Provisioning Ecosystem Services: Urban Food Production in Brussels and the Good Food Strategy

 

By Steffi Peuckert and Taina Wanderley

 

We are more than 8 billion people living on Planet Earth now. Each one of us should eat every day to maintain the basic functioning of our bodies. Even if this information is obvious, food security is not. Food security exists “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”, as established at the World Food Summit in 1996. Unfortunately, it is one of the main challenges of our times.

When we think about scenarios to improve food production in sustainable and regenerative ways, one of the options considered is urban food production because of the reduction in farmland and environmental costs related to transportation and carbon emissions. Urban space, however, is limited and farmland often in conflict with housing and greening initiatives. So, what are the main challenges to implement food production in the Brussels Capital Region? And how is the relationship between farmers and urban planners?

In this short podcast, we interviewed Bram Vandemoortel–project lead for innovative projects related to agroecological urbanism at Architecture Workroom in Brussels. We also discussed the Good Food Strategy launched by the Brussels Government in 2015, which foresees that by 2035 30% of all fruit and vegetables consumed in the Brussels Capital Region are produced locally and in an organic manner.

 

 

Profile of Bram Vandemoortel: https://www.architectureworkroom.eu/nl/people/306/bram-vandemoortel

 

The interview took place on 29 April 2023. Main points are presented in the podcast.