We are pleased to share that the insights and expertise developed within the FOODMISSION project were recently presented to stakeholders and partners of the FOODCITYBOOST project, during their 3rd consortium meeting held on June 1, in Wrocław, Poland. 

Both Horizon Europe initiatives are united by a common ambition: accelerating the transition towards more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems while fostering innovation, collaboration, and citizen engagement across Europe.

FOODMISSION focuses on empowering citizens to actively contribute to food systems transformation through citizen science, stakeholder collaboration, and innovative digital engagement tools. By involving citizens directly in data collection and research activities, the project aims to better understand food-related behaviours, perceptions of sustainability, and the drivers behind everyday food choices. The project combines these efforts with gamification and educational approaches to encourage long-term engagement and support evidence-based policymaking.

During the exchange, we presented FOODMISSION’s approaches to citizen participation, transformation labs, social learning, and stakeholder co-creation. Particular attention was given to how citizen-generated knowledge can contribute to systemic change and help shape more sustainable food environments.

The discussion strongly resonated with the objectives of FOODCITYBOOST, a Horizon Europe project dedicated to advancing sustainable urban agriculture across Europe. FOODCITYBOOST investigates how urban farming can generate environmental, economic, and social benefits while strengthening connections between urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. Through Living Labs located in Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Latvia, the project co-designs policies and governance solutions that support the development of sustainable urban food production systems.

The exchange highlighted the significant potential for collaboration between projects addressing food systems transformation from complementary perspectives. While FOODCITYBOOST focuses on the role of urban agriculture in creating greener and more resilient cities, FOODMISSION contributes insights into citizen engagement, behavioural change, and participatory innovation processes.

Together, these initiatives demonstrate how collaboration between researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and citizens can help build healthier, more sustainable, and future-proof food systems across Europe.