Future of Food

Course manual 2020/2021

Course content

In this course students are challenged to conceive research-based applications, critically (1) assess the performance of leading food agents, (2) apply and evaluate tools and methods-in-use, and (3) prepare recommendations for the improvement of the Amsterdam city region food system.

The student research effort - embedded in a group assignment - starts from basic knowledge concepts which have been explored in preceding courses (in particular Food and the City in semester 1). Concepts such as city region food systems, transition management, urban food policy and planning, food planning tools, collaborative planning, food asset mapping, and food councils will be operationalised and applied. Thus students are challenged to make a contribution to the process of food planning in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region.

Study materials

Literature

• Defining your CRFS and food asset mapping

  FAO (2018) City Region Food System Tools/Examples: City Region Food System Toolkit. Rome: FAO. http://www.fao.org/3/i9255en/I9255EN.pdf (Retrieved on 2 December 2020)

  - Defining CRFS: pp.1-2, 31-34

  - Food asset mapping: pp.83-85, 86-89, 133-144

   

  Food planning tools

  De Zeeuw, H. & Dubbeling, M. (2015) Process and tools for multi-stakeholder planning of the urban agro/food system. In: De Zeeuw, H. & Drechsel, P. (2015) Cities and Agriculture. Developing Resilient Urban Food Systems. London: Routledge, pp.56-87. https://ruaf.org/document/cities-and-agriculture-developing-resilient-urban-food-systems/ (Retrieved on 2 December 2020)

Objectives

• Identify the characteristics of an urban food system.
• Investigate the dynamics of the urban food system at various scales
• Identify the emergence of alternative food systems in cities in transition.
• Make a selection of relevant tools, provided in the City Region Food System Toolkit, and use them to map parts of the food system in the Amsterdam Metropolitan region.
• Translate innovative and sustainable solutions pertaining to the food system and food practices into policy recommendations.
• Use the knowledge of transition and modernization theories to assess opportunities and pitfalls of participatory policy processes.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Seminar
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Supervision/feedback meeting

The course works towards the delivery of a group assignment (a report and presentation). The group assignment will be executed in groups of 4-5 students. You are expected to demonstrate your progress on weekly basis.

Two introduction lectures are organised in which the assignments are explained, and the urban food strategy of the City of Amsterdam is discussed.

Four working groups are organised to discuss the students' progress (e.g. presenting your work) and to receive feedback (from your fellow students and lecturers).

The final session of this course is a meeting in which each group will present his/her results not only to each other, but also to a group of local practitioners.

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• In case of practical sessions, the student is obliged to attend at least of 90% of the sessions and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the practical sessions should be redone entirely.
• In case of tutorials/seminars with assignments, the student is obliged to attend at least 90% of the tutorials/seminars and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the course cannot be finished

Additional requirements for this course:

Students are obliged to attend at least 3 out of 4 working groups sessions. In case the student attends less, the practical sessions should be redone entirely.

Assessment

The groups are working towards a final assignment (a report), which has to be presented as well (via an interactive map with audio and/or video). Halfway the course, students have to deliver their report on food asset mapping. In the first week, students have to deliver a research design. This preparatory assignment will not be graded.

Inspection of assessed work

Inspection of assessed work will be communicated by Jaap Rothuizen, coordinating tutor on request. Contact Jaap through j.v.rothuizen@uva.nl.

Assignments

The assignments have to be made in groups of 4-5 students.

Students will receive feedback from the tutors in the working groups, and from the course coordinator by e-mail.

Students are expected to complete four deliverables:

1.Research design (preparatory assignment; 0% weight)

2. Mid-term assignment (25% weight)

3. Presentation (25% weight)

4. Report (the final assignment; 50% weight)

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Last year's course evaluation

In order to provide students some insight how we use the feedback of student evaluations to enhance the quality of education, we decided to include the table below in all course guides.

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Jannes Willems

Staff

• J.V. Rothuizen
• J. van der Klei