The document outlines new approaches and visions for future food systems, emphasizing the need for innovation that creates meaningful value and acknowledges food as a social justice and public health issue. It discusses various macro and socio-cultural trends that are transforming how we produce, distribute, and consume food, highlighting examples of urban agriculture initiatives and technological advancements. The overall message is the necessity for a holistic rethinking of food systems in response to cultural, environmental, and economic changes.

1. W
NS NE
W
VI S N
R F IO
OR NS
FO FO V
OD RF

2. NEW VISIONS
FOR FOOD
A HOLISTIC INQUIRY INTO HOW WE GROW,
PRODUCE, DISTRIBUTE, SELL, PREPARE, SERVE
AND CONSUME FOOD IN FUTURE.
VILLE TIKKA / WEVOLVE
RUOKA CONFERENCE
JANUARY 25, 2012

3. WEVOLVE
IS A NEW SCHOOL CHANGE
AGENCY, FOUNDED IN NEW
YORK IN EARLY 2011, CURRENTLY
OPERATING FROM HELSINKI,
FINLAND.

4. N!
VI
SI
!
TEGY
O
N
FO
!
RE
STRA
SI
G
WE SPECIALIZE IN PROGRESSIVE
H
T!
EXPLORATION OF SOCIO-CULTURAL
SOL
UTI
ON
!
AND DIGITAL REVOLUTION.
WITH METHODS OF STRATEGIC
DESIGN AND TRANSFORMATIVE
INNOVATION WE INSTIGATE
SYSTEMIC CHANGE AND
IMAGINE ADVANCED FUTURES.

5. THREE PREMISES
FOR FORMING NEW
VISIONS FOR FOOD:

6. ONE: CHANGES IN
CULTURE AND
TECHNOLOGY ARE
OPENING MAJOR
OPPORTUNITIES.

7. “THE NEW CULTURAL CONCEPTS AND
ENABLING TECHNOLOGICAL POSSIBILITIES
FORM THE FOREMOST OPPORTUNITIES FOR
INNOVATION AND CHANGE ACROSS THE FOOD
SYSTEM.
BUT BEWARE THE CULTURAL AND
TECHNOLOGICAL MYOPIA: WE OFTEN
OVERESTIMATE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
CHANGE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS AND
UNDERESTIMATE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
CHANGE IN THE NEXT TEN.”

8. TWO: INNOVATION IS
ABOUT CREATING
NEW MEANINGFUL
VALUE.

9. “WHEN YOU AIM TO INNOVATE, DON’T AIM
FOR NOVELTY OR FOR CREATING THIN
COMMERCIAL VALUE. AIM FOR CREATING
NEW, LONG-LASTING AND MEANINGFUL
VALUE FOR PEOPLE, COMMUNITIES,
SOCIETIES AND BUSINESSES ALIKE.”

10. THREE: RETHINKING
FOOD MEANS WE
HAVE TO RETHINK
THE WHOLE
FOOD SYSTEM.

11. “FOOD IS A SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE AND A
PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE; IT’S ALSO AN
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUE, IT’S A
TRANSPORTATION ISSUE, IT’S A REGIONAL
PLANNING ISSUE, IT’S AN ECOLOGICAL ISSUE.”
-NEVIN COHEN, URBAN PLANNER, NYC

12. FOOD SYSTEM: EATING
FARM TO SERVING
FORK PREPARING
SELLING
DISTRIBUTING
MANUFACTURING
FARMING
IMAGE: jessicakeenerphotography.blogspot.com

13. 6 MACRO TRENDS
DEPICTING WHY
FUTURE OF FOOD
WILL LOOK (VERY)
DIFFERENT:

14. M
AT
E
CH
M AN
AT C
IM CE LIM GE
AT HA AT CL
E N C
E C G H A E IM
CL H E A
IM
GE A G IM GAN CL N
CL TE E A
IM CH TE
AT AN
E G
CH E
Image: NASA
A

