Project Partners

COACH Project Partners

Within the City of Copenhagen/Københavns Kommune , which employs around 18,000 people, the Children and Youth Administration coordinates and plans the joint services and activities offered to around 100,000 children and young people between 0 and 18 in the City of Copenhagen at the City’s almost 70 primary and lower secondary schools (including special-needs schools) and 600 institutions.  Food procurement in Copenhagen has long been a priority in terms of quality and sustainability, and has earned the municipality awards and accolades, among them Special Mention in the 2017 MUFPP Awards. The Children and Youth Administration has significant experience in developing sustainable food policies aimed at children and youth.

Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG) non profit Ltd. is a small research and development company established by researchers of different disciplines looking for autonomy and enjoying working together on the boundaries of environmental and social sciences. ESSRG develops participatory research methods in order to assist communities and decision makers in their efforts whereby transforming our societies towards social justice and ecological sustainability.

The European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) is a European grassroots organization which currently gathers 31 national and regional farmers, farm workers and rural organizations based in 20 European countries (around 200,000 members). ECVC is the regional member of La Vía Campesina, the largest grassroots international peasant movement. ECVC’s main objective is safeguarding farmers’ and field workers’ rights as well as the promotion of diverse and sustainable family and peasant farming. These principles in turn, demand food and agricultural policies based on legitimacy, fairness, solidarity and sustainability. These are necessary to ensure food security, food safety, public health, employment in rural areas and to tackle the issues of the global food crisis and climate change.

FIAN International was founded in 1986 as the first international human rights organization to advocate for the realization of the right to food and nutrition.  It is operating through national sections and seed groups in around 25 countries in Asia, African, Europe and Latin America, and members and partners in more than 60 countries all over the world.  FIAN International promotes and advocates for the realization of the right to adequate food on global, regional, national, and local levels, and promoting social inclusion in public policies in close cooperation and partnership with other civil society organizations and social movements.

The European Secretariat of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI Europe) addresses local sustainability in Europe, working closely with local governments and their partners to achieve this.  The organisation has a strong focus on building capacity, sharing knowledge, and supporting local governments in the implementation of sustainable development at community level.

URGENCI is the international grassroot network of all forms of regional and Local Solidarity-based Partnerships for Agroecology (LSPAs), of which Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is the best-known iteration. As a social movement, Réseau International URGENCI brings together citizens, small-scale food producers, consumers, activists and researchers representing networks and initiatives in over 40 countries. This practical work to build, develop, and empower LSPAs is motivated by our involvement in the international movements for food sovereignty and solidarity economy. Much of our work connects people and networks across borders so that they may learn from each other through development and the sharing of practical tools.

The University of Firenze (UOF) is an important centre for research and higher training. The Department of Economics and Management (DISEI) main areas of interest in both research and education are: Economic development, trade and international finance; Sustainable local and territorial development, business clusters and innovation; Entrepreneurship and social responsibility; Marketing and consumer behaviour; Economic theory, evolutionary and behavioural economics.  An important DISEI specific area of investigation and research focus on the following topics: agriculture and food economics, farm management and accounting, agricultural and food policies, food quality, geographical indications, value chain analysis, alternative agrifood networks, collective action in agrifood chains, impact and evaluation analysis of collective initiatives and public policies.