Second virtual event: “Food, society, and nature: synergies”
Overview
Food, more than any other aspect of our lives, connects us to nature. Our daily food choices impact both nature and us. How is it possible to eat well while staying within planetary boundaries? Good nutrition (in quantity, quality and appropriateness) and healthy ecosystems depend upon each other. Without the right socio-ecological synergies, humanity will not be able to secure a safe, just, and desirable future for everyone. Our food systems, including their diversity of actors (consumers, producers, retail, and transportation services, among others) and processes (agricultural production, fishing, processing, transportation, waste disposal and management, commerce, preparation, and cooking, among others) must be aligned with the natural systems and processes on which human well-being has always depended. To do this, we must recognize the multiplicity of existent interactions and the fact that our current food systems are neither equitable nor environmentally sustainable. However, food also offers concrete opportunities for empowerment and change in our daily lives.
The event
SARAS has taken these tensions and opportunities seriously. That is why we are inviting you to participate in our cycle of conversations and activities. Last March, we launched the first public virtual activity of our 2021 cycle “Knowledge on the table” with an event entitled “Food and crisis: Resiliences”, where we explored the existing perspectives on this issue with a focus anchored in the current crisis.
In alignment with World Environment Day (June 5th), this month SARAS is preparing a second virtual event focused on expanding and including new and “bold” perspectives. We will introduce our participants to a rich menu of contributions that will unfold over the next four months. These activities and products will include keynote lectures, videos, and other materials, along with a program of participatory workshops and webinars.
Between July and September, in preparation for the third event to take place in October, we will seek to expand and gain insights on the wisdom needed to transform food systems towards sustainability and equity.
We are interested in hearing all voices, especially those that are often excluded. We seek your comments, reactions, and ideas for concrete actions and/or visions.
Join the space for conversation and collective learning on our website www.saboreandosostenibilidad.net and through social media using the tag
#saberessobrelamesa2021
Program and invited speakers
10:00 – 10:30: Welcome and presentation of the event
10:30 – 11:45: Presentations by guests: Patricia Balvanera (MEX), Mariana Martínez (MEX / NLD), Gustavo Laborde (URY)
11:45 – 12:00: Dialogue and closing of the event
Guests / brief bio:
– Patricia Balvanera (Mexico)
Professor at the Institute for Research in Ecosystems and Sustainability (UNAM, Mexico). Study the links between biodiversity and human well-being. She is director of the Socio-ecosystems and Sustainability Network (MEX) and author for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Environmental Services (IBPES).
– Mariana Martínez Balvanera (Mexico / Netherlands)
Socio-spatial designer working between Amsterdam and Mexico City. She is co-founder of Cocina Colaboratorio, a transdisciplinary project that integrates creatives, scientists, chefs, and producers who seek the generation of sustainable production models.
–Gustavo Laborde (Uruguay)
Journalist and Doctor in Social Anthropology with the thesis “Uruguayan identity in the kitchen. Narratives about the origin”* (University of Barcelona). He has published books and articles on issues of food identities and heritages and the dissemination of Uruguayan food culture in various radio and television programs such as “No Toquen Nada” and “La Vuelta al Plato”.
*Only in Spanish