Closing the loop from Farm to Fork - digital tools for sustainability and crisis preparedness

The purpose of the project is to identify needs to support processes that connect local food supply from farm to table, by developing digitally based decision support systems and contributing to policy and regulations supporting infrastructure and production systems in the same spirit. The goal is to further develop and establish a pilot platform and present analyzes of identified obstacles and potential opportunities to decision-makers in the form of policy briefs and to create continued funding for sustainable circular business models.

The project will identify obstacles and limitations to make the best use of digital tools to create a more sustainable food system with high crisis preparedness. We will be able to point out how to change policies and regulations, for example around public procurement, and open up more of the circular sharing economy in local contexts. The project will develop and test a digital decision support system, which in dialogues is adapted to municipal conditions, especially smaller municipalities in rural areas.

The project is led by researchers who work closely with meals and food supply at the School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Meal Science (RHS) Grythyttan, Örebro University, in a clear triple helix collaboration. In the project, key people work who bring in different skills and experiences, which in the project are combined into new interdisciplinary knowledge to develop innovation, point to policy and system problems that others can/should solve and entrepreneurially contribute to creating new opportunities for knowledge development, business and local vitality.