SABE Community: Research to Promote a Sustainable and Fair Food System

The Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation promotes the SABE (Evidence-Based Food Sustainability) community, an interdisciplinary network that promotes the transition to a more ecological, fair and sustainable diet. At the core of this community are the Daniel Carasso Fellowship laureates, whose research guides the transition to a more sustainable diet

The way we produce, eat and manage food has an impact on our planet and our society. The current food system has proven to be one of the main causes of deforestation and biodiversity loss, as well as a source of air, soil and water pollution. This situation is aggravated if we take into account that it does not guarantee food security for the population and that it compromises the living conditions of those who work in the value chain, without offering them fair prices or decent conditions. In this context, it is urgent to accelerate the transformation towards a greener, more inclusive, fair and, ultimately, sustainable system. A transformation towards a way of eating that takes care of the environment and guarantees the well-being of future generations.

In order to contribute to this transition, the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation promotes the creation of the SABE Community (Evidence-Based Food Sustainability). It is an interdisciplinary community that promotes creative research and innovation to guide the transition to sustainable food.

Since 2012, the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation has been supporting research in the field of sustainable food. First through the Daniel Carasso Awards, aimed at senior researchers, and since 2021 through the Daniel Carasso Fellowship, a postdoctoral grant program aimed at young researchers. Now, with the creation of the SABE Community, the Foundation is taking a further step to build bridges between research and the sector, involving the different agents in the food chain in order to generate innovative solutions that respond to the challenges of food.

The SABE Community is convinced that the transformation of the food sector requires real changes with a great social impact. And to achieve this, it is necessary to combine a strong scientific base with a systemic vision and an integrative sensitivity, which brings together all the actors in the food system. The goal is to transform without leaving anyone behind and, at the same time, accelerate change. For this reason, the SABE Community is constantly evolving and growing, open to all those who, from their respective fields, are working to move towards more sustainable food systems.

Featured members of the SABE Community:

At the heart of this new community are five young and highly promising researchers who, in addition to being leaders in their respective fields of study, have also been awarded the Daniel Carasso Fellowship in one of its two editions (2021 and 2023):

• Adrián González: Awarded in 2023 for his FORIOMS project, Adrián works on the formulation of filters by taking advantage of livestock waste, mainly nitrogenous gases produced by slurry. These filters are later used as fertilizers in agriculture.
• Marta Albo: Winner of the Daniel Carasso Fellowship in 2023. Marta leads the ReFISH-Food project, designs and wants to implement specific climate adaptation plans for small-scale fisheries in the Balearic Islands, balancing environmental, cultural and socioeconomic factors.
• Ujué Fresán: Also awarded in 2023, with her research she wants to promote healthy and sustainable diets. Ujué is developing a methodology to assess the nutritional quality and sustainability of different dietary patterns in the Spanish population.
• Raquel Ajates: Awarded in 2021, Raquel has mapped and analysed seed systems in Spain, investigating their socio-economic, sustainability and political dimensions.
• Daniel Gaitán: Awarded in 2021, his research on sustainable public procurement in Spain provides keys to improve public policies and promote sustainable food public procurement at the national level.