On 4 and 5 September, the first General Assembly of the FOOD FOREST project took place, bringing together the project’s partner organisations to advance their shared mission: developing a viable business model for Food Forests, facilitating their adoption as a sustainable solution for food production and environmental regeneration in urban areas across Europe.
Two days of collaboration, learning, and connection
Representatives from Italy, Portugal, Estonia and Spain gathered in Artajona for two days of intensive work and inspiring experiences. The partner organisations included: Eurac Research (Italy); la Universidad de Coímbra (Portugal); Institute of Baltic Studies (IBS), Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU) and the City Council of Tallinn (Estonia); and in Spain, the University of the Basque Country (EHU), RB3 Innovación Urbana Integrada , TRAINN, El Gatoverde Producciones, the City Council of Artajona and the Artajona Agricultural Cooperative.
This first meeting allowed partners to share progress, exchange ideas, and plan the next steps of the project. It provided a space for dialogue and mutual learning, where each organisation contributed its experience and knowledge to strengthen the shared vision of the project.
Exploring the territory and connecting with nature
The General Assembly combined project sessions with local experiences that connected theory with practice and nature:
Guided tour and tasting at Bodega Reyno de Artajona. Participants learned about the local winemaking process and sampled regional products, discovering the richness of the area’s viticultural heritage.
Cultural tour of El Cerco de Artajona. A walk through this historic site allowed participants to appreciate the municipality’s history and heritage, strengthening the connection between the project and the local territory.
Walk through the Food Forest. A tour that combined the observation of living ecosystems with reflection on the design of resilient systems, connecting ideas with nature and fostering collective inspiration.
Next General Assembly: Bolzano, February 2026
The project continues its journey, with the next international meeting scheduled at the Eurac Research facilities in Bolzano in February 2026. There, partner organisations will continue sharing progress, experiences and strategies to advance Food Forests as a sustainable model for urban food production and ecosystem regeneration across Europe.
