Antifragile, food secure planning in the UK

This 'exchange' webinar has been postponed. If you would like to register your interest and be notified of a new date, please contact Emma-Louise.

Is it possible to secure reliable supplies of food for British citizens in an uncertain future? This webinar critiques a possible approach.

LiFE Framework: Procurement and Supplier Engagement 
EAUC Competency Level: On the Road (what does this mean?)

Why should I attend?
You will be able to think about and discuss food security in Britain, and policies which might feed people in an uncertain and even chaotic future. The ideas here are innovative but contentious and worth addressing and debating.

Who is this webinar for?
This webinar is for sustainability roles across the sector, working with procurement and food related agendas within your institution. Specifically, if you are a specialist in sustainable agriculture this webinar is crucial for you. 

Competency levels
‘On the road’ and ‘more advanced’ competencies will engage easily. ‘Starting out’ would benefit from a little advance reading – especially about sustainable agriculture and the ‘antifragility’ concepts of Nicolas Taleb.

In June Howard wrote and presented a paper, for which this webinar is based on, for the Education in Sustainable Development Conference at University of the Southbank, entitles “Antifragile, food secure planning in the UK”. (NB: The term ‘antifragile’ was termed by Taleb and refers to systems which can prosper in the face of uncertainty. It is considered to be part of the continuum: Fragile -> Robust -> Resilient -> Antifragile)

Howard then applied this to planning sustainable food production systems in urban areas. He also submitted the poster “Educating for green entrepreneurship and sustainable development at Hadlow”. This reports on some of the student-led local food entrepreneurialism projects at the College.

Who is Dr Howard Lee?
Dr Howard Lee is trained in plant ecology (MSc., PhD), and an experienced agroecologist (senior lectureship, teaching and researching at Wye College, University of London 1990-2002). He directed and taught on Britain’s first MSc in Sustainable Agriculture (from 1992, Wye College) and for 2002-3 was Director of Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Development at Forum for the Future. From 2004 he has taught at Hadlow College and is currently their lecturer in sustainable agriculture and the College’s research co-ordinator. Howard is on the Editorial Board and Reviews Editor for the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability (IJAS). He is an active member of the Food Planning Research Group within the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) and has published several book chapters in recent years.

How can the sector adapt to antifragility?
Although not built into an institution at this stage, the nearest connection would be the emphasis by Nassin Taleb (the originator of the term) on the use of entrepreneurialism as a powerful factor. There are a number of successful entrepreneurial projects running at Hadlow College and for tertiary education to support the concept, a range of activities could be considered. Student Honours projects, critically assessing how an antifragile approach might impact on local communities is a consideration. Further encouragement of entrepreneurialism at HE/FE level, linking into campus food production and spin-off projects, school and other outreach would put the antifragility theory into practice. There is also actual research that could be carried out by staff and students, ranging from GIS-based planning to social science experiments. Food planning is a big growth area, as an example Howard is currently linked to a group planning a new book on Urban Food Planning, watch this space!

Antifragile, food secure planning in the UK (exchange webinar)

Book your place here!