Difference between revisions of "2026 MLA Vilnius Productive Landscapes"
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===L-5-2 From Unsustainable Food Systems to Just Transitions. Insights from Recent Global Reports.=== | ===L-5-2 From Unsustainable Food Systems to Just Transitions. Insights from Recent Global Reports.=== | ||
An overview of recent reports on Ultra-processed foods and health, EAT–Lancet and planetary boundaries, Doughnut Economics framework, Corporate power in food systems, IPES–Food on fossil fuel dependency, and others. | An overview of recent reports on Ultra-processed foods and health, EAT–Lancet and planetary boundaries, the Doughnut Economics framework, Corporate power in food systems, IPES–Food on fossil fuel dependency, and others. [https://lnicollab.landscape-portal.org/goto.php/file/2779/download You can view the presentation here.] | ||
== Follow-up with online sessions== | == Follow-up with online sessions== | ||
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===L-7 Urban agriculture and the commons=== | ===L-7 Urban agriculture and the commons=== | ||
Online, 16/11, 11h30-12h15 EET | Online, 16/11, 11h30-12h15 EET | ||
The lecture explains the principles of commons and provides an overview of its role in the landscape, with some examples of rural and urban cases. | The lecture explains the principles of commons and provides an overview of its role in the landscape, with some examples of rural and urban cases. | ||
Latest revision as of 11:07, 17 October 2026
Studying foodscapes within the course Productive Landscapes
This page is still in development and will be completed during the course which is offered to Master Students of the Landscape Architecture Programme of Vilnius Tech- Vilniaus Gedimino technikos universiteto in the autumn of 2026.
Topic of the course
Productive landscape concerns the current problems of foodscapes, food systems, short chains, and food security.
This module addresses the planning, design, and management of sustainable foodscapes, integrating both environmental, social, and economic aspects of the productive landscape. It addresses the main challenges, theoretical frameworks, approaches, and methods for sustainable food planning. It relates to the concepts of food security, food safety, food democracy, and food justice, and the way stakeholders and communities can address the challenges through participatory action research and living labs.
It builds upon the work of the International Panel of Experts in Food Planning (IPES) and the Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF). It includes mapping a food system, mapping the stakeholders, consumers, and policymakers (power mapping), and carrying out a SWOT analysis. Students work on collaborative goal setting (applying the nominal group technique for systematic working); proposing transformative actions, developing scenarios, alternatives, and implementation strategies. It may relate to the relevant studio project.
Aim of the course
After completing the foodscapes part of this module, students should be able to conceive ideas in a collaborative way for future physical interventions of a part of a local-regional food system in relation to its context. The goal is to develop adequate knowledge and understanding of food systems, to define driving forces, understand the planning process, to decide on transformative actions, and to make planning and design proposals.
Learning outcomes
The student/learner:
- Understands the concept of food systems in their cultural, local, and regional setting.
- Is aware of contemporary challenges to sustainable food systems in the context of spatial planning.
- Develops an understanding of the multiple dimensions of food systems: social, environmental, economic and spatial.
- Can map and evaluate a concrete situation of a food system, making use of a transparent method, to define the most relevant challenges.
- Can formulate an approach and/or a possible solution for a selected challenge that is related to his/her own competences and role in the system.
- Can define her/his own position and values regarding sustainable food planning.
- Can reflect on his/her own process, using feedback from others, reflecting on cultural, social and economic differences.
Lectures, Q&A. and presentations
The lectures and assignments are given by Dr. Roxana Triboi and ir Jeroen de Vries. Face-to-face lectures and site visits will take place Monday until Wednesday, October 12 to 14,2026.
Preparatory activities between October 5 and October 12, 2026
You are asked to view the introduction by Carolyn Steel Hungry Cities by Carolyn Steel video
And to read the summary of the IPES-Food report, 'A Long Food Movement'.
IPES-Food, 2021. A long food movement. Addresses global challenges and opportunities for transforming food systems towards sustainability. This comprehensive report emphasizes the urgent need to overhaul current food systems to address pressing issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, inequality, and public health concerns. It outlines a vision for a sustainable food future, where long-term planning and grassroots movements play key roles.
Later we ask you to read Deh-Tor, C.M. . 2017 From Agriculture in the City to an Agroecological Urbanism: The transformative pathway of urban (political) agroecology, in: Urban Agriculture Magazine no. 33 – Urban Agroecology. From this publication the focus is on the introduction, page 5 until page 13.
If you have time to do so, it would be nice also to read the Summary of From Plate to Planet.
- IPES-food: From Plate to Planet: How local governments are driving action on climate change through food.
Reading material
FAO. 2019. FAO framework for the Urban Food Agenda. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca3151en Helps to understand the policy context and frameworks that guide urban food systems, aligning with understanding sustainable food planning concepts.
Food and Agriculture Organisation. FAO Report : "Integrating food into urban planning“ page 18 - 32.
Background material only for additional information
FAO. (2018) City Region Food System Toolkit, Assessing and planning sustainable city region food systems, publication of FAO, RUAF and Wilfrid Laurier University. http://www.fao.org/in-action/food-for-cities-programme/toolkit/introduction/en/ (introduction page 1-3, schemes page 133-144 (p. 138-149 in pdf).
This article helps to understand urban food justice issues and introduces the concept of a politics of empowerment. It emphasizes the importance of reflecting on personal values and competencies and addressing inequalities within food systems.
Urban Commons Research Collective. (2022). Urban Commons Handbook (Barcelona: dpr-barcelona, 2022): pages 18-29 and 32-54.
