Our planet is facing urgent challenges: our food system is unable to feed a constantly growing population; climate change is dramatically affecting our lives and while obesity is skyrocketing, food insecurity is still a massive threat. Food production, distribution and consumption need a paradigm shift towards a more sustainable approach to agriculture, fixing the fundamental food–people–planet relationship
Are you a changemaker student, researcher or teacher? Do you want to challenge yourself or your peers on addressing a sustainability-related case that cuts across markets and society and relates to these topics? Are you keen on seeking creative and concrete solutions to challenging problems by engaging in an interpersonal and interdisciplinary setting?
The challenge
Our planet is facing urgent challenges: our food system is unable to feed a constantly growing population; climate change is dramatically affecting our lives and while obesity is skyrocketing, food insecurity is still a massive threat. Food production, distribution and consumption need a paradigm shift towards a more sustainable approach to agriculture, fixing the fundamental food–people–planet relationship
Are you a changemaker student, researcher or teacher? Do you want to challenge yourself or your peers on addressing a sustainability-related case that cuts across markets and society and relates to these topics? Are you keen on seeking creative and concrete solutions to challenging problems by engaging in an interpersonal and interdisciplinary setting?
Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) and Università di Parma are organizing an event for you
How does it work in details?
Each team will be composed of four participants. By June 4th, you will know whether you have been selected to participate and the name and contacts of your team peers. On August 29th, your team will receive a short case study that an organization faces in relation to a challenging sustainability topic in food and agriculture. The nature of the case study will be multidisciplinary and connected with issues that are at the center of the current public debates. The case will end with a set of open questions. Your task will be to address those questions through a presentation. In your presentation, consider and analyze the case information and, based on your analysis, suggest a creative and concrete solution that would address the case questions. You will not be prescribed a specific type of analysis; instead, you will have to suggest a way (or multiple ways) to analyze the case based on your background and on what the case situation requires. Each team will have a mentor supporting you in developing and preparing the presentation to communicate your solution
A jury of business managers, scholars and experts in agriculture and food topics will give you feedback and an assessment of your work. Finalist teams will receive an extra-task and will present again in front on a larger audience (on August 31st). The winners will be awarded with the EAAE 2017 Case Study Competition Prize
What can you win?
Along with receiving the prestigious EAAE 2017 Student Case Study Competition Prize, the winning team is invited to attend and present their solution to the BCFN 8th International Forum on Food and Nutrition that will take place in Milan on December 4th and 5th, 2017. BCFN will cover the winning team’s travel expenses to Milan. Other participating teams are invited to participate in the BCFN 8th International Forum on Food and Nutrition, where all the proposed solutions will be displayed through some dedicated posters
How can you get involved?
You can participate in the Competition in three ways:
– As an individual participant. You are a student or young professional and you wish to join a competing team, composed of maximum four (4) participants
Please download the following application form, fill it out, save it in PDF and upload it as an attachment to the submission for the Case Study Competition in the ConfTool Pro installation for the XV EAAE Congress, after having created an account
Individual Participant Application Form
– As a competing team. You are a team of four students and/or young professionals and you wish you compete. Please note that competing teams are encouraged to identify their mentor at the stage of applying for the competition
Please download the following application form, fill it out, save it in PDF and upload it as an attachment to the submission for the Case Study Competition in the ConfTool Pro installation for the XV EAAE Congress, after having created an account
– As a mentor of a competing team. You are a university researcher/teacher or industry expert attending the XV EAAE Congress and you are wishing to mentor a team
Please download the following application form, fill it out, save it in PDF and upload it as an attachment to the submission for the Case Study Competition in the ConfTool Pro installation for the XV EAAE Congress, after having created an account
Who should apply? Which background do you need to compete?
Student at any level (Bachelor, Master or PhD) or young professional (in academia, business, or non-profit organizations) below the age of 35 (included) with a background in any discipline in the domain of food and agriculture: not only agricultural economics, but also agribusiness management, policy, food technology, nutrition, plant or animal sciences among the others
Important dates and notes
IMPORTANT DATES
- Application submission in ConfTool Pro deadline: May 19th
- Organizers communicate team formation to applicants: June 4th
- Registration in ConfTool Pro: August 4th
- Social reception for participating teams (evening): August 28th
- study competition launch: August 29th
- Case study competition presentations (1st round): August 30th
- Case study competition keynote presentations (final): September 1st
- Award ceremony (afternoon): September 1st
- Winning team participates to BCFN 8th International Forum: December 5th
IMPORTANT NOTES
Please consider that the Competition and the presentations will be in English, so you will need to be proficient in your language skills
Participation to the Competition is limited to 50 individuals (whether individual candidates or as part of a candidate group), therefore – based on an evaluation of your application – the organizing committee will indicate whether you have been selected
Please note that Team applications should comprise an identified Mentor. However, However, should you be unable to identify a mentor, the Student Case Study Competition will assign you a Mentor before the start of the competition. Please note that the Mentor must be a registered Congress Participant
Participation in the Competition is free of any charge and does not allow Student Case Study Competition participants to attend the Scientific Activities of the XV EAAE Congress but only the Social Activities
Please note that each participant will have to bear own travel, accommodation and subsistence costs. Please also note that the LOC of the XV EAAE Congress is currently not in the position to sponsor any Student Case Study Competition participant, such that possible financing will have to be sought elsewhere
Would you like to have more information?
Should you require additional information, please contact the representatives of the organizers of this event: Prof. Domenico Dentoni, Associate Professor, Wageningen University & Research (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Francesca Allievi, President, Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) Alumni (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Picture credit: EAAE