Event
‘World building’ & ‘behaviour change’ – how to make sustainable diets easy
AgriFood4NetZero Network+ event – part of Countryside COP, bringing together the rural community and businesses to showcase and inspire activity ahead of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 – 22 November 2024.
Summary: Individual irresponsibility – that’s the reason we’re all overweight, unhealthy and eating unsustainable diets, right? If you agreed with the dominant political messaging of the last few years, then you’d answer yes.
But there’s a growing recognition that our environment – the shops and food available in our neighbourhoods, the advertising we see, how different foods are costed and displayed, etc – is the main driver of dietary habits.
As the recent House of Lords’ Food, Diet and Obesity Committee stated; “all income groups fail to meet dietary recommendations. This is not because of a collective loss of willpower. In recent decades, unhealthy, often highly processed foods have become widely accessible, heavily marketed and often cheaper than healthier alternatives.”
How then, do we move from placing all our bets on individual behavioural change to building a world where healthy and sustainable diets are the easy and normal choice for everyone, regardless of location, income and other cultural factors? And how can political discourse be encouraged towards leadership and action?
Our two speakers, Lauren Leak-Smith and Ed Whincup, work for the Behavioural Insights Team – originally established as a research unit within the UK government and now an independent consultancy working on behavioural change, globally. They will be sharing insights from their recent report; How to build a Net Zero society. The webinar will be chaired by Jez Fredenburgh, Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the AFN Network+, with support from Prof Neil Ward, AFN co-lead. Both are based in the Environment Department at the University of East Anglia.
Speakers: Lauren Leak-Smith (Behavioural Insights Team), Ed Whincup, (Behavioural Insights Team), Jez Fredenburgh (AFN Network+), Neil Ward (AFN Network+)
Now in its fourth year, Countryside COP provides a platform for anyone interested in the countryside to hear how the UK’s rural economy and agriculture can help tackle climate change and improve sustainability.
The Countryside COP allows the rural community and UK agriculture to set the agenda and will serve to amplify policy asks and other messaging through many voices.
For more information on Countryside COP 2024 events, go to https://agricology.co.uk/research-projects/countryside-cop4-04-08-november-2024/
