Metropolitan Food Systems (AMS Institute)

AMS Institute's contribution

The central focus of the urban challenge around Metropolitan Food Systems is to explore whether a modern city region is capable of producing one fifth of the food consumed by its citizens. In AMS Institute’s program, three basic aspects of the food supply chain are tackled: 1) the urban food production, 2) the local-to-local food distribution and 3) the diet of urban consumers. The results of these investigations are used in research that employs design-scenario-building and evaluation thereof.

The scientific literature on regional urban food systems is scarce and fragmented. AMS Institute envisages scientific/technological breakthroughs in the following areas: 1) mapping urban food systems comprehensively to gain knowledge of the accessibility and practical applicability of data, 2) focusing on regional scale to generate insights on new food system that connect the adverse paradigms of the ecological and technical-agro sciences 3) global research to support the goal of “one fifth of your food from your own city” achieved in an interdisciplinary and integrated way to also create innovative transition knowledge.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (AMA), and particularly Almere being the hinge between the rural production area of Flevoland and the AMA, are our areas of focus for research on regionally oriented urban food systems. Our research activities in Almere are in close collaboration with Flevo Campus.