Food cooperation: another topic for the Brno Metropolitan Area

Getting local products closer to customers and local residents. This is a brief description of the topic of food cooperation that we are currently addressing at the level of the Brno Metropolitan Area (BMA). We will gradually cooperate with other actors operating in the area – representatives of non-profit organisations, municipalities, Local Action Groups, the South Moravian Region and farmers. The first joint meeting took place at the beginning of November.

We came to food cooperation through participation in the international MECOG-CE project, which aims to strengthen metropolitan cooperation in Central Europe. During the exchange of experiences with partners from the Czech Republic and abroad, who also joined the project, we were interested in how other regions approach sustainability, support for short supply chains and cooperation with local producers. A particular inspiration was the so-called “Food District” operating in the Italian Metropolitan City of Turin. Read more about the MECOG-CE project here.

At the same time, we acknowledge that food cooperation is a topic in which the Brno Metropolitan Area can significantly improve. This assumption was confirmed by a meeting on 5 November 2024 with other BMA partners, which outlined future cooperation and desired activities. All this with the aim of bringing local products closer to customers, protecting the environment and promoting awareness.

The meeting, which was attended by representatives of institutions from BMA, first showed the main benefits of food cooperation and examples of its good practice from abroad. Michal Bajgart from the initiative Živý region (Living Region) listed among the benefits, for example, better land management, support for local producers, environmental protection and strengthening of the economy and relations in the territory, which ultimately improves the quality of life of the inhabitants of the entire metropolitan area.

Next, the meeting participants were presented with an analysis of the potential for food cooperation (Czech only) that mapped agricultural activity and local production in BMA. The strengths of the area are the good conditions for agriculture, the large market including the demand centre in Brno and the positive perception of local products and brands. In contrast, weaknesses include low self-sufficiency, small production volumes, the strong position of large companies and the lack of coordination of activities and food strategy at metropolitan level.

The introductory presentations were followed by a workshop consisting of a presentation of the main themes of food cooperation and a subsequent discussion on them. Three priority themes eventually emerged from the debates:

• Food network for public catering – the aim is to increase the use of local products in public catering, e.g. in school canteens, hospitals or homes for the elderly;

• Local food distribution networks – sales of regional production with a focus on individuals and short supply chains;

• Cooperative network on climate change adaptation and organic farming – focusing on adaptation and incentive measures and sustainable forms of farming.

In the coming year, we want to continue to address these priorities in cooperation with all BMO stakeholders – for example by developing an Action Plan. The aim is to create stronger relations that will bring long-term results in the areas of environmental protection and support for local producers. Cooperation will continue through regular meetings and working groups to ensure that these themes can be put into practice.