15. “THE CHANGING CLIMATE AND DECLINING
BIODIVERSITY WILL CAUSE A VAST
CL NG
REDISTRIBUTION OF FOOD AND WATER
RESOURCES WORLDWIDE.”
HA
NG CE
E
AT
TE
M

16. N
RB UR
AN BA
I Z NI
UR A Z
IO BA TIO AT
N NI N N IO
UR ZA UR U
AT B TI B R
IO AN ON AN
NI N I
ZA U ZA IZ
TIO RB TI
AN ON
N IZ
AT
IO
Image: Wikimedia
N

17. “INCREASING POPULATION CONDENSATION,
GROWING PHYSICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN
A
FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION,
TIO BA RB
AND EMERGING URBAN AGRICULTURE
SOLUTIONS ARE ALL CHANGING FOOD
UR U
SYSTEMS.”
N N IO
AT
IZ

18. SO
CI
AL
SO E CW SO
CI C B IA
AL IA S L
SO E W L W OC W
CI B EB LIA EB
W AL SO S W
EB W C OC E
SO IA IA
EB L L
CI SO W
AL C EB
W LIA S
EB W
E
IMAGE: mappingonlinepublics.net
SO

19. “SOCIAL WEB AND OTHER DIGITAL TOOLS
PROVIDE BETTER, FASTER AND SCALABLE
E
MEANS FOR NEW CO-CREATION,
SO SO W
COLLABORATION AND PARTICIPATION
EB AL
THROUGHOUT THE FOOD SYSTEM.”
W CI
SO
EB

20. RB
UL
EN
CO TU T E
NO URB CO
UL NO
M LE
EN Y N M
CO E T TU T Y
NO CO RB O EC T
LE M NO UL N
NT Y M EN
TU Y T
EC R E
ON BU
LE
OM N
Image: zerohedge.com
Y T

21. “AS WE ARE LIKELY TO MOVE BEYOND A
GROWTH ECONOMY, AN ARRAY OF NEW
ECONOMIC MODELS - RANGING FROM
O
WELLBEING ECONOMICS, SUSTAINING
OM UL N
ECONOMIES AND COLLABORATIVE
RB CO
EXCHANGE SYSTEMS - WILL OPEN
E
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALTERNATIVE
TU E
FOOD SYSTEMS.”
NT
LE

22. EP
DE T LE
NG PL IN
ET RG
RE IN E
PL SO G SO
ET U R U
RC GIN RC ES RC
ES R ES OU
OU D ES DE RC
EP O P E
RC L U LE
ET RC T
ES
DE GIN ES I
PL R
ET ES
IN OU

23. “ENTRENCHED CONSUMER TASTES ARE
SEVERELY STRAINING OUR CURRENT
FOOD SYSTEMS. THE FORTHCOMING
IN RC ES
RESOURCE SCARCITIES - DEPLETING
ET U R
ENERGY, WATER, LAND, ETC. RESOURCES -
ARE RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
SO G
RE TIN
INSECURITY AND RISING
COST OF FOOD.”
LE
EP

24. AR
PO IZ
LA AT
IZ RI IO
AT ZA N
IO TI
PO N O
LA PO P N
TIO RI L O
N ZA AR LA
TIO IZ RIZ
OL PO AT
AR LA N IO
IZ RIZ PO N
AT A LA
IO TIO RI
N N Z
PO
IMAGE: occupydesig.org
LA

25. “THERE IS NO SINGLE FOOD SYSTEM:
THE DIVIDES BETWEEN RICH & POOR,
EDUCATED & UNEDUCATED, OBESE &
PO P R
MALNOURISHED, AND HEALTHY & ILL
N LA
ARE LIKELY TO EXPAND, BOTH LOCALLY
IO O
AND GLOBALLY.”
AT P N
IO
AT

26. 4 SOCIO-CULTURAL
TRENDS SHAPING
CURRENT VALUES &
IM
PA
CT
BEHAVIORS:
W
ITH
IN
FO
OD
SY
ST
EM

27. NE
&
SU H E W
ST O TH
AI LIS IC
NA T S
BI IC
LIT
Y

28. HY
“HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ETHICS AND
W
SUSTAINABILITY IS GAINING GROUND AS
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO
SCOPE WITH THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE
AND LIVE MORE SOUND AND SELF-
SUFFICIENT LIVES.”

