Key role for academic at food security conference

Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning, Roberta Sonnino, from Cardiff University’s School of Geography and Planning, has accepted an important role at an upcoming European conference.

Professor Sonnino, who is Vice-Chair of the FOOD 2030 Expert Group (part of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 framework), will act as rapporteur for the one day conference, titled Harnessing Research and Innovation for FOOD 2030: A science-policy dialogue, which will take place in Brussels on October 16 2017.

The conference, which will be attended by over 500 delegates from all over Europe, will disseminate successful European Research and Innovation (R&I) initiatives and contribute to the ongoing science-policy dialogue in the area of Food Nutrition and Security. Professor Sonnino’s role as rapporteur will involve producing a short report on the main EU R&I achievements in the area of climate and environmental sustainability.

Dr Helen Coulson, a new researcher at the School, is also involved with this work, which closely connects with the theme and findings of the EU-project, TRANSMANGO.

Key topics for discussion at the conference include the current state of European research, including issues of innovation and investment while addressing future needs, relevant to the Food and Nutrition Security priority areas. The priorities areas are:

• Sustainable and healthy nutrition;
• Climate-resilience and environmental sustainability;
• Circularity and resource efficiency; and
• Food system innovation and empowerment of communities.

The free event will welcome a diverse audience of stakeholders including researchers, policy makers, funders and investors, industry, entrepreneurs, and civil society representatives.

Professor Sonnino is the Director of the Research Centre for Urban and Regional Food (SURF, and the School’s Director of Impact and Engagement.