Urban Food Transition
The issue of food sustainability and the related question of alternatives to conventional food supply in cities is becoming increasingly important. In 2015, more than 160 cities worldwide signed the Milan Agreement on Urban Food Policy, committing to sustainability and food transformation. Various stakeholders and alternative food networks (AFNs) are advocating for more sustainable, fair and regional food production and consumption. At the same time, critical agri-food geographies are receiving increasing attention in academic discourse.
Registration and schedule
Dates: 12th of April 2024 to 19th of July 2024
12.04. to 17.05.2024
10:00 am 02:00 pm
07.06. to 19.07.2024
10:00 am to 02:00 pm
How to register:
Modules B4, B6 and B7 in Geography must be passed and registered for the examination registration.
The aim of the project seminar is to analyse the importance of a socio-ecological transformation of the food system as part of sustainable urban development using the example of Bonn (since 2019 on "Bio City") and to discuss the establishment of a food council as a possible approach for an urban food transition. As an association of different local actors from business, civil society, administration, politics and other areas of public life, food councils can create an opportunity for co-determination on food in urban areas and thus more food sovereignty.
Schedule/Program
In small groups (three to four students), independent projects will be carried out on the topics of urban food transition and food sovereignty. The opportunities and challenges of food councils, the specific situation in Bonn or best practices can be analysed in more detail. The planning and implementation of independent research projects includes the development of a specific question, the selection of a suitable conceptual framework and research design, as well as the subsequent steps of data collection, evaluation and project presentation.
The course takes the form of a weekly seminar with individual block sessions. These are all-day events (Fridays, sometimes with excursions), especially in the first weeks of the semester, and replace individual meetings in the data collection phase.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following Geography modules must be successfully completed and booked by the time you register for the exam: B4, B6, B7.
Participants are expected to give short oral presentations, actively participate in the empirical surveys as part of the project, and contribute to the final poster presentation and project report of the respective small group. When planning the semester, please note that data collection will mainly take place during the semester. The deadline for submitting the project work is the 16th of September 2024.
The cooperation partner: The City of Bonn
The city of Bonn represents the many "faces of Bonn", whether hospitable, dynamic, open-minded, young or international in the multi-faceted topics of integration/migration or education/learning. It never forgets that the human being is at the centre of it all.
The cooperation partner: NEiS - Nachhaltige Ernährung im Studienalltag
