The urban food transition calls on cities as centers of consumption to be instruments of sustainable change to ensure nutrition security into the future. Understanding the food system is a crucial part of the urban food transition. After all, how can we change something we don’t understand? Illustrating the food system not only makes the information more interesting and accessible it also helps build understanding among the citizens, food system actors and politicians. It also provides a baseline for the stating point (current state) of our Food System, so we can make a follow up by the end of 2024 to show the development of the food system of Kolding.
There were several steps to the process:
1. First we worked out the framework of a food system.
What kind of players are there in a food system ? How might they interlink with each other ?
2. Diving in to understand your own food system.
Once we had a framework, we had to gather information in practice and build a baseline! We collected insights and conducted data collection on Kolding’s food system by mapping the different business, talking to food system actors to understand strengths and barries, conducted data and research on everything from agricultural land use to the food culture of Kolding (remember Kolding’s nickname ‘Slicetown’ and our research into Koldings citizens habits ?)
3. Once we had the information, it was time to document and visualize our food system.
The designer was briefed with the info that the illustration should also be animated. This way it can be considered in the reative process of the illustration from the start.
4. Animate
Last but not least, the illustration was sent off to an animator, who created the video, presenting the food system of Kolding
Illustration of Kolding’s Food System
What was the purpose of the food system illustration?
-
Visualize the baseline of Kolding’s Food System.
Based on insights and data collection in year 1 of the FUSILLI project we understand our baseline. Knowing what our starting point is means that we can follow up on progress by the end of the project in 2024 and show the transformation we achieved.
-
Build understanding of what a food system is for us working on FUSILLI
-
Build understanding of the food system of Kolding among the citizens, politicians and stakeholders directly influenced by the system
-
Support others to tell the story of Kolding’s food system – they just have to press “play”😊
In this way, the illustration helps us to support our local stakeholders to spread the word on transforming Kolding’s urban food system.