Feeding the future: The critical role of seeds in food systems and cultural heritage

Genetic resources constitute a critical resource to deal with the current climatic and geostrategic challenges. The XXI century reintroduced the problem of food security in political and scientific agendas of developed countries. At the roots of this re-emergence are multidimensional reasons: economic (cereals crisis in 2008), public health (covid pandemic), and war (Russia vs Ukraine). Within this context, the reflection on basic issues concerning the food system, namely food production and the resources involved in, such as seeds, is of utmost importance. The paper presents an exploratory approach to genetic conservation through banks in Portugal. The sections of the paper include a problematization, namely the international and national framework on the subject, the design of an analytical model, and the presentation of the results of a case study of a Portuguese genetic bank.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Innovation and business models towards a sustainable food system

Business models (BMs) and their link with cleaner, green production have been the subject of growing attention in the recent research on sustainability. Businesses are increasingly dealing with the challenges and opportunities associated with transition towards sustainability due to the adoption of new strategies to innovate and implement more suitable solutions for the new context. Many studies on a broad array of sectors and countries, notably farming activities and the food system in general (Smith, 2006; Spaargaren, Oosterveer and Loeber, 2012), have already documented this shift. This paper addresses the emergence and development of new business models (BM) envisaging the transition to sustainability. As little attention has been given to the food sector in this regard, the research presented reflects on BM innovation both generally and in the specific case of the food sector by presenting the case study of an innovative farm in Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Quinta do Oeste). The study is part of a Project on Spatial Planning for Change (SPLACH). The case study allows the identification of several aspects to make the food business more sustainable in certain parts of the value chain, specifically production and commercialization (short chain supply). The study was carried out with primary data collected through extensive interviews with key actors, namely the farm's representative, and visit/detailed observation of the farm. The research shows how sustainable food production and commercialization have given rise to new offerings and demand. In terms of originality, this research aims to contribute to and stimulate the discussions on the need to create novel and more sustainable business models in the food sector. The research identifies different elements that contribute to the innovation of BM for more sustainable farms, more specifically the importance of entrepreneurs' values as a driver of sustainable pathways and the centrality of producers' networks in the implementation of innovative BM. The study also highlights the need to address research gaps in the theoretical and methodological dimensions of the food system transition.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Small, smart and sustainable: Networking to develop the medicinal and aromatic plants value-chain in Portugal

The paper aims to study the use of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) farmers’ networking activities to overcome challenges in the development of their business. MAPs are mostly cultivated in small farms located in rural territories. This presents many challenges in different dimensions of business development through the value-chain, namely in commercialization. That is why networking and collaboration with other actors may have an important role, by providing the scale and critical resources towards business success and value-chain sustainable development. The paper draws on a purposefully collected set of data on a network of Portuguese producers of MAP, organized under the EPAM project. The data was collected through a questionnaire and quantitatively analyzed in order to understand: i) how MAP farmers perceive the importance of networks for the development of their businesses? ii) How are networks enabling farmers with different profiles to develop their businesses? The results confirm the importance of networks for the development of these businesses, namely with other firms. However, it is possible to identify some diversity in the assessment of the role of those networks, both by taking into consideration the location of the farms and their positioning in the value-chain. The study contributes to a better understanding of how networking contributes to overcome barriers in the sustainable development of an agri-food value-chain, by stressing a variety of networking proposes and partners and the existence of differences across types of firms.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aromatic, medicinal, and local herbs: The critical role of networks

The purpose of the communication is to present some research results on the sector of aromatic and medicinal herbs located in different regions of the Portuguese territory. The focus of the presentation is the role of local development associations and networks in the development of the sector. Aromatic and medicinal plants are very important in the Mediterranean diet. Their presence in gourmet food and the recipes of well-known chefs gave an important impulse in the prestige and, therefore, demand of the product. The cultivation of aromatic and medicinal herbs has economic, social, and environmental impacts on the territory. Besides the creation of employment and the possibility of an, principal or complementary, income source, this production provides the improvement of biodiversity and the occupation of rural areas. They are mostly cultivated in small and very small farms, both in developing and developed countries (Kwankhao & Indaratna, 2020; Matthews & Jack, 201; Schunko, et al, 2019; Unati et al, 2016; Yamoah et al, 2014). This characteristic presents many challenges in different dimensions of business development through the value chain, namely commercialization. That is why the connection and the establishment of partnerships with other actors, such as local development associations, and other producers, have an important role, since they provide the scale and critical resources towards the success of this initiatives. The case study selected, EPAM, provides the empirical setting to explore this sector regarding the role of networks. With these goals in mind, the presentation is structured in through the following topics: after the revision of literature, and the design of a conceptual framework, the communication presents the methodological options, and the results. The presentation finishes with the identification of limitations of the research and concluding remarks.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lessons from the extremes in the case of urban planning

