Food Bank Chair: Rational Food Consumption

Project Manager

Name: Ignacio de los Ríos Carmenado
Email: ignacio.delosrios@upm.es                                                         

Brief description of the project

The Cátedra Bancos de Alimentos-UPM, Food Bank Chair Project, is part of a collaboration between the Spanish Federation of Food Banks (FESBAL) and the GESPLAN Research Group of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM). This project seeks to train and raise awareness about rational consumption, avoiding waste or misuse in society.

https://www.ruraldevelopment.es/index.php/en/commitment/industry-university-chairs/food-banks-chair

Reducing food waste is, today, an ethical, social, environmental, and economic imperative. The theme of food waste has become increasingly important in the scientific debate during the recent years and now it is an integral part of the international and European policies about sustainability ​(FAO, UNEP, USDA, G20).

Based on the main theme of food wastage, Service-Learning (SL) projects are developed with the incorporation of the SDGs in university education. The main actions are organized in the following areas:

  • Training and educational cooperation: at school and university level, through activities in schools, institutes and UPM centers.
  • Scientific research: to analyze the work of the Food Banks through the preparation of reports that serve to educate and raise awareness in society.
  • Dissemination and transfer of knowledge: through curricular internships in the banks, seminars, projects and final projects for bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

One of the activities is the CORAL Program, created in 2014 to raise awareness about Rational Food Consumption. Within this Program, the CBA-UPM FESBAL Drawing Contest is developed with the slogan “Against Hunger and Waste”, aimed at primary school students from schools throughout Spain. Since the first edition in 2015, 21,720 students from 240 schools have participated in this contest, from the 24 Food Banks in their 24 different Autonomous Communities. https://blogs.upm.es/cba/

Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 2. Food Security
  • SDG 12. Responsible Production and Consumption

Target population

60,000 children sensitized and trained in schools and families

Activities to be carried out by students

  • Help disseminate the drawing contest among the schools and the participatory GIS tools through their corresponding channels.
  • Maintain active communication between the different actors in charge of promoting and encouraging participation in the drawing contest.
  • Designing school materials and helping to disseminate the recognition of the winning schools in the Espiga de Oro award organized by FESBAL.
  • Collaborate in training and educational cooperation actions in schools, institutes and UPM centers.
  • Collaborate in scientific research to analyze the work of Food Banks through the preparation of reports that serve to educate and raise awareness in society.
  • Dissemination and transfer of knowledge through curricular internships in food banks, projects and final degree and master’s degree projects.

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