Understanding food waste in rural areas requires listening before designing solutions.
Food systems are not abstract structures. They are shaped by people, routines, local businesses, producers, community networks and public actors. For this reason, any meaningful intervention must begin by understanding how the territory works from the perspective of those who live and work there.
This is a key principle of RULESSWASTE.
A territorial diagnosis
The project approaches food waste as part of a broader territorial system. This means looking not only at food that may be discarded, but also at how food is produced, distributed, accessed and consumed locally.
Questions around local production, access to food, links between producers and consumers, community collaboration and opportunities for improvement help build a more complete picture of each territory.
This wider perspective is essential to avoid isolated or generic solutions.
Different actors, different perspectives
A rural food system involves many voices.
Households, producers, retailers, hospitality businesses, local authorities, associations and social organisations may experience the issue from very different positions.
Listening to these perspectives helps identify not only where problems may appear, but also what capacities already exist in the territory.
Understanding before acting
The objective of this phase is not to anticipate conclusions, but to build the basis for a useful diagnosis.
By gathering structured input from local actors, RULESSWASTE aims to better understand the conditions, barriers and opportunities that will shape future actions.
Because solutions that work in rural communities need to be grounded in local knowledge.
