Scaling Urban Regenerative Food Systems In Transition

One of the key challenges for sustainable urban food systems is to shorten the food supply chain by connecting food producers directly to consumers locally, or regionally.

Sustainable food networks (SFNs) try to achieve this ambition, but struggle with scaling their often isolated and marginal position.

The SURFIT project focuses on the concept of ‘catalysers’ to jointly experiment with and learn about scaling process of SFNs.

SURFIT will bring together SFNs, local policymakers and a multidisciplinary set of researchers from four mid-size cities to jointly conduct transdisciplinary research in Urban Food Labs (UFLs) with an urban living lab approach.

The aim of this research is to explore, understand and engage in how catalysers can be designed to scale SFNs for systemic transitions. The project will deliver design principles and reflexive guidance in embedding catalysers to advance and scale SFNs.