29. T
HA
W
“MANY ARE PUTTING FOOD IN THE
CENTER OF THIS WHOLESALE BEHAVIORAL
CHANGE, AND RETHINKING THE WHOLE
FOOD SYSTEM AND THEIR OWN PLACE IN
IT IN THE PROCESS.”

30. M S M S
SO E O E
LU RG L RG
GI TI IN I UT IN
NG ON G ON
NS E S EM S
M SO ER
SO E L G
ER L R U I
GI UT N OG I TI
IO NG IO G N
NS E S
NS E
M SO E M
EM SO E R
ER LU RG LU
LU G TIO G IN TIO
TIO GIN N
G NS E S S EM
E M O

31. NYC REGIONAL
FOODSHED
INITIATIVE
FA
MR
IN
G
&
M
AN
UF
AC
TU
RI
NG

32. “The New York City Regional Foodshed Initiative is using the design and
urbanism interest as a lens to look at food, to think about the
community-related, social, anthropological and architectural structures of
the city, and to see what a city’s foodscape looks like. The initiative
explores the emerging regional capacity to produce food in the New
York City Metropolitan Region, incorporating localized land use, soil
type, transportation infrastructure, and climatic conditions to assess
production at several scales, as well as actual consumption data for
New York City.
FA
MR
IN
G
&
M
AN
UF
AC
TU
RI
NG

33. MUSHROOM GARDEN
BY BACK TO THE ROOTS
FA
MR
IN
G
&
SE
LL
IN
G

34. “California startup Back to the Roots offers a grow-your-own
mushroom garden kit - for $19.95 - that can be kept inside on a
windowsill. People need only moisten the kit twice a day, and within
seven days a growing mushroom garden will sprout from the soil
made up entirely of recycled coffee grounds. Two to four crops can be
expected from one kit, a pound of produce per crop.”
FA
MR
IN
G
&
SE
LL
IN
G

35. STOCKBOX GROCERS,
SEATLE
DI
ST
RI
BU
TIN
G
&
SE
LL
IN
G

36. “Stockbox Grocers is a start-up working to fix the urban grocery gaps.
The stores are designed to offer the essential grocery items and fresh
produce to communities that don’t currently have access to good food.
Stockbox Grocers is a miniature grocery that is tucked inside a
reclaimed shipping container and placed into the parking lot of an
existing business or organization.”
DI
ST
RI
BU
TIN
G
&
SE
LL
IN
G

37. PHILIPS
MICROBIAL HOME
CONCEPT
PR
EP
AR
IN
G
&
EA
TIN
G

38. “The Microbial Home concept consists of seven household
installations that propose a sustainable approach to energy, lighting,
waste, food preservation, human waste management and cleaning in
the home. The Microbial Home is a proposal for an integrated cyclical
ecosystem where each function’s output is another’s input, exploring
how the future solutions for sustainable living and eating might come
from biological processes, which are less energy-consuming and non-
polluting.”
PR
EP
AR
IN
G
&
EA
TIN
G

39. CO LO
AU M CA
M LI
TH U T
EN NI Y,
TIC TY
I TY &

40. HY
“ALWAYS-ON, FACELESS AND FAST
W
CONTEMPORARY AND DIGITAL LIFESTYLE
IS URGING PEOPLE TO REVOLT AND TAKE
BACK MEANING AND REAL
RELATIONSHIPS IN THE RAPIDLY
CHANGING WORLD.”

41. T
HA
“PEOPLE PREFER REAL AND LOCAL
W
CONNECTION WITH THE FOOD THEY
CONSUME. THEY WANT TO KNOW THE
PEOPLE AND THE PLACES THEY GET THEIR
FOOD FROM, AND SAVOR AUTHENTIC
FOOD STORIES AND EXPERIENCES.”

