LBTU Researchers Represent Latvia at the First Nordic-Baltic Food Systems Conference in Helsinki
From May 26 to 28, the first Nordic-Baltic Food Systems Conference and Policy Forum, “Challenging Intersections: Securing Sustainable Food Systems in Turbulent Times”, took place in Helsinki. The event brought together over 200 participants – scientists, policymakers, farmers, entrepreneurs, NGO representatives, and students from across the region, including researchers from the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU).
The conference emphasized interdisciplinarity as a crucial approach to transforming food systems, fostering closer cooperation between environmental scientists, economists, nutrition and public health researchers, sociologists, and policy analysts.
As repeatedly highlighted in the conference discussions, the food system cannot be viewed solely through the lens of agriculture and food production. It also encompasses supply chains, consumption patterns, dietary quality, environmental impact, rural development, public health, climate change, and policy capacity. This systemic perspective is essential to develop sustainable resource management policies and ensure the region’s future security.
The conference explored the following key themes:
Sustainable food security and crisis preparedness (including climate and geopolitical threats),
Systems thinking and transdisciplinary methods,
The role of animals in sustainable food systems,
Changes in dietary patterns,
Sustainable agricultural systems and land use,
Circular food systems.
Special attention was paid to agricultural restructuring, underscoring that implementing sustainable food systems is not possible without sustainable land management, balanced use of local resources, and adherence to just transition principles.
Latvia was represented at the conference by researchers from LBTU and the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office, who shared insights on sustainable food packaging, the potential of urban agriculture for resilient futures, methodologies for assessing agricultural and forestry land, sustainability in Latvian food service companies, and carbon market research in Latvia.
At the close of the conference, creative workshops identified future research directions to enhance the resilience and sustainability of regional food systems.
To ensure ongoing collaboration and knowledge exchange among Nordic and Baltic researchers and other stakeholders, a LinkedIn networking platform has been established: the Nordic-Baltic Food Systems Network (NFN). Those interested in continuing discussions and sharing their research on sustainable resource management in the Nordic-Baltic region are invited to join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10010508/.
Information prepared by Kristīne Valujeva, a member of the conference’s scientific committee and leading researcher at the LBTU Forest and Water Resources Research Laboratory (MURZL).