Just Transition in Food Systems

Dominik Gross – Christian Initiative Romero (CIR)
Dominik serves as the Officer for Human Rights and Climate Protection in Agrarian Supply Chains at CIR, a German-based faith-driven organization focused on human rights and promoting critical consumption. With a specific focus on the problematic supply chains within the global food system, CIR addresses issues that are central to global challenges such as the climate crisis and forced migration.
One notable initiative where Dominik was involved is the EU-wide campaign titled “Our Food. Our Future.” This campaign combines educational efforts with lobbying activities, advocating for a robust EU supply chain law as part of the Supply Chain Act initiative. Additionally, Dominik along his team conducted and published studies aimed at understanding the root causes of these problems and exploring effective strategies for combating them.

Katina-Leigh Taylor – The Food Foundation
Katina serves as the Campaigns and Research Administrator at The Food Foundation. With a degree in Sociology and a background in engagement related to food poverty and social movements like Black Lives Matter, she brings a fresh, youthful perspective to understanding societal dynamics. The Food Foundation is a UK-based organization dedicated to tackling challenges within the food system for the betterment of the public.

Operating at the intersection of academia and policymaking, they employ various strategies to drive change, including organizing events, publishing research, crafting media narratives, launching social media campaigns, and fostering multistakeholder partnerships. One of the key areas of focus is enhancing children’s diets and promoting increased vegetable consumption, aiming to address critical issues surrounding nutrition and health.

Serve the City Speaker TBC
Serve the City is an impactful global initiative driven by volunteers dedicated to manifesting kindness through tangible actions for those facing adversity. Collaborating with homeless shelters, refugee centers, and various organizations, they extend a helping hand and foster support where it’s needed most. By orchestrating events that rally numerous volunteers, Serve the City facilitates simple yet profound acts of service.

Since September 2019, Serve the City Brussels has embarked on a mission to minimize waste of food and materials across its projects, while also striving for greater energy efficiency. This endeavor involves a comprehensive overhaul of internal procurement policies to prioritize the utilization of fair trade and eco-friendly products, ensuring sustainability aligns with their ethos of compassionate service.

Raf Callaerts – Foodfirst Information and Action Network (FIAN- Belgium)
Raf works in FIAN- Belgium, which is a non-profit association dedicated to defending the universal right to food. As a human rights organization, FIAN is committed to reshaping food systems with a focus on social and environmental justice, recognizing the urgency of this endeavor. Through collaborative efforts, FIAN supports grassroots social movements worldwide, amplifying the voices of farmers, rural workers, women, indigenous peoples, fishermen, and consumers. Particularly, FIAN stands by women who face the grim realities of hunger, malnutrition, food insecurity, and the systemic infringement of their basic human rights.

At the forefront of their mission, FIAN vehemently opposes corporate dominance in food systems and governance, as well as the financialization and commodification of vital resources. They actively work to safeguard democracy and human rights—both individual and collective—while condemning the criminalization of social and political activism. FIAN remains steadfast in its commitment to combat environmental and climate destruction, advocating for sustainable practices and policies that preserve our planet for future generations.

Marta Messa – Slow Food International
Marta is the Secretary General of the global grassroots Slow Food movement. With a robust background spanning politics, economics, and international studies, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her leadership position. Slow Food stands at the forefront of the fight to pursue a more equitable food and farming system across the globe, with a network active in 160 countries worldwide. The organization translates grassroots efforts into impactful policy initiatives, bridging local and national concerns with European and international discourse.

In the European Union, the organization’s advocacy efforts revolve around pivotal policies at EU, national and urban level. The organization’s focus revolves around various facets of food production, agriculture, fisheries, and their profound impacts on biodiversity and climate change. Through rigorous advocacy campaigns and strategic lobbying efforts, Slow Food Europe endeavors to elevate awareness and catalyze positive shifts in food policy development. Key topics include agriculture, biodiversity preservation, climate resilience, the formulation of a common food policy, sustainable fisheries, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), responsible consumption, and transparent food labeling.

Deborah Myaux – Concertation Aide Alimentaire
Deborah assumes the role of project manager and coordinator at Concertation Aide Alimentaire. Additionally, she serves as the editor of the book titled “Food Aid: Social Protections at Stake.” Concertation Aide Alimentaire operates as an umbrella organization with a primary focus on promoting the right to food as a fundamental human right. Within this organization, various entities engaged in food aid initiatives across the Brussels Region and Wallonia are brought together. These encompass social grocery stores, social restaurants, parcel distribution centers, solidarity fridges, and supply platforms, among others.

The Food Aid Concertation collaborates closely with stakeholders in the field to conceptualize and implement projects aimed at bolstering access to the rights of individuals living in precarious situations. Through this collaborative approach, Concertation Aide Alimentaire endeavors to make tangible strides in addressing food insecurity and advancing social protections for vulnerable populations.