42. M S M S
SO E O E
LU RG L RG
GI TI IN I UT IN
NG ON G ON
NS E S EM S
M SO ER
SO E L G
ER L R U I
GI UT N OG I TI
IO NG IO G N
NS E S
NS E
M SO E M
EM SO E R
ER LU RG LU
LU G TIO G IN TIO
TIO GIN N
G NS E S S EM
E M O

43. TRUCK FARM
PROJECT, NYC
FA
MR
IN
G

44. The Truck Farm project - a traveling and edible experiment - instigated
new thinking and action around alternative urban agriculture in New
York in 2009. Turning just 10% of NYC’s private backyards over to
urban agriculture would produce 113 million pounds of vegetables each
year, or enough to feed 700,000 people at current rates of
consumption.
FA
R
M
IN
G

45. FARMIGO.COM
G
TIN
BU
RI
ST
DI

46. Farmigo is an online service that is looking to make CSA (community
supported agriculture) more accessible, more popular, and more
efficient — disrupting the way people set about buying their produce.
DI
ST
RI
BU
TIN
G

47. BROOKLYN BAZAAR,
DEKALB MARKET
FA
MR
IN
G
&
SE
LL
IN
G

48. In the US there are now more farmers markets than there are
Walmarts. The return of the farmers market has created a new venue
for local people to get together in an authentic setting and connected
them with local farmers, manufacturers and produce in new ways -
something that a big box store can never do.
FA
MR
IN
G
&
SE
LL
IN
G

49. FOOD TRUCK CRAZE
G
IN
RV
SE
&
G
IN
AR
EP
PR

50. Food trucks have revolutionized in the past few years the mobile
preparation of food and brought good food all over the previous urban
food deserts. Mobile dining has since changed the ways in which many
restaurants operate and what fast food increasingly mean for foodies
and other consumers.
PR
EP
AR
IN
G
&
SE
RV
IN
G

51. HE VIN
RI
TR T G TA
AD AG E,
ITI E &
ON

52. HY
W
“IN THE MIDST OF UNPRECEDENTED
SOCIETAL, TECHNOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC
AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, PEOPLE
ARE FINDING REASSURANCE FROM
FORGOTTEN VALUES, CUSTOMS, CRAFTS
AND SKILLS.”

53. T
HA
W
“TRADITIONAL AND NOSTALGIC
ATTITUDES, APPROACHES AND ACTIVITIES
ARE SHAPING THE WHOLE FOOD
CULTURE, FROM FARM TO FORK.”

54. M S M S
SO E O E
LU RG L RG
GI TI IN I UT IN
NG ON G ON
NS E S EM S
M SO ER
SO E L G
ER L R U I
GI UT N OG I TI
IO NG IO G N
NS E S
NS E
M SO E M
EM SO E R
ER LU RG LU
LU G TIO G IN TIO
TIO GIN N
G NS E S S EM
E M O

55. BRAMBLE CAFE
LONDON DESING
FESTIVAL 2010
SE
LL
IN
G
&
PR
EP
AR
IN
G

56. Bramble Cafe, a temporary cafe and exhibit during London Design
Festival 2010, was inspired by the wild and natural life of the English
countryside. As visitors enter the space they encounter a mushroom
installation by!New Forest forager Mrs Tee, whilst experiencing a
bespoke scent dedicated to woodland by!Francis Kurkdjian.
SE
LL
IN
G
&
PR
EP
AR
IN
G

57. BOMPAS & PARR
ADVENTURE
HAMPER
SE
LL
IN
G

58. Food designers Bompas & Parr created the Adventure Hamper, five
pieces limited edition for Selfridges for 2011 holiday season, that
contained an array of provisions and equipment to inspire old-era
adventure. These included functional pickles and jams that will help with
malaria, altitude sickness, insect bites and jellyfish stings to more exotic
kit like the hand customised ice axe, and a Magnum of a Piper-
Heidsieck Rare Vintage 1998 to celebrate the successful expedition. The
owner of one of the five hampers won a trip on an Arctic adventure.
SE
LL
IN
G

