🎊 Highlights from the CoFSA & Food Spirit Engagement Workshop 🎊
📅 The final event of the Food Spirit project was held on March 2, 2025, with the goal of reconnecting 🍽️ food, 👨👩👧👦 people, and 🌿 ecosystems. It aimed to spark awareness and consciousness around tackling the intertwined crises of 🌍 food insecurity, 💊 health issues, 🏭 environmental degradation, and ⚖️ social injustice.
🎯 Workshop Objectives 🎯
✅ Explore the interconnections between food and multiple dimensions 🍛🌏
✅ Develop a process-oriented network with practical tools 🛠️💡
✅ Link local practices with global systems through tangible examples 🏘️🌐
🌞 In the morning, following the opening ceremony and a collective meditation, Frans Sujatirta 🧑🏫, Director of UID, guided participants through a reflective session based on the “Universe in a Bowl of Rice” series held during the 3-day Soul Connect Fest 2025 🎭 at Samyan Mitrtown. He framed the global situation as one of “crises within crises” 😰🌏 — but reminded us that we can still be part of building a better food system 💪🥗.
🔥 Key Reflections from Discussions 🔥
🔹 Food, Family & Society 🏡👨👩👦
🍲 Food is more than what we eat — it carries wisdom and culture.
👩👩👧👦 Families play a key role in passing on food values.
📱 Technology is reshaping consumption habits — we must adapt mindfully.
🔹 Cascading Crises in the Food System 🚨🍽️
🌱 Unsustainable systems affect both health and the environment 🏭🌳
🌎 Global food trade impacts local economies and cultures 💰📉
🤝 Collaboration matters more than blame — start with small changes ✨
🔹 Food Spirit & Ecology 🧘♂️🍃
💡 Food connects mind, nature, and human relationships 🤝💖
🌿 Younger generations are waking up to the spiritual side of food 🧑🌾
♻️ Honoring food means using resources wisely and sustainably 🌍
🔹 Food as a Pathway to Learning & Change 📚✨
🧐 Be open to questioning old knowledge 📖🔍
🌍 See the links between food, security, and nature 🥗🌿
💪 Everyone can contribute through mindful choices, sharing knowledge, and collaboration 🤲🎯
💬 In the afternoon, Thomas Legrand 🎤, Technical Advisor to the CoFSA network (UNDP), introduced the network’s tools 🛠️ and invited everyone to co-create and exchange ideas 🌎. This was followed by a World Café session ☕️ where participants explored “Bringing Life Back to Food Systems” across 7 discussion groups:
🌍 Conscious Organization Networking
🥕 Farmers & Sustainable Agriculture
🏪 Markets & Consumer Networks
📜 Policy Advocacy
🏡 Local Communities & Indigenous Wisdom
♻️ Traditional Knowledge, Modern Science & Tech Challenges
⚖️ Empowerment for Food System Transformation
🔍 Key Takeaway 💛: All groups emphasized the connection between food + life + consciousness + society 🌍. Mindful consumption and sustainable farming were seen as essential solutions — and cross-sector collaboration as the key to building a fairer food system.
The event ended with heartfelt thanks from Hans van Willenswaard, Advisor of the Food Spirit Project (supported by ThaiHealth), and Thomas Legrand 🎙️. Gratitude was also extended to the 🎓 POLECONCHULA & Social Research Institute of Chulalongkorn University for hosting this meaningful exchange, and to the 💡 Food Spirit project for nurturing a conscious food system across Thailand and the region 🌏.
💬 “Though the world is full of challenges, we have the power to move forward into a better future.” ✨🌍
