Miranda Meuwissen, Max Koppenberg, Oscar Sottie, Caroline Figueroa, Kathleen Guan, Anand Gavai, Donika Xhani, Cristina Zepeda, Sophia Renner, Renner, Maral Mahdad, Maaike Dijkstra
To accelerate food system transformations, local and contextualised solutions are needed. Current physical and digital technologies are mostly developed in silos and with leading market players. They are therefore not connected to local consumer food and health demands, data sovereignty and local context. Our project introduces ground-breaking designs at odds with the current situation. Creating sustainable business models requires rethinking stakeholders' vested interests. For the first time, data platform architectures put consumers in charge of their data.Â
Our solution is âto keep the eye on the ballâ, i.e. to keep on working on the integration of the multiple disciplines at stake, such as understanding personal food choice preferences, health risk prevention, and how these can be met in an economically feasible way through growing local crops in high-tech environments. Walking together is slower than walking alone, but together we can get further. The team addresses technology questions concerning e.g. privacy preserving data platforms, optimizing resource use efficiency in urban greenhouses and logistics solutions, and the design of chatbots and games to eventually incentivize purchase and consumption. Concurrently, we address governance and business models together with multiple health and food chain actors, service providers, such as insurers and banks, and government organisations. This âhuman factorâ is crucial to the system's success.
Imagine year-round production of healthy fruits and vegetables tailored to local circumstances, wishes and culture. Let's look at some challenges! For example: can we design the system in a way that everyone is willing to share their data? Is the system cost-effective; can we compete with the high demand for space in urban areas and global optimized supply chains regarding costs and convenience? How can we organize the digital part to reach everyone - including consumers who are less consciously looking for a healthy lifestyle?
