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Vegetable Market
SOCIAL GASTRONOMY USES THE POWER OF FOOD FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

With a 64% increase in membership this year alone, the Social Gastronomy Movement is now present in over 63 countries.


There are 273 members who are now representing the needs and the assets of their organizations, neighbors, and local ecosystems.

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Food systems are notably complex and intersectional…

which is why social gastronomy as a concept encompasses a vast assortment of practices that involve all stages of the food cycle and a broad range of impact activities including:

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Building social cohesion

  • Gastrodiplomacy

  • Food Culture

  • Network building

  • Empowerment programs

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Promoting Health & wellbeing

  • Nutrition education

  • School Meal Programs

  • Food Access

  • Food Sovereignty

  • Hunger Relief

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Fighting socioeconomic inequalities

  • Job training

  • Capacity Building

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Sustainability

  • Supporting farmers

  • Planet-friendly production

  • Urban farming

  • Food waste recovery

A GLOBAL MOVEMENT WITH LOCAL IMPACT

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In this moment, organizations, businesses, and individuals are working tirelessly against hunger, the climate crisis, conflict, and unprecedented global vulnerabilities, all amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

Changemakers working at the nexus of food and social innovation, like all of us, can benefit from a network of support, care, and a sense of belonging. 

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The Social Gastronomy Movement (SGM) is a sum of its global parts. It is the collective effort of individuals around the world who are developing and promoting new models for the future of food. These social gastronauts are serving as catalysts within their local communities, ensuring that everyone, especially those traditionally left on the margins, can find dignified work, social inclusion, and access to nutritious food. 

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Our collective efforts of SGM have created the possibility for us to imagine a future that is sustainable, equitable, and just.

In this future; good food is enjoyed by all, consumption and production patterns are decided through the conscious and informed decision making of local communities; and grassroots innovation informs global action. 

 

SGM’s vision of the future of food is closely informed by resilience, creativity, and diversity. It is one that respects culture, tastes, and nature. It acknowledges the pockets of hope that exist around the world, where small-holder farmers are valued, the rural and the urban are intricately linked, gatherings bring together individuals from all walks of life, and the kitchen serves as a classroom. In these spaces, as SGM Member Nora Fitzgerald says “we give a fish, teach how to fish, and ensure the system allows everyone to fish.”  

 

When we take the time to act, to reflect, and to refine, we identify what ideas and motivations make our world just a little bit more balanced and fair. 

Transforming food systems through relationships.

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SGM’s theory of change: connection, collaboration, and partnerships (CCP) was co-created with members of the SGM at a summit held in Malmo, Sweden, in 2019.

 

This year, the backbone team reflected and refined this theory of change and have used it to guide our actions as a global network. 

 

This journey allows us to :

 

  • Elevate all voices and bring global visibility to local initiatives 

  • Foster valuable connections between cross-sector practitioners

  • Co-create a space to learn, share best practices, and develop innovative social gastronomy models

  • Map an ecosystem of food and social innovation

  • Provide access to collective funding initiatives to break outdated financial flows in the food space 
     

Team & Governance

Backbone Team 

Swiss Foundation Board

Volunteer Thinking Partners

Throughout the year, a global decentralized, backbone team that carried out day-to-day operations, engagement, communications, and fundraising. 

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Guiding principles:

  • Transparent and non-hierarchical

  • Fair and fast in decision making

  • Self-managing

  • Authentic from the heart’ in its values and collaboration styles

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Guiding Elements

  • Accountability

  • Autonomy

  • Global readiness

  • Innovation

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In addition to the full-time staff of the backbone team,  much of our success is accredited to our support staff, volunteers, and interns who made this year such a success.

 

Thank you Janet Gavidia, Danielle Sharp, Delia Sirbu, Maude Jordan, Maxie Muller, Ines Paxtot Bertran, Gabriela Kerber, Ariana Diaz, Yuliana Villalobos, Talia Drayton, César Mauricio García Díaz, and Joumana Baalbaki.

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While the backbone team carries out operations, overall strategy and alignment of the the mission and vision is done so in collaboration with the General Assembly (see page 26), thinking partners,  and the Swiss Foundation Board. 

 

The purpose of the Swiss Foundation Board is  to assure full accountability and transparency for the Foundation’s legal and financial requirements. Meeting on a monthly basis, they validate budgetary and strategic decisions. 

 

Thinking Partners consult with the Backbone Team. They participate in annual strategic planning and are brought into various meetings throughout the year for facilitation and fundraising support.

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Read on for Impact and Learnings >
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