FutEUre Food Erasmus Project

Project Title

FutEUre Food

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Research and innovation

Project Summary

“FutEUre Food” is an innovative project for pupils from five secondary schools in five different European countries. The age of these pupils is 15-18 years old and they have an affinity with science. Pupils will visit the local university during the exchange, where they will be taught by students and lecturers. At the end of the Science Week they will present what they have learned to primary school pupils, ages 10-12 years, and their teachers. 750 pupils and teachers will be directly involved in this project.

FutEUre food addresses a global problem. Humanity can’t survive without food. But if we want to sustain ourselves in the near future, we have to deal with food in a different way. This is one of the greatest challenges of our time. To ensure sufficient food for the ever-growing world population, considerable adjustments will be needed. Not only the amount of food is important, but there will definitely be a change in the type of food. This will also bring about cultural changes, because national traditions and customs often have a relationship with food.
In addition to the problem of a rapidly growing world population, humanity is also facing the problem of climate change. Global warming alone will have a considerable impact on the cultivation of crops. Which crops can withstand drought or extremely humid conditions? Is it safe to eat genetically modified food? These are just a few examples of issues the current generation and the next will have to deal with when it comes to famine and food security issues. The question is: are today’s young people prepared for this?

For all those involved in the project there will be an increase in knowledge and skills. For the secondary school pupils the approach of the project promotes the development of general entrepreneurial capacities, including personal qualities and attitudes that are useful in many settings such as willingness to take initiative, self-confidence, the ability to work together and social skills. In addition they will become acquainted with the academic world at the university, learn how to transfer knowledge to younger pupils and they will improve their scientific and linguistic skills.

The schools from NL and ES have worked together on an earlier project. The schools from HR, SE and CZ also have experience with strategic partnership, but are new to the relationships with the schools from NL and ES.
However, all participating schools are familiar with international exchanges. Each exchange will have its own theme.
NL: Protein transition
ES: Food, Science & Culture
CZ: Water, an essential food nutrient
SE: Protecting plants, protecting life
HR: Soil preservation and food production
So each exchange will address a topic of the bigger problem.
This project came about through the cooperation between Insula College from the Netherlands and Wageningen University (WUR). WUR has set up an educational programme (Youth Institute). Because we find the link between the secondary schools and the universities so important and valuable in this project, this has become the basis on which the project has been further developed. The Wageningen Youth Institute is part of Wageningen University & Research and the World Food Prize Foundation in the United States. The Youth Institute challenges high school students to look for solutions to one of the biggest challenges we face in the world: “How do we feed the world in 2050 in a fair, sustainable and healthy way when the world population rises to 10 billion? This program fits perfectly with our project futEUre food.
Prior to the project, pupils will do preliminary research about the country they will be travelling to. Through eTwinning, information will be exchanged between the different countries about the habits and problems that a country has to deal with in terms of food. This will give pupils a better idea of both the country they will be travelling to and the theme they will be working on.
During the exchange week, pupils will research a topic within the week’s theme. The results of the research will not only be based on theory, but will also be supported by field research. For example, local companies such as De Sprinkerhoeve in Dordrecht will be visited to investigate the extent to which all the necessary changes will affect them. Cultural and social influences on food in a country will also be addressed. To this end, pupils will test national recipes for future resistance. These recipes will be presented to the other pupils in the school through a food tasting event. All recipes will be bundled in on the website of the project.
We want this project to learn the pupils that the future in the field of food will be something that they will personally have to deal with and that will influence everything and everyone. And we want to raise awareness of the importance of cooperation on a European level to ensure that healthy and sufficient food remains available for everyone in the future.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 148030 Eur

Project Coordinator

Insula College Locatie Halmaheiraplein & Country: NL

Project Partners

• Stredni odborna skola pro administrativu Evropske unie, Praha 9, Lipi 1911
• Lundellska skolan
• Srednja skola Bedekovcina
• AOIZ 1 SOCIEDAD COOPERATIVA (LICEO MONJARDIN)