Roos Saat – Toekomstboeren/ European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC)
Roos represents Toekomstboeren from the Netherlands as a member of the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC). Toekomstboeren is a pioneering initiative in aimed at amplifying and fortifying the increasing agroecological movement. Its core mission is to advance sustainable and socially just agriculture, fostering a future where such practices are widely embraced and supported. To achieve this vision, Toekomstboeren operates as an association founded by and for aspiring farmers. Through collective action and collaboration, they strive to empower future generations of farmers and contribute to the transformation of agricultural landscapes.
The European coordination of Via Campesina unites various organizations, including Toekomstboeren, with the objective of aligning them within a broader movement advocating for the rights of peasant farmers, small and medium-scale agricultural producers, and field workers across Europe. Via Campesina’s overarching goal is to defend the rights of farmers and agricultural laborers while championing diverse and sustainable family farming practices.

Enrico Somaglia – European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT)
Enrico holds the position of Deputy General Secretary at EFFAT, a renowned organization representing the interests of over 4.5 million workers in the food and drink sector across Europe. As the largest organization of its kind on the continent, EFFAT plays a pivotal role in a key EU area characterized by its significant workforce, innovative practices, and the production of high-quality products.
EFFAT’s overarching mission is to combat social dumping and advocate for fair pay and decent working conditions within the sector. Through active engagement in the European social dialogue, EFFAT spearheads negotiations with European employers’ organizations to enhance the conditions of workers. Moreover, EFFAT extends its efforts beyond the food and drink sector to encompass agriculture, where it promotes a sustainable Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), safeguards employment, advocates for fair pay in rural areas, and fosters the development of social dialogue to enhance working conditions across the agricultural sector.

Laura van Selm – POMONA
Laura serves as the coordinator of POMONA, where her leadership extends across the realms of Youth, Agriculture, and Culture. POMONA, an organization dedicated to raising awareness among local communities, endeavors to foster restorative agricultural practices. POMONA aims to provide ecologically produced, high-quality food to its users, with the ambitious goal of meeting 80% of their needs.
At the heart of POMONA’s mission lies the pursuit of ecological, economic, and social restoration in food production. The organization firmly believes that achieving this vision necessitates close collaboration between farmers and citizens. By actively engaging both parties in decision-making processes and fostering a sense of community ownership, POMONA strives to create a sustainable and mutually beneficial food system.

Annemarieke de Bruin – Wageningen University
Annemarieke de Bruin is an interdisciplinary researcher with over 15 years of experience in UK-based and international academic research. Her research has focused on interdisciplinary learning processes that bring together stakeholders within the context of agriculture, water governance, and tree health management. She graduated in 2007 from Wageningen University with an MSc in Tropical Land use and an MSc in Geo-Information Science. After graduating she moved to the UK where she worked as a researcher at the University of York and at the Stockholm Environment Institute’s York centre for 13 years. There she focussed on agricultural water management, more-than-human participation, and farmer-led innovation. She is now doing a PhD at Wageningen University in which she studies the ongoing transition of the food system in the North of the Netherlands from a justice perspective. She specifically looks at how people perceive justice in a food system transition.

Severine Deneulin – Laudato Si Research Institute
Severine is the Director of the Laudato Si’ Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford, and is also an Affiliate Fellow at the Oxford Department of International Development where she teaches in the MPhil in Development Studies. The Laudato Si’ Research Institute is a work of the British Jesuits. Its mission is to conduct transdisciplinary research on today’s most pressing social and ecological challenges within an integral ecology paradigm. The Institute aims to foster a new and dynamic dialogue between academia and stakeholders invested in socio-ecological change for the betterment of our shared planet.

Severine’s area of expertise lies in development ethics, which encompasses a critical examination of the concept of ‘progress’ and the methods employed to achieve it. Her research predominantly delves into the intersection of ethics and socio-economic development, with a particular focus on exploring the tenets of the Catholic social tradition. She is currently leading two major research projects, one on the role of the Catholic Church in socio-environmental conflicts in Latin America, and the other on Christian-Muslim dialogue on integral ecology. In her role at the Laudato Si’ Research Institute, she is also involved in a research project on ‘Loving our Land and Neighbour’ which explores spirituality and contributions of faith-based actors in agro-ecology.

Béla Kuslits – Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC)
Béla is a member of the Ecology team at JESC, where his focus lies on environmental policy and facilitating the ecological transition within the broader network of European Jesuits. With a diverse educational background spanning medicine, sociology, anthropology, and environmental management, Béla possesses a unique skill set ideal for addressing various social-environmental issues.

At JESC, one of the primary areas of emphasis is sustainable food systems. Within this thematic framework, the organization strives to promote an agricultural system that ensures accessible, nutritious, and environmentally sustainable food for all individuals. This involves deep reflection and active contribution to shaping the policies and practices of Europe. JESC Ecology’s latest initiative on sustainable food systems is called Our Daily Bread. This initiative so far has researched and recognized over 150 faith-based organizations across the 27 EU member states which work on sustainable food systems and agriculture. JESC is committed to fostering engagement that authentically embodies Christian faith, demonstrates expertise in analyzing social realities, stands in solidarity with the marginalized and disadvantaged, and advocates for social and environmental justice within European political structures and actions.