The presentation aims to highlight the case of Delhi as a reference to reflect on urban planning in general and in the case of Lisbon Metropolitan Area. In fact, the extremes, the edges, offer important insights to understand other realities and dynamics through the identification of players, forces and movements that might be not so evidenced in more ‘conventional’ cases. New Delhi is the second largest megacity in the world with a population of 25 million inhabitants. Its metropolitan area is under severe vulnerabilities due to the lack of control of planning instruments on urban transformations. Planning efforts seem to have been used by diverse processes and actors under distinct historical moments, namely colonization, state control over land and nowadays capitalism and globalization dynamics. This leaded to the advent of an insurgent urbanism, where a network of vulnerabilities as settled in time. The presentation establishes this nexus by revisiting key urban transformations in Delhi relating them with planning options that have emerged in distinct socioeconomic, cultural and political contexts. Secondly some considerations will be made on how contemporary concepts such as ‘sustainability’, ‘resilience’, ‘participative governance’ or ‘smart cities’ are being framed, perceived and applied under the context of current urban planning instruments, polices and research. It seems that these narratives are serving as a mean to achieve specific goals by different drivers and actors. Thirdly it is intended to highlight the importance of these examples as key triggers for a deep rethinking on concepts and practices in urban planning field today, namely in the case of Lisbon Metropolitan Area, keeping a critical distance from hegemonic normative views and looking closer at the distinct meanings, power relations, unbalances that surround them according to the diverse scientific, politic, social, economic drivers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sustainable food systems: how important are bottom-up innovative experiments?

The paper aims to analyse sustainable innovations in food production, commercialization and consumption, notably in the form of new production practices, new means of commercialization and new patterns of consumer behaviour. The main goal is to determine the importance of these recent experiments in the shift towards a more sustainable sociotechnical food system in Portugal, in a comparative perspective. In fact, there have been social, technological and organizational innovations in the food system in Portugal: novel forms of organic food production; new specialized retail chains; the transformation of food departments in large stores; and the creation of short food supply chains. These experiments – innovations deployed in “niches”, or protected spaces -, may become more widely adopted depending on their degree of compatibility with the dominant regime or, conversely, their ability to substitute the dominant regime (Ingram et al, 2015). Tensions at the mainstream regime (Smith, 2016) or pressures exerted by the landscape (Geels, 2004) may boost the diffusion of these innovations, favouring a complex transition process. When developing initiatives to achieve a sustainable food system, the role played by institutions (local and national authorities and legal framework) is crucial, as is the involvement of a wide range of actors (e.g., farmers, food processing companies, retailers and consumers). New social practices are crucial to this shift, due to centrality of consumers in this shift (Spaargaren, 2011). Policies may support or hinder the emergence and deployment of experiments in the form of new products, processes, business models and practices. The theoretical framework draws on niche strategic management (Smith, 2006), sustainable transitions multilevel approach (Geels, 2004) and social practices approach (Spaargaren, 2011). The paper aims to contribute to the literature by making a critical assessment of the impact of these experiments on the transition in the food system in Portugal, taking into account successful cases reported in the literature. It also aims to contribute to policy formulation regarding a sustainable food systeminfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Critical cities. Learning from extreme urban contexts, paths for sustainable urban planning in New Delhi and beyond

