My research is often interdisciplinary, working from anthropology across the fields of health, geography, planning and design. So too does it span from the theoretical to the applied, where I have contributed to many global, cross-cultural and multi-sectoral research panels, programs and networks. Furthermore, its international, having had the opportunity to work in projects across Australia, to Ireland, Spain, Norway, the UK and more. Below are a range of the projects I’ve contributed to from around the world.
About: With planetary urbanization fast approaching there is growing clarity regarding the un-sustainability of cities, not least with respect to food consumption. Sharing, including food sharing, is increasingly being identified as one transformative mechanism for sustainable cities: reducing consumption; conserving resources, preventing waste and providing new forms of socio-economic relations. However, such claims currently rest on thin conceptual and empirical foundations.
- Developing deeper theoretical understanding of contemporary food sharing
- Generating comparative international empirical data about food sharing activities within cities
- Assessing the impact of food sharing activities
- Exploring how food sharing in cities might evolve in the future
Conducting such frontier science SHARECITY has opened up new research horizons to substantively improve understanding of how, why and to what end people share food within cities in the 21st Century.
Link: https://sharecity.ie/
About: EdiCitNet (Edible Cities Network – Integrating Edible City Solutions for social, resilient and sustainably productive cities) is a project funded by the European Commission and running from September 2018 to August 2023 (Grant Agreement No. 776665). Edible City Solutions (ECS) are all forms of sustainable urban food production, distribution and use – from neighbourhood gardens, to urban beekeeping and sheep farming, green facades or high-tech indoor farming, cooking and dining events and the use of locally grown urban food in restaurants. The project expects extension till Early 2024.
Together with a consortium of international partners and a growing network of edible city enthusiasts from around the world, EdiCitNet is designing and implementing urban food innovations and sustainable urban planning for greener, more edible and, above all, more liveable cities.
Link: https://www.edicitnet.com/
About: The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) was a research-design-action group focused on innovation for more sustainable and resilient future cities. It was an interdisciplinary group whose work engaged with and embedded in industry, government and communities.
VEIL’s work aimed to shift thinking about both what is possible and what is needed imminently to create a more sustainable future. The group’s projects used scenarios, modelling, and visualisations of alternative futures to help communicate these ideas.
Link: https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/research/projects/completed/VEIL
Link: https://urban-arena.eu/
Humanitarian Design in Cambodia, Engineers Without Borders
About: The Engineers Without Borders’ Australia Humanitarian Design Summit is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an immersive learning experience outside the classroom. Over 14 days, engineering students will push their boundaries, gain insights into best-practice community development, and appreciate the role engineering plays in creating positive change.
Link: https://ewb.org.au/project/design-summit/
Other projects that I’ve been involved in that are yet to be added include:
- Food Sovereignty Tour, Venezuela
- World Social Science Fellow on Urban Issues in the Global South
- Awards Director for Why the World Needs Anthropologists
- Urban Natures, Norway
- Urbanism, Climate Adaptation and Health
- the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility ‘Human Health’ program
- ARC Discovery project, Anti-consumerism in the Contemporary West, RMIT University
- ARC Discovery Project: The rise of ethical consumption in Australia: From the margins to the mainstream, RMIT University
Ferne Edwards 