{"id":3820,"date":"2025-12-02T09:48:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T07:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethz.ch\/Science_and_Policy\/?p=3820"},"modified":"2025-12-02T09:48:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T07:48:51","slug":"resilient-and-sustainable-regional-food-systems-in-switzerland-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethz.ch\/Science_and_Policy\/2025\/12\/02\/resilient-and-sustainable-regional-food-systems-in-switzerland-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Resilient and sustainable regional food systems in Switzerland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Response Doctoral Program<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food system encompasses all the actors that feed us: farmers, processing companies, retailers, restaurants, and consumers. This complex network faces growing challenges: climate variations, rising production costs, and societal demands for affordable and healthy products. To address these challenges, our food systems must become more resilient while remaining sustainable. At ETH Zurich, we have developed an approach to help regional policymakers transform their regional food systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Imagine waking up tomorrow morning to find the shelves of your usual supermarket half empty. Fruits from the other side of the world can no longer arrive due to a geopolitical crisis, local vegetables have been destroyed by an exceptional drought, and the restaurants in your neighborhood are closing one by one for lack of stable supply. Science fiction? Not really. The COVID-19 pandemic already gave us a taste of this fragility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Switzerland, as elsewhere, the way we produce and consume food has radically changed over recent decades. The globalization of trade has transformed our food system into a complex and sometimes fragile network. This evolution brings consequences. Swiss producers face international competition, price volatility, and increasingly frequent climate hazards \u2013 droughts, late frosts, floods. Meanwhile, we consumers have gradually lost the connection with those who feed us and the territories that surround us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the aim of the project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, cities and regions worldwide have been actively developing comprehensive plans and strategies for their territorial development. France has implemented Territorial Food Projects, while Switzerland has established Regional Development Plans. Building on this momentum, major metropolises like Paris, London, and Vancouver, alongside emerging cities such as Fez and Ho Chi Minh City, are now incorporating resilience \u2013 the ability to navigate through crises and adapt to change – into their food supply strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if we humans strive for food systems to meet present needs without compromising future generations, we must ensure they are built sustainably. This sustainability imperative should guide our strategic choices, but with numerous approaches available to strengthen both resilience and sustainability, how do we identify the most suitable strategies for each specific context?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For identifying the most suitable strategies considering the context, Paul Donadieu de Lavit and the Sustainable Agroecosystems group at ETH Zurich provide decision-makers with a comprehensive assessment tool that evaluates their regional food system holistically, enabling them to make informed, evidence-based choices for their territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Main results<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The assessment tool analyzes three interconnected components<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n