New Delhi is the second largest megacity in the world, housing around 26 million inhabitants, it’s also a city of extremes.1 Uneven growth and social segregation, massive urbanization, environmental threats, lack of public services, infrastructural weaknesses are a daily routine, and not some future dystopian scenario. 2 According to Delhi Master Plan (2021), only 24% of the population lives in considered legal areas, with the remaining 76% of the population inhabiting unauthorized areas, with poor access to basic services such as house, water, electricity, health or education. 3 The majority of urban population seems to have been forgotten across time or doomed to social-spatial exclusion, enunciating an outstanding gap between planning practice and the dynamics and needs of the city. We may question whether the perpetuation of this gap hasn’t been always embedded in planning and policy practice, constituting an echo of political, economic, institutional and scientific ‘influences’ ? from the West to the East or a mirror of the Indian fragmented society. 4 Three urban planning moments will be revisited in this paper, corresponding also to specific historical contexts, urban models, polices and regulations: Colonial planning driven by the interests of the British empire; modernist planning motivated by post-independence democracy; and, more recently, what one may venture to categorize as neoliberal planning, boosted by economic structural adjustments in the 90’s.56 It’s intended to demonstrate the nexus between the exercise of planning and police making and the growing detachment between a ‘planned city’ and an ‘unplanned city’, with its extreme consequences and risks. Finally, the paper presents some concluding remarks on the importance to critically analyse the permeability of concepts, models and practices to external influences, and how urban planning field may be undermined and/or undermining the solving of urban challenges around the World. This paper presents preliminary results of a research exchange at the Centre for the Study of Science Policy, Jawarlal Nehru University (New Delhi) under the European Marie Currie project "Crossing Borders. Knowledge, Innovation and Technology transfer across borders". Main results are based on literature review, consultation of planning/policy tools and the analysis of a set of interviews conducted to researchers from several disciplinary fields and to public institutions related to urban planning.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Social innovation and networks in rural territories: the case of EPAM

The paper presents a case study related to the production of medicinal and aromatic plants in rural territories within a conceptual and methodological framework focused on social innovation and networks. The case study presents specificities that allow the debate on methodologies and approaches aiming the promotion of rural development of territories with structural problems such as desertification. The concepts operationalized in order to understand these realities and problems offer interesting potentialities in the discussion of the challenges and design of solutions to overcome the main problems of rural territories.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Critical distance in urban planning: will smart, sustainable and resilient narratives save our cities? insights from Delhi metropolitan area

New Delhi is the second largest megacity in the world with a population of 26 million inhabitants (United Nations, 2016). Its metropolitan area its under severe vulnerabilities due to the lack of control of planning instruments on urban transformations. Needs in housing, resources (water and energy), infrastructures, transports, public services (health and education) among others are definitely going beyond local and regional government response capacities (Kapuria, 2014). Planning efforts, polices and regulations seem to have been instrumentalized under distinct historical moments, namely colonization, state control over land and nowadays capitalism and globalization. This leaded to the advent of an unplanned urbanism, with its extreme consequences and risks. It is intended to establish this nexus by revisiting the key planning moments in Delhi along with its different socioeconomic, cultural and political frameworks across time. Finally, we draw conclusions on how contemporary urban development models such as ‘sustainability’, ‘resilience’, ‘participated governance’ or ‘smart cities’ are being framed, perceived and applied under the context of Delhi urban planning instruments, polices and research. It seems that these narratives are serving as means to achieve specific goals by different drivers and actors. The discourse of sustainability is used to sell gated urbanizations for higher income classes, situated in greened areas, far way from slums and pollution. Resilience and horizontal governance is pursuit by the state as a mean to make citizens resistant and accountable to deal with city problems withdrawing public institutions from its own responsibility. Smart Cities Agenda is based on a huge investment on technologic information systems (Delhi is home to many ICT companies) on the hope to end mobility and pollution problems, leaving aside the fact that 77% of Delhi population live under poverty, in precarious housing or without infrastructure (sewage systems, water distribution and services) (Kushwaha, 2016). It is intended to highlight the importance of this reflection for a deep rethinking on concepts and practices in urban planning field, specially in what concerns its normative generalization without taking into account the influences and consequences of distinct political, social,info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The multidimensional role of social entrepreneurship: A case study approach within an international project context

Social entrepreneurship creates social value and has a multidimensional impact (e.g. economic, environmental, cultural). This is related to the complexity and multidimensional approaches to current societal problems such as climatic changes and socioeconomic crises. The paper explores this multidimensionality by presenting three Portuguese case studies of social entrepreneurship operating in diverse domains. The study is based on primary and secondary data on the selected social enterprises. The analysis explores the motivations and constraints in forming a social enterprise and the impact of entrepreneurial activity. There is evidence of multiple roles played by these entrepreneurial agents, and, therefore, their critical role in the response to the problems that current societies face.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio