Bioeconomics | KU Leuven

How can we reduce #foodwaste and accelerate the shift from animal-based consumption to #plantbased? What roles do #retailers and #consumers play, and how can we empower them to make more sustainable choices? Join the #EITFoodSUCCESS symposium tomorrow, from 13:30 to 15:30 PM CET, and be part of the conversation on "Shaping Sustainable Food Consumption". ✨ Why attend? 🌱 Discover actionable strategies for reducing food waste from retail and consumer perspectives. 🥗 Gain insights into the rising trend of plant-based diets and how to support them. 🤝 Explore collaborative solutions among stakeholders to drive meaningful change in our food systems. 📩 Secure your spot: Registering is still possible through https://lnkd.in/eCAZMf2j 📢 The #webinar will feature a panel of experts sharing real-world case studies and practical tips to inspire and empower sustainable practices, including Ines Cottignie from our research group at KU Leuven. Thanks to Rikolto & EIT Food.

I just spend three days working with Prof. Dr. Sophie Hieke, Anna Macready and Liesbet Vranken on the EIT Food TrustTracker data, looking for changes in consumer trust over time and cross-national differences. And also enjoyed some Bavarian food.

📅 Monday 4th November, we proudly gathered for the first time the reference committee of the BruFO2050 project that aims at studying and tackling the tricky and burning question of a possible sustainable food supply of the Brussels Capital region by 2050. This study is led by Caroline Amrom Sytra - UCLouvain and Hannelore De Schaepmeester Bioeconomics | KU Leuven with the support of Innoviris and the essential support they provide to Prospective research: Prospective Research Call framed by Innoviris (https://lnkd.in/e-BdReQs). In the upcoming 2 years, we will tackle six main questions: 1️⃣ How does the Brussels food supply system operate? 2️⃣ How sustainable is the current system? 3️⃣ What are the barriers of this situation towards a more sustainable system? 4️⃣ What can the future look like by (not) acting on these barriers? 5️⃣ How to progress toward a resilient food supply system? 6️⃣ How to represent the Brussels' food supply system? To properly and relevantly answer those questions, we’ve invited different researchers and practitioners to challenge us and think thoroughly about the best methodology and actors’ involvement. 🤝 The first meeting focused on questions 1, 2, and 6, and the insights we got were great already! In our next steps, we’ll define the specifics of Brussels in comparison to Wallonia and Flanders as well as to other European cities, and study who’s composing Brussels Food environment in terms of economic activities and public administration and policies. 🙏 Thank you very much to all and each of them, looking forward to the next meetings and our progress on this research! In the meantime, if you have any take, reflections, or actors we should be interacting with, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! 📩 The project and its progress can be followed on this page: 🇬🇧 https://lnkd.in/efswxthM   🇫🇷 https://lnkd.in/e4tmekDc  Erik Mathijs Philippe Baret Maarten Crivits rob renaerts Thérésa Lebacq Camille Brillion Léa Clément Christophe Alliot Charlotte Flechet Aurore Fransolet Sandrine Vokaer Sofie Declerck Myrle Claessens Michiel De Bauw Simon Storms Inès Sneessens Frédéric Chomé Lotte Damhuis

Tijdens mijn bezoek aan ZLTO nam ik samen met Erik M. een aantal vlogs op. De eerste - over samenwerking in de keten - staat nu online. "In een serie van drie korte vlogs gaan we in gesprek met Tessa Avermaete over de toekomst van onze land en tuinbouw. Het werken aan een robuust en weerbaar landbouwsysteem. De meerwaarde van interregionale samenwerking en de noodzaak om consumenten te verleiden tot een ander voedselpatroon. Tessa is landbouw econoom aan de Katholieke Universiteit van Leuven, opinieleider, schrijfster en luis in de pels van veel bestuurders en politici in Vlaanderen." Bioeconomics | KU Leuven

#MeetTheTeam Meet Henri Contor Henri is a new member of the Division of Bioeconomics. He holds a Bachelor degree in Mathematics from Université catholique de Louvain and a Master degree from the University of Bergen in Norway. After working on sustainable development for over a year in international NGOs, he returns to academia to work on true cost accounting in agrifood systems at KU Leuven. His research seeks to establish, apply, and validate a methodological framework to integrate external costs across actors within agrifood systems. Through stakeholder collaboration and market simulations, the project seeks to set a standard for responsible and sustainable practices. #BioeconKUL

