This paper identifies three ways in which digital technologies can support the participation of smallholders in food sustainability: “the tutorial”, “the dashboard” and “the platform”. It is based on 10 case studies of digital sustainability initiatives that use remote sensing technologies (e.g. drones, satellites and sensors), collection of social and economic data, and technologies that allow the creation of a digital identity (e.g. blockchain contracts and digital marketplaces).

This paper estimates the climate implications of replacing 90% of conventional agricultural production with electrically-powered microbial biomass cultivation. If such a replacement took place before a widespread transition to renewable energy, economy-wide emissions could in fact increase as energy would have been directed away from replacing fossil fuels. If conducted after the transition to renewable energy, the replacement could help to mitigate climate change, producing cooling of between 0.22°C and 0.85°C depending on assumptions about socioeconomic pathways.

This paper discusses the state of the art in indoor vertical farming systems (VFS) as well as future challenges in areas such as product quality, automation, sustainability and socio-economic context.

On 11 January 2022, TABLE and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food hosted a panel discussion centred around the “Politics of knowledge”, the first section of the Global Alliance report: Understanding the evidence for Agroecology, Regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways. The panel discussed what knowledge and evidence counts and to whom, and who decides which evidence is legitimate for making policy or ushering in food systems transformation.

On 8 December 2021, TABLE hosted and recorded an open discussion about power in the food system with representatives from civil society, academia, media and the private sector.  At TABLE we recognise that our own biases and perspectives influence how we think about power in the food system. The purpose of this event was to hear a range of different views and understandings of power. This kick off event for our power theme helps us think about who and what shapes, controls and influences past, present and future food systems.  

This video from German animation studio Kurzgesagt takes a balanced look at the debates around the environmental impacts of meat. It draws on some TABLE resources including Grazed and Confused (our report on the question of soil carbon sequestration by grazing livestock) and our explainer Soy: food, feed, and land use change. Kurzegesagt’s video We lied to you… and we’ll do it again is also worth a watch for an overview of how they balance simplification and accuracy when communicating complex topics.

This book explores the potential of school farms to educate students and also increase access to fresh food. Chapters discuss school farms in a range of locations, including the UK and Kerala.

This open-access book looks at the approaches that people take towards agroecological transitions. It defines two clusters: a “determinist” perspective which focuses on achieving a predefined end goal for the transition to agroecology, and an “open-ended” perspective which leaves more room for changing goals.

This report from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food examines the evidence supporting agroecology, regenerative, and Indigenous approaches to food systems. It also looks at broader questions of how data is gathered, whose knowledge carries weight and what counts as evidence. It calls for “decolonising and democratising knowledge systems within education, research, and innovation” to help accelerate food systems transformations.