It enters everyday life, marks our days, tells the habits of the individual citizen but also the history of the countries. It is the lens through which to know a city: who lives, who produces, who trades, who consumes. It's about the food.

 

Already with Expo 2015 the whole world was reflecting on the theme "Feeding the planet, energy for life", proposing to the world a reflection on food policies. Subsequently, studies have stated that by 2050 about two thirds of the world's population will live in urban areas and therefore the supply of healthy food will become even more difficult in a world suffering from malnutrition (about 90% of the population living in degraded suburbs of the megacities of the southern hemisphere does not have access to nutritious food) and which faces an exacerbation of the damages of the climate crisis.

 

This is why various cities are choosing to adopt food policies, i.e. a series of good policies relating to the topic which aim to guarantee nutritious food for everyone, promote sustainability, educate about food, fight against waste, support research.

 

Among these is the Andria Food Policy Hub: the only laboratory in Puglia, wanted by the Municipality of Andria, which arises from the ability to perceive change and to look ahead to ask oneself: "at this rate, where will we be in 50 or 100 years ?”.

 

The four startups of the Andria Food Policy Hub, born from a training course that lasted a few months, gave shape to the answers, but with an eye projected towards an ethical and sustainable future. On Thursday 27 July, at the municipal library “G. Ceci” of Andria, the creators of the social innovation enterprises presented their ideas to a commission, which welcomed them with great favour.

 

We know the projects in detail.

 

Disproportionate use of the car in the city and food waste in restaurants and banquet halls are the two main problems faced by the "Ciclifood" project by Giovanni Prezioso, Eleonora Eliotropio and Sabino Ardito; a delivery service with cargo e-bikes, i.e. eco-friendly vehicles, which will allow you to receive short-chain products or foodboxes with foods that are looking for a second life at home.

 

The difficulties encountered by Gigi Brandonisio and Giuseppe Lombardi with the project "Goodo, mangio e tale": a shopping education project with practical advice and many events cultural.

 

Ethical food but also genuine flavors and nutritious dishes are the values on which "Agricult" by Stefania Cannone, Silverio Liso and Giorgio Cicco bets, or the first farmer's market at km0 able to offer an experience of peasant cooking and a taste of the world of agroecology right in the city centre.

 

There is no lack of attention to the inclusion of the most fragile categories: "Autfood, your tailored career" by the Apulian Foundation for Neurodiversity, in the persons of Stefano Inchingolo and Michela Nicolamarino, takes care of it. The goal is to break down stereotypes relating to neurodiversity and offer job opportunities in the agrifood sector.

 

Four projects, four working groups, which are proposed as a one-way ticket for the city of Andria for a future more sensitive to environmental and ethical sustainability issues.

 

Great satisfaction among those present at the meeting, including the General Secretary Rosa Arrivabene, the Rup Vincenzo Scarpa, the councilors and the mayor Giovanna Bruno: "It is exciting to realize how the ideas developed in recent months have materialized: the four projects, capable of combining agri-food roots with a desire for sociality even with respect to fragility, give us the opportunity to imagine how the Social Innovation Hub can become an active part of our city".

 

“The synergy between the members of the working groups is wonderful - commented the councilor for beauty Daniela Di Bari -. This tells us how much the city can develop in collaboration, starting from the desires that animate people. We can't wait to see the Hub come to life with these projects and act them out across the city."