International scientific and practical food conference Alternative food supply networks in Central and Eastern Europe
International scientific and practical food conference Alternative food supply networks in Central and Eastern Europe” at the Department of Theatre Art of the Latvian Academy of Culture Zirgu Pasts on 13th and 14th October, 2017.
On 13th and 14th October, 2017 the Latvian Academy of Culture, in cooperation with Baltic Studies Centre is organising an international scientific and practical conference "Alternative food supply networks in Central and Eastern Europe: Towards new grounds for interpretation and collaboration". The conference takes place in the Department of Theatre Art of the Latvian Academy of Culture Zirgu Pasts, 46 Dzirnavu Street.
This conference is the first interdisciplinary food conference in Latvia with researchers and practitioners from various disciplines gathering in Riga for two intensive days and presenting their findings on interesting non-conventional food supply initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Special regard in this conference is devoted to the influence of intangible cultural heritage in creating alternative food supply networks as well as examining food in the context of creative industries.
As Mikeļis Grīviņš, sociologist, researcher and the organiser of the conference, points out:”I strongly believe that we have to talk about issues concerning food and food supply. This would not only improve our quality of live, but also the environment. We have a wonderful food culture in Latvia and if we compare how food is produced in Latvia and how it is produced in Western Europe, our food supply initiatives are more diverse and deeply rooted into tradition. However, despite of having this longstanding experience, still it has not yet been the subject of extensive research and has not been presented enough to the world. This conference will seek a way to appraise the food culture of Latvia and the rest of the Central and Eastern Europe.”
In the morning of 13th October the conference will kick off with the opening plenary session, which will include presentations by the Europe’s leading researchers in the field of food supply networks – Petr Jehlicka, Tālis Tisenkopfs, Teresa Pinto Correia, Guntra Aistara and Miķelis Grīviņš. The session will be moderated by the head of the Creative Industries programme at the Latvian Academy of Culture, assistant professor Agnese Hermane and the researcher and lecturer of Cultural Heritage studies Agnese Treimane.
After the plenary session the conference will break into several sessions of research presentations which will continue on also on 14th October. While in the evening of 13th October a practitioners’ session will take place at the Kaņepe Culture Centre, where you will have the chance to meet agents of well known food initiatives of Latvia such as Direct Purchasing movement, Eco Schools program „Eat Responsibly”, Slow Food Straupe and the School Food Procurement programme of Ikšķile Free school.
The conference is supported by Bistro Balts, Riga Islande Hotel, Monika Centrum Hotels, Gardu Muti and Kalnup.
The working language of the conference is English.
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The interview with Miķelis Grīviņš: