated, and are not sufficiently developed to compete with the current agri-food model”says Nancy Sarabia.
This study is part of the doctoral thesis that Nancy Sarabia is developing at INGENIO and which focuses on the analysis of transition processes towards sustainable agri-food systems and their degree of development in the agri-food systems of València and Valdivia (Chile). His work was funded by Becas Chile and the ADSIDEO – Cooperation 2019 research program of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
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Reference article: https://www.dicyt.com/noticias/analizan-el-change-towards-a-more-sustainable-agri-food-model