59. BROOKLYN FARMACY
& SODA FOUNTAIN
SE
RV
IN
G
&
EA
TIN
G

60. The Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain is one of a growing number of
old school soda fountains that are slowly repopulating New York, albeit
on a small scale. This classic institution remains etched into New Yorkers
memories and while the Soda Fountain died in the 1970′s the memory
lives on.
SE
RV
IN
G
&
EA
TIN
G

61. UT
CR O
EA PIA
TIV &
ITY

62. HY
“LOOKING AHEAD, NOT TO THE PAST,
W
PEOPLE ARE INCREASINGLY QUESTIONING
THE CURRENT FOOD SYSTEMS AND
EXPERIENCES. THEY ARE RETHINKING
FOOD THROUGH SCIENTIFIC IDEALS AND
EXPERIMENTING WITH BOLD NEW
ALTERNATIVES.”

63. T
HA
W
“FARMS, RESTAURANTS AND KITCHENS
ARE THE PLACES FOR EXCEPTIONAL
EXPERIMENTATION AND BOTTOM-UP
INNOVATION FOR NEW FOOD PROCESSES,
PRODUCTS AND EXPERIENCES”

64. M S M S
SO E O E
LU RG L RG
GI TI IN I UT IN
NG ON G ON
NS E S EM S
M SO ER
SO E L G
ER L R U I
GI UT N OG I TI
IO NG IO G N
NS E S
NS E
M SO E M
EM SO E R
ER LU RG LU
LU G TIO G IN TIO
TIO GIN N
G NS E S S EM
E M O

65. WEED KILLING ROBOT
BY BLUE RIVER
TECHNOLOGY
FA
MR
IN
G

66. Blue River Technology is creating advanced technology for better
agriculture. They aim to replace hazardous chemicals with robotic
technology, developing systems that can distinguish crops from weeds in
order to kill the weeds without harming the crops or the
environment.!Their systems use cameras, computer vision, and machine
learning algorithms.
FA
R
M
IN
G

67. ANDREW
STELLITANO
FOR SWEET
SHOPPE
M
AN
UF
AC
TU
RI
NG
&
EA
TIN
G

68. Food designer Andrew Stellitano worked with the Future Laboratory to
produce a set of confectionary delicacies for their exploratory pop-up
shop Sweet Shoppe. He brings design techniques and scientific
processes into food production to create new sensory and aesthetic
experiences.
M
AN
UF
AC
TU
RI
NG
&
EA
TIN
G

69. CHIN CHIN LABS,
LONDON
PR
EP
AR
IN
G
&
SE
RV
IN
G

70. The Chin Chin Labs - Europe’s first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour -
are using the aesthetics of science in creating a spectacle from making
the ice cream. They create “haute cuisine with performance art in a
celebration of gastronomic graphic design”.
PR
EP
AR
IN
G
&
SE
RV
IN
G

71. MIN APOTHECARY,
NEW YORK
SCENTS FOR FOODIES
MIN NEW
YORK
PR
EP
AR
IN
G
&
EA
TIN
G

72. MiN New York, a fragrance and perfumery shop, is hosting a weekly
Rituals series, including sessions such as ‘Scents for Foodies’ and
‘Perfumed Spirits’. They play with niche fragrances and specialty scents
and mix them with food and spirits to create new sensory experiences.
MIN NEW
YORK
PR
EP
AR
IN
G
&
EA
TIN
G

73. W
TH HA O
ES D T K.
M S AE O
EA H L
N? IFT L
S

74. EATING
FARMING
GRANULAR SERVING
FOOD SYSTEMS
ARE FORMING,
OPENING
MANUFACTURING UNPRECEDENTED PREPARING
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR RADICAL
INNOVATION.
DISTRIBUTING SELLING

75. EATING
FARMING
SERVING
MANUFACTURING
PREPARING
DISTRIBUTING SELLING

76. CH
VIL EE
+ 3 LE
W 58 @W
W 4 E
RS
W 0 VO .
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EV 4 VE
OL 0 6 .US
VE 56
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