🌍 On October 15th, we had the privilege of co-hosting a symposium on Action Research with Sytra - UCLouvain, Bioeconomics | KU Leuven, and Flanders Business School - FBS School. The theme? "How to effectively engage actors in transitions for sustainable impact?" ✨ We brought together a great mix of researchers and practitioners from across Belgium and Europe to explore critical challenges and insights on:    🔄 Transdisciplinary practices    💡 The use of system, target, and transformation knowledge    👥 Forming the right group of actors to drive transition dynamics The event inspired thought-provoking questions like:  📚 How can we balance scientific knowledge with other types of knowledge, practices, experience?  🔊 How do we give a voice to the “unpresent”?  💭 How can we step out of our routines to embrace a true transition perspective?  We were led in those reflections by our five great speakers :  Barbara van Mierlo, Ines Cottignie, Caroline Amrom, Marija Roglic, Diana Borniotto, Amber Steyaert , and Véronique De Herde, as well by our passionate and reflective participants. Thanks for making this such a dynamic discussion! 🙌  🙏 Special thanks to Sien Luyten and Bart Van Looy for hosting us, Erik Mathijs for the warm welcome, and to Philippe Baret in additon to the latters for sparking these reflections right from the start. Looking forward to rescheduling another session soon to dive even deeper into these critical conversations with more diverse perspectives and actionable outcomes! ✨ If you'd like the minutes of the meeting, feel free to reach out (mp to Caroline Amrom or direct mail) Big thanks to BELSPO - Belgian Science Policy Office for supporting these essential national dialogues and research initiatives! 🎓 #systemknowledge #systemicchange #transitionstudies #transdisciplinarity #actionresearch #ParticipatoryActionResearch #Futures4Food #Enfasys

#MeetTheTeam Meet Mika Michiels Mika earned a master’s degree in bio-engineering specializing in molecular catalytic technology, in June this year at KU Leuven. For his PhD, he will explore the application of renewable, locally produced hydrogen for clean cooking and cooling in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to joining our Agricultural & Rural Development Research Group, he will dedicate half of his time to working with the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis Characterisation and Application Team (COK-KAT) group, where he will focus on the technical aspects of his research. #BioeconKUL

♻ We are approaching the final phase of the Rustica EU Project. Our consortium has worked since January 2021 on the development of bio-based fertilisers, based on waste streams from fruit and vegetables in Europe and Colombia. We investigated the potential of different technologies for waste valorization, explored the opportunities and bottlenecks in legislation and regulation, and we analysed the agronomic and economic performance of bio-based fertilizer blends.   On the 27th of November, we will hold our final conference in Leuven (BE), titled "From research to practice: implementing circular bio-based fertilisers". At this conference, we will present the outcomes of the project as well as the policy implications and recommendations. Registrations for the conference are open. You can register here: https://lnkd.in/eh_JMdaW   

You are kindly invited to the Rustica EU Project Global Workshop, which provides a unique opportunity to explore the future of circular bio-based fertilisers and their role in advancing sustainable agriculture. The workshop will examine the EU Green Deal's impact on both European and Global South contexts, highlighting innovative approaches, market adoption and policy support needed to scale bio-based fertilisers. The programme will offer interactive discussions and valuable networking opportunities, encouraging participants to share experiences, engage in dialogue, and critically reflect. Register here: https://lnkd.in/ezfra3RP

📢 New paper alert! “Disaster risk reduction measures and farmers choices: a discrete choice experiment in Uganda” By Rodgers Mutyebere, Iris Vanermen, Kato Van Ruymbeke, Jean Bosco NKURIKIYE, Ronald Twongyirwe, PhD, Dr. John Sekajugo (PhD), Clovis Kabaseke, Violet Kanyiginya, Grace Kagoro-Rugunda, Matthieu Kervyn & Liesbet Vranken Read more: https://lnkd.in/eY_9NyVk