As part of the EU Horizon2020 project Cities2030, the Development Agency VE-GO-RA and INVENTIVNA RJESENJA d.o.o. participated in the first transnational meeting of 41 European partners and the Agri-Food event in Roeselare, Belgium. The partners discussed the future activities and current challenges of the project with regard to the complexity of the project activities and related goals, i.e. creating prerequisites for further development and increasing the efficiency of the production system, short supply chains – distribution chains, delivery and food recycling.
One of the results is the gathering and connection of consumers, strategic partners, civil society participants, existing and start-up companies, innovators and leading universities. The partners spent the next two days at the Agri-Food event, where, among other things, lectures were held on innovations in agriculture aimed at solving challenges for achieving sustainability in nutrition, health and the environment, and the Labs that were created as part of the Cities2030 project were presented, who deal with the establishment of sustainable food systems in cities and regions.
As part of the event, various locations related to the food system were visited, the INAGRO Agency, which conducts research focused on the needs of farmers, in the function of profitable innovations in agriculture and horticulture, and provides consultations in the work of farmers. The ARDO Group, which supplies constantly growing markets around the world with high-quality frozen vegetables, herbs and fruits, was visited. They do this in a sustainable way, respecting people and the environment with a focus on innovation. On the last day, the largest European plant for urban food production (9500 m2) was visited, which was installed on the roof of the large auction cooperative of vegetables and fruits AGROTOPIJA, which is managed by INAGRO as one of its research centres. Strict regulation of hygrothermal conditions is guaranteed by the formation of four separate climatic zones, which enables the cultivation of different species in environments that are optimal for both employees and visitors. The greenhouse also has a double-height conservatory designed to support vertical cultivation.
Over 4 years, 41 pan-European partners commit to working on transforming and restructuring the way systems produce, transport and supply, recycle and reuse food in the 21st century.
CRFS requires immediate action. Cities2030’s position is that consumers must be at the centre of the solution. More than 7.7 billion consumers have the power to change 100-year consumption patterns to ensure the prerequisites for an improved future.
Challenges: excessive population growth, rapid urbanization, massive migration phenomena, climate change and scarcity of resources.
Cities2030’s vision is to connect short food supply chains, bringing together consumers, strategic and complementary industrial partners, civil society, promising start-ups and enterprises, innovators and visionary thinkers, leading universities and research in diverse disciplines dealing with CRFS, including food, science, social sciences and metadata.
Cities and regions will improve resilience and sustainability through the creation of short food supply chains and ecosystems that will enable local investment and cross-border and transnational applications.
The CRFS management platform based on blockchain management technology is based on data that will provide information and coordination actions by delivering an accurate digital twin of the entire supply chain in near real-time, for example from production to waste management, but also on four key factors of resilience and sustainability: security, ecosystem services, livelihoods and equity.
You can follow the development of the mentioned programs on the pages of the project and project partners, as well as on the VEGORA pages on Facebook and LinkedIn, where we will publish invitations and additional information about planned events, and we invite you to contact us and be part of the creative proposals for solutions in the entire food system in our city and region.
Contact person for Velika Gorica LAB of the Cities2030 project:
Development agency VE-GO-RA
Violeta Crnogaj violeta.crnogaj@vegora.hr
Blanka Kovač Walaitis blanka.walaitis@vegora.hr
Inventive solutions d.o.o.
Damir Lučić damirchief@gmail.com
Mario Konić mario.konic@gmail.com
More about the project on VEGORA’s website: CITIES2030
You can view the gallery of pictures from the 1st transnational meeting and Agri-Food Event HERE.
