On 26 July 2026, VISION4FOOD held its second co-creation workshop at Folwark i Osada Górnica in Wielkopolska, Poland, with 26 participants, including 8 online, from public authorities, industry and SMEs, academia and research, civil society organisations, producer groups and local communities. The session was led by the European Rural Development Network (ERDN) and facilitated by Agnieszka Kurdyś-Kujawska.
The workshop started by revisiting the three strategic priorities agreed in the first session: short supply chains, local renewable energy and social innovation. Participants, many of them local entrepreneurs and people working in the sector, agreed that these priorities reflect the problems they face every day. They noted, however, that public administration was still under-represented, which limited the discussion on regulation.
From these discussions, three missions were developed. The first, “Building a Local Food Market”, aims to increase sales of local food and bring farmers and consumers closer together. Planned activities include awareness campaigns and tastings, an education centre for children and adults, networking among local producers, a local “mini-market” and shared principles for a regional food policy. The second mission, “Stable and affordable energy for local producers”, aims to reduce production costs through local renewable energy, starting with farm energy audits and producer meetings on shared installations such as small biogas plants, followed by pilot installations and, in time, energy cooperatives. The third mission focuses on “Creating social farms as centres of local community”, where farms become places for education, social integration and the sale of local products, with the long-term aim of a social farm in every municipality.
Participants also worked on the practical steps needed to move these ideas forward. Awareness-raising, producer networking, small-scale educational activities and local sales points such as weekend markets were considered the most feasible first steps. Investments in renewable energy, the creation of social farms, a permanent local food centre and regional food policies were seen as more ambitious, as they require stable funding and the active involvement of municipalities. Weak cooperation between farmers, municipalities and NGOs and the lack of stable sales channels were identified as the main challenges.
The workshop also looked at how the work can continue over time. Participants proposed a FIP Council made up of representatives of local authorities, producers, civil society, science and consumers to update priorities and coordinate activities. Opportunities to exchange experience were identified with organisations working on local food markets and regional food strategies, such as the GRUNT Institute of Food Strategies, and on social and educational farming, such as Juchowo Farm.