Menatti. L. (2017). Landscape: from common good to human right. In: International Journal of the Commons Vol. 11, no 2 2017, pp. 641–683 Publisher: Uopen Journals; http://www.thecommonsjournal.org DOI: 10.18352/ijc.738: pages 649 – 659 (10 pages)
Reading material as background for the assignment
The role and functions of Stakeholders in the development of local food systems: Case of Lithuania.
Lectures
L-1 - Introduction and Current challenges of the food system, global trends and regional perspective.
Online, October5, 2025, EE time 12h15 - 14h00 Introduction, course overview, concepts, and assignment. You can download the powerpoint here.
L-2 City region food mapping methods and cases on multi-scale levels
Onsite, Monday, October 12, 12h15 - 13h25 EE Time
You can view the PowerPoint here.
As background presentations on food system mapping, you can view the presentation by Jorge Molero from the network for agroecology of Spanish Municipalities (30/03/2022) and the presentation by Katrin Bohn on Spatial and participatory food (systems) mapping (12/05/2022).
L-3 Agro-ecological urbanism: concepts and building blocks
On-site, Monday, October 12, 14h00-15h15 EE Time The lecture and a game recap the building blocks of Agroecological Urbanism. You can view the powerpoint here.
One of the building blocks is the Agriparc, for which an agroecological version is proposed. The presentation on the development of agriparcs in Europe and the proposal for a new model for an agroecological agriparc can be seen here. For the city of Montpellier, a design competition was launched for the new Agriparc Les Bouisses. You can see here the winning project and its further elaboration designed by Architect Office Fabriques.
Discussing the assignment
On-site, Monday, October 12, 15h15-15h45 EE Time
Field visit of the study area
On-site, Tuesday, October 13, 9h05-13h00 EE Time We meet at 10h00 at the bus stop near the area.
Nominal Group Technique
After the field trip: the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). This method can also be applied to other sessions where you collaborate with a group of people, such as participation or co-creation. You can view the introduction on NGT here.
On-site, Wednesday, October 14, 9h05-10h20 EE Time
Design Thinking
L-4 AESOP4Food adapted the method of Design Thinking for sustainable food planning. You can view the presentation of the steps of this method here.
L-5-1 Agriculture in a global context and current developments in Food Planning
On-site, Wednesday, October 14, 10h40-13h45 EE Time. You can view the powerpoint here.
General introduction to agriculture, examples from Turkey, value and supply chains, global development of agricultural land and food consumption, EU policies, and two example explorative reports from the Netherlands. You can view the presentation here.
L-5-2 From Unsustainable Food Systems to Just Transitions. Insights from Recent Global Reports.
An overview of recent reports on Ultra-processed foods and health, EAT–Lancet and planetary boundaries, the Doughnut Economics framework, Corporate power in food systems, IPES–Food on fossil fuel dependency, and others. You can view the presentation here.
Follow-up with online sessions
Seminar with collaborative work: students present on reading material.
Online, 9/11, 13h00 - 13h45 EET
L-6 Food security, food justice and food democracy
Online, 9/11, 13h45 - 14h30 EET
This lecture presents the concepts of food democracy, food justice, food sovereignty and food security. We showed the example of the city of Montpellier in France.
Students can position themselves and consider their role as landscape architects, based on the values and strategies presented.
L-7 Urban agriculture and the commons
Online, 16/11, 11h30-12h15 EET
The lecture explains the principles of commons and provides an overview of its role in the landscape, with some examples of rural and urban cases.
Intermediate individual presentation and Q&A session on the assignment
Online, 16/11-12h15-13h00
Final presentation and assessment
Online, 30/11 15h00 EET
Practical work
Excursion
Tuesday, October 13 morning Study trip to the study area of the assignment. Details will be communicated by the university staff. The students will make a food system analysis. The study area will be larger than the planning area, and both will be defined beforehand.
Collaborative work and Seminar on literature
Defining the challenges of the study site
Collaborative work on the study and planning area on site: defining the challenges, collaborative goal setting, setting priorities. In this part we will apply the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). This method you can also apply for other sessions in which you have collaborative work with a group of people, for instance for participation or co-creation. You can view the introduction to NGT here.
Seminar on literature online
Each student selects two texts from the reading material and prepares 3 slides to present:
- The main content
- Your reflection on the content: what do you think of it, and what is the most interesting part.
- Explain how what you read may impact your work as a landscape architect.
Everyone presents for 6 minutes (we will use a timer), and we will conclude with a general reflection.
Material to select from
1 IPES report: A Long Food Movement. You can focus on the management summary.
2 Deh-Tor, C.M. 2017. From Agriculture in the City to an Agroecological Urbanism
3 FAO. 2025. Transforming food and agriculture through a systems approach. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6071en, pages 1-30
4 IPES-Food Agribusiness Atlas:
Select three entries: for instance, Blue Food about Fisheries, SEEDS – Plants under copyright control.
5 Tornaghi, Chiara. (2016). Urban Agriculture in the Food‐Disabling City: (Re)defining Urban Food Justice, Reimagining a Politics of Empowerment. Antipode. 49. 10.1111/anti.12291.
6 Menatti. L. (2017). Landscape: from common good to human rights. International Journal of the Commons, Vol.11, no2 2017, p649 – 659
7 The role and functions of Stakeholders in the development of local food systems: Case of Lithuania.
8 IPES-Food. 2026. The new geopolitics of food: navigating policies for resilient self-reliance.