Food Sharing Benefits
Exploring the benefits of food sharing initiatives ‐ FSIs
Do you want to learn more about the benefits of diverse FSIs and read inspiring examples? Click below!
surplus foodFSIs growing and
composting togetherFSIs cooking and
eating together
FSIs can bring many benefits for people, communities and the environment. Most have a very strong focus on social benefits. They help improve people’s wellbeing and promote social inclusion, make fresh and healthy food more accessible to everyone, reduce inequalities, and strengthen community connections. Many encourage cultural exchange and learning about healthy and sustainable food choices. These benefits support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as, for instance, SDG2 Zero Hunger or SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.
FSIs can also bring environmental benefits by reducing food waste and carbon emissions and supporting more sustainable farming and gardening practices. In this way, they contribute to SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13 Climate Action.
Economic benefits of FSIs can come in the form of creating local jobs, lowering food costs, and supporting small-scale and community-based food production. These contribute to achieving SDG 4 Quality Education, and SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Read more about it in the CULTIVATE Policy Brief on Urban and Peri-urban Food Sharing Governance, inspired by Mackenzie, S. G., & Davies, A. R. (2019). “SHARE IT: Co-designing a sustainability impact assessment framework for urban food sharing initiatives”. Environmental impact assessment review, 79, 106300.
If you want to learn more about governance of food sharing initiatives, visit the CULTIVATE Menu of Good Governance.
Do you want to assess sustainability benefits and impacts of your FSI? Visit the CULTIVATE Sharing Solutions tool!
Do you want to identify costs of your FSI to guide your investment needs? Visit the Costs Calculator!
Click here if you want to check an increasing number of examples of FSI’s reports and impact stories
Click here if you want to assess the impacts of your own food sharing activities