Cities are central to building sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems. Local food policy is increasingly seen as a strategic tool for climate action, health, equity, and economic development, as reflected in initiatives like the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and the EU Farm to Fork Strategy.
Yet many municipalities lack the capacity to design and deliver effective food policies. Challenges such as healthy diets, food waste, urban-rural linkages, public procurement, and the role of food in culture and tourism require both expertise and political commitment.
This Eurocities Academy training, organised with the City of Parma, addresses these gaps. The training – Policy to table: Building local capacity for sustainable food systems – offers city officials and politicians practical tools, evidence-based insights, and peer learning opportunities to shape integrated food policies.
Hosted in Parma, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the programme builds on experiences from experts and from other European cities.
What you will learn
By joining this training, participants will:
- Gain a solid understanding of how urban food systems function and their role in broader urban strategies such as climate neutrality, health, and inclusion.
- Acquire practical tools to design and implement integrated food strategies.
- Learn to extract actionable recommendations and translate them into implementable policies.
- Work on a real policy challenge from their own city and co-develop a draft food action plan with expert support and peer feedback.
Programme structure
The training combines online and in-person sessions, balancing conceptual input with hands-on, city-focused applications.
- Onboarding session (online): Thursday, 9 October 2025, 11:00-12:30
- Thematic introduction & practical information (online): Thursday, 30 October 2025, 11:00-12:30
- In-person training in Parma, Italy: Thursday 13 – Friday 14 November 2025
The two-day workshop in Parma will feature expert presentations, interactive sessions, case-based learning, and peer-to-peer exchange. Participants will progressively develop a city-specific food action plan, supported by a structured methodology.
Who is this training for?
The training is designed for city officials and professionals working on:
- Food systems and policy (nutrition, procurement, waste, governance)
- Health and well-being (healthy diets, prevention, equity)
- Environment and climate action (emissions reduction, resilience, biodiversity)
- Social inclusion and community development (poverty reduction, local food economies)
- Cross-cutting governance (integrating food policy into broader strategies)
It is open to 20 participants from Eurocities member cities and other European cities, encouraging the cross-departmental participation of 2-3 people per city.
Participation is free of charge. Travel and accommodation costs must be covered by participants. The training will be delivered in English.
Application process
Applications must be submitted by cities (not individual applicants) via this online form by Friday, 26 September 2025. Each city can apply with 1-3 participants in a single application.
Selection will be based on:
- Relevance and complementarity of participants’ profiles
- Gender balance
- Geographical representation
- Working level of English
Applicants will be informed of the outcome by 1 October 2025. Selected participants will receive an onboarding package to prepare for the kick-off session.
Interested?
The Eurocities Academy is the network’s dedicated capacity-building programme, providing training to city leaders and experts. To date, it has trained over 240 officials from more than 130 cities.
For questions about the training or the registration process, contact Guillem Ramírez Chico, Eurocities Academy Coordinator, at guillem.ramirez-chico@eurocities.eu
