Cultivating Engagement: a citizen participation forum on vertical farming

The project will develop a Citizen Participation Forum (CPF) assessing the potential of (indoor) vertical farming (VF) technologies to address some of the major challenges our food systems face. Mixing state-of-the-art participation methods including online issue mapping, face-to-face dialogue and hands-on 'makeathons', the CPF will trial a range of pilot projects aimed at gaining consumer insight and stimulating broad public debate on VF. Taking a research-driven approach, results will both be analyzed in regards to best-worst practices and offer critical reflections on public participation schemes, assessing the possibility for scaling and broad deployment by EIT food. The pilot projects stimulate future collaborations between researchers and the high-tech (food) industry in exchange with wider publics (including in RIS countries).