Driving the Shift in Food Systems
Where Community Comes to the Table
When it comes to food, one thing becomes clear: it is often the seemingly small initiatives in rural areas that spark active engagement. A look at our “Future is served!” projects shows how food systems can be transformed in the long term.
Food concerns us all: what ends up on our plates at home is a sensitive topic for many. At the same time, the way we eat has clear global implications—for example, for climate change. Currently, our food systems are responsible for 37 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.
Bringing about lasting change requires taking people along on the journey. From shared herb walks to a mobile kitchen in the town square, local experiences show that bold conversations and low-threshold, accessible initiatives can set meaningful change in motion. Over the past year, municipalities have achieved a great deal.
The food transition begins at the local level: our “Future is served!” programme supports rural municipalities in transforming their food systems in a collaborative and constructive way. Over a period of two years, they are guided in working together with organised civil society, the agricultural and business sectors, and engaged citizens to develop measures that can lead to a sustainable food system—from educational initiatives to impulses for healthier diets. Involving local people in these processes fosters strong societal acceptance and makes long-term change tangible.
A Student Letter Sets the Food Transition in Motion
There are many good reasons for rural municipalities to engage with the issue of food. After all, food is often produced, processed and consumed locally. Transforming food systems so that they are healthy, fair and sustainable for everyone is an important step forward. But for this to succeed, municipalities need to find ways of aligning their approach to food with local needs—and, crucially, of listening to those voices most directly affected by community food environments.
In Amt Temnitz (Brandenburg), a letter marked the starting point for a shift in thinking about food. “We are not satisfied with our school meals,” wrote primary school pupils to the local administration. “We are unhappy with the lack of choice. Some children don’t eat meat, while others would like fresher, healthier and tastier food. […] We hope you will take our concerns seriously.”
The message did not go unheard. Through online surveys and participatory workshops, the project team gathered insights into how school food could be improved. “We listened to our children, recognised the potential for better communication between schools, childcare centres and parents, and developed a deeper understanding of what truly matters to village communities,” the team reflects today.
To transform food systems so they are fair, healthy and sustainable, it is essential to listen to those voices most directly affected.
By now, the key focus areas have been defined, and the stakeholders are beginning to develop ideas for how to make them part of everyday life—from new kitchens and raised garden beds in schools to a recipe book that aims to capture the unique flavours of Temnitz.
At the 2025 network meeting in Bad Bevensen, participants visited, among other places, the “Vielfalterei” garden and prepared their evening meal together in a mobile kitchen.
The importance of direct exchange between citizens and policymakers for fostering vibrant civic engagement is also evident in the town of Papenburg in Lower Saxony. As part of a well-structured participatory process, the project team engaged in in-depth dialogue with a wide range of community groups. They made a particular effort to reach people who are often harder to engage, inviting them to take part in shared cooking courses. Each session focused on a specific topic—for example, what healthy nutrition could look like for older people.
This not only led to lively exchanges among participants but also sparked sustained engagement. To this day, numerous initiatives continue to emerge locally. The “Open Kitchen” project, for instance, creates regular spaces where residents can come together to cook. A range of courses, including sessions on meal prepping, further help to raise awareness and deepen engagement with the topic.
How can a sense of community be fostered in structurally disadvantaged regions?
Particularly in regions where there can be significant scepticism towards public institutions, it is essential to create infrastructure and spaces where people can come together and develop ideas for shaping their communities. The village of Braunichswalde in Thuringia shows how this can succeed: in this community of 600 residents, the topic of “healthy food” brings people together rather than dividing them. To make this work, the local project team relies on direct conversations with residents and a wide range of shared experiences. Whether through herb walks, tasting workshops, or cooking and cocktail classes, food becomes not only a way to build a sense of community, but a shared concern for everyone involved.
The starting point in the unified municipality of Tangerhütte in Saxony-Anhalt is equally challenging: it consists of 19 villages and 32 districts spread across nearly 300 square kilometres. Creating a shared sense of community here is a structural task. With the “Future Kitchen” project, this is being addressed head-on. The team’s long-term goal is to strengthen appreciation for regional food and to foster dialogue between residents, childcare centres and schools, and local farmers.
Measures that strengthen democratic values and actively involve local communities hold the greatest promise for lasting change.
After one year, it becomes clear: participatory approaches often trigger a positive chain reaction and make structural change in food systems tangible. “Heads, hearts and stomachs come together, the network is strengthened, and participants go on to act as multipliers,” the team concludes.
Small Steps, Big Impact: Turning Ideas into Lasting Food System Change
The impact of seemingly small initiatives becomes clear in Oberhavel. Here, three municipalities—Fürstenberg, Gransee and Zehdenick—joined forces to make sustainable approaches to food tangible. In the process, small projects became the starting point for long-term collaboration: for example, over a six-week period, fresh breakfasts were prepared in local childcare centres instead of children bringing packed meals from home—an initiative that is now being continued independently by parents. Previously, there had been no shared breakfast or snack provision in municipal childcare centres.
This was accompanied by a wide range of further impulses: over the past year, community farming projects were launched in all three municipalities, along with a regional app that maps local producers and is designed to strengthen local value creation. Participatory initiatives such as the “Soup Club”, where people cook together, also brought residents closer. Taken together, these measures form a broader picture that has turned the municipalities into a beacon for sustainable food in the region. Neighbouring communities now actively seek out the project team for their expertise in running school kitchens—and in the adjacent district of Barnim, five fresh food kitchens are currently being established in response to the momentum generated in Oberhavel.