Local Dynamics of Global Change

On the 22nd of June an important press conference was held inside Confindustria Emilia Romagna in Bologna, where the Local Dynamics of Global Change project was launched. The project will map epicentres of food innovation in our global food system, and how these regions are using diverse technologies, creativity, and culinary legacy to develop local responses that have potential to reimagine the future of food locally and globally. IFTF selected Emilia Romagna as one of its principal innovation hubs, and is in the process of building a  framework that gives structure to the emerging landscape of food innovation.  The framework will help identify strategies for environmental, human, and market sustainability. The project is part of the IFTF’s Food Futures Lab, which identifies and catalyzes the innovations that have the potential to reinvent our global food system. Positioned at the center of Silicon Valley, IFTF’s Food Futures Lab is an epicenter of food innovation and has ties to other innovation hubs in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The lab maps new technologies, social behaviors, and scientific breakthroughs that will transform the global food system, and develops foresight based on research and futures thinking methodologies. They also bridge community initiatives, leading-edge innovators, and large organizations for robust research and collaboration. Along with a tour of Emilia Romagna, Italy to visit local producers and farmers, the IFTF team also went to Expo Milano to search for signals of change from around the world. The presented their research at the USA pavilion and also convened a group of leading-edge thinkers to help draw insights for the future of food.