A cornerstone of my work has been communicating research insights to societal actors. I have done this through both longer-term stakeholder engagement and various media outlets.
Stakeholder dialogues
Sometimes two (or more!) heads are better than one. Dialogues are a space to exchange knowledge, make connections and solve shared challenges. I have developed and run several different types of multi-stakeholder dialogues, each designed to explore a specific question or topic. In 2019, for example, I had the opportunity to develop dialogues in collaboration with the Nordic Council of Ministers that were run in all five Nordic countries. We developed a bespoke method to explore the opportunities, challenges, uncertainties and trade-offs of four contested pathways of future food systems. In total, 115 individuals representing all parts of the food system participated in the dialogue, presenting a rich picture of next steps for Nordic collaboration on sustainable food transformation. Other dialogues have focused on developing scenarios, making sense of the latest science and visioning desired food systems.
Speaking events and presentations
I have given over 60 presentations focused on communicating the science on sustainable food systems. Groups from all sectors - including government authorities and ministries, UN organizations and working groups, private companies, industry organizations, non-profit organizations, medical associations, youth organizations, other research organizations and research funders - have invited me present on topics relevant for their work. I have also presented and participated on panels linked to a number of food systems-related events, such as the UN Food Systems Summit, the Nordic Climate Action Week associated with COP25, EAT-forum side events and Madens Folkemøde (the people's food meeting in Denmark).
Podcasts
I have hosted several episodes for the ReThink Talks podcast, produced by the Stockholm Resilience Centre. The first episode focused on untangling the relationship between food systems and the Covid-19 pandemic. The expert guests were professor Jess Fanzo at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, and Dr. Line Gordon, director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.
Another episode of ReThink Talks that I hosted focused on the art of communicating complex scientific concepts like the planetary boundaries. I talked with Jon Clay, producer of the Netflix documentary Breaking Boundaries, and Owen Gaffney, co-author of the Breaking Boundaries popular science book. We discussed what makes a good story and the next frontier in scientific communication.
Analisa Winther, host of the Nordic FoodTech Podcast, invited me on the show to discuss the evidence base for healthy and sustainable eating. We talked about the EAT-Lancet report and the 'planetary health diet' that was proposed in that landmark report. Importantly, we talked about changes that need to happen within our food systems to better support diets that support both people and the planet.
Television
I was interviewed by SVT Nyheter to talk about the planetary health diet, and how it applies to Sweden.
Sveriges Utbildningsradio (the national education channel) runs a series called 'UR Samtiden' highlighting current research on social, economic and ecological systems. I was asked to record an episode on sustainable food and give tips to the average Swede about how to eat more sustainably.
