Work to address food system change is often ‘top-down’ – NGOs advise, pressure, and persuade supermarkets and policymakers to act. By building on our existing community engagement, we plan to champion lived experiences within food systems and build a ‘bottom-up’ agenda for those in positions of power. These include low-income communities most affected by food inflation and those working in food supply chains themselves. Policies about them should not be made without them.
To this end we work together with a local network of alternative food initiatives and with the local Food Policy Council in The Hague. We also participate in a national network of alternative food initiatives to support change from the bottom up.
Creating a new system requires learning and gaining insights on grassroots experiences. Therefore, Foodrise in the EU coordinates a coalition with 7 European partners, including Réseau Action Climat (Climate Action Network- France) and ALTAA in France, CECU in Spain, Terra! in Italy, Green REV Institute in Poland, and Foodrise in the UK to amplify the voice of citizens and campaign for their wishes and needs regarding a healthy, sustainable, and just food environment.