Inspire, cooperate, amplify: a look back at the 5th Sustainable Food Meetings

Nearly 1600 participants gathered for the Sustainable Food Meetings 2025 on September 16th! A strong mobilization to explore, inspire and transform our agricultural and food systems. Each moment has allowed us to meet new perspectives and nurture new alliances. And to extend the experience, several sessions are now available in replay, pending the upcoming publication of the Notebooks dedicated to the Meetings, which will include the summaries of the different sessions.

In the face of crises, joining forces for sustainable food and agriculture

Almost 10 years ago, we launched the Rencontres de l’alimentation durable, convinced that transforming agricultural and food systems requires collective action. Since then, each edition has highlighted bold solutions and brought together an increasingly diverse range of players. Despite proven initiatives, the current context is increasingly uncertain: political instability, social revolt, the questioning of certain environmental policies, economic tensions… The aim of this 5th edition was to provide answers that would mobilize beyond convinced circles, overcome divisions, build new alliances and highlight new levers of impact to scale up solutions that work. It was organized in partnership with ADEME, AgroParisTech, Banque des territoires, Chaire Unesco Alimentations du monde, Fondation de France, MRJC and RESES.

Sessions dedicated to the exploration of emerging topics and hybridization

During the day, 15 sessions were organized around 3 main axes: the mobilization of economic actors, elected officials and citizens. The opening plenary session provided an opportunity to get out of the box with neuroscientist Albert Moukheiber, who questioned the cognitive barriers that slow down or slow down the transition and the limits of individuals’ sole responsibility. It was followed by a first round table entitled ” Amplifying the mobilization of economic actors “. This discussion highlighted the key role of companies as levers for transformation towards models that reconcile profitability and sustainability.

Throughout the day, the round tables explored emerging or current themes: fishing, global health, social security for food, commercial catering, the mobilization of elected officials and citizens, agricultural democracy, the place of sustainable food in the media, agricultural cooperation, the simplification of agricultural policies and standards, as well as innovations in agroecology. Participants were also able to enjoy the exhibition ” Invisible Hunger “ proposed by Action Against Hunger and the performance of the artist photographer Sylvain Gouraud.

Sowing the seeds next: a fence looking to the future

This edition also highlighted art as a lever for social and cultural transformation in the service of sustainable food. During the final plenary session “When art sows change” which closed this day of exchange, the speakers underlined the strength and relevance of the development of cultural initiatives in the service of sustainable food and agricultural practices, for people and for ecosystems. This edition of the Rencontres ended with the mobilizing words of Sophie Tabary, organic farmer and market gardener.

Credits: Pierre-Yves Brunaud, Antoine Boissonot