Two initiatives on resilient food systems in light of coronavirus

1) Opportunity to contribute to a background paper for the Nordic Council of Ministers Background: Resilience has come into sharp focus across the Nordic Council of Ministers working groups. Those at the Nordic Council of Ministers Food Policy Lab (long-time collaborators with SRC) have been tasked with putting together a briefing document for the next meeting of the Senior Officials of Forestry, Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This is to inform a discussion on resilient Nordic food systems. The hope is that this discussion will be elevated to the Ministerial Meeting in the summer, where the focus and strategy of the Nordic Council of Ministers is decided. If embedded into future strategy, then a pool of approx. 10 million DKK over four years could open to focus on resilience in the Nordics (spanning several projects, and more than just food). Thus, we have the opportunity to use our knowledge to shape this discussion and be top of mind if future projects are developed on Nordic resilience. Details: • Deadline for the briefing doc to be delivered is Friday, May 1. So we need to start right away • Co-authorship/contributor status will be recognized • There is a very small pot of money available from NCM to compensate time if significant contributions are made • Please see this Google Doc for a rough outline (subject to change), with indications of where researchers’ contributions are needed. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F4C6rHzn6f2QtuqfC_xSTl34BUs0eLdBfImyTUvpuhM/edit?usp=sharing) • A briefing document is sent to the Senior Officials as required reading before their meeting. This is an opportunity to get your research read by those with influence to shape Nordic-wide programs. 2) Opportunity to contribute to an in-house seminar focusing on how our expertise could contribute to resilient food systems in times of crises (coronavirus or similar) Background: The current pandemic is not the first time that the vulnerabilities in our Nordic food systems have been highlighted, e.g. summer droughts of 2018. And most likely, this is not the last time our food systems will face crisis. Let’s collect our knowledge – published and polished or fresh and emerging – and see how we can inform/deal with/prepare our food systems for such crises. Details: • Date and format not yet set – will be partially guided by interest. However, it will mostly likely be a mix of presentations and longer discussion time. • Presentations – if you have an idea that you think would be relevant, please sign up on the first tab of this Google Sheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15z-ieTjatOe7UKnwQjSyx2ebk3RM3c6M4ADYJtrp_eE/edit?usp=sharing) • Resources – we are starting to collect resources relating to food systems and coronavirus/crisis. If you have anything you would like to add, please do so in the second tab of the same Google Sheet. More information to come, and just reach out (amanda.wood@su.se) if you have any questions. Many thanks in advance!