GIY are involved - representing Waterford - with a European project that GIY with a consortium of international partners such as Commonland, Ashoka and the Presencing Institute. Called the Bio Regional Weaving Lab (BWL), this EU-wide project aims to engage 100,000 people in bioregions in 10 locations across Europe to start restoring, protecting and regenerating (collectively) at least 1 million hectares of Europe’s land and sea by 2025.
The BWL project aims to implement system change; designed to overcome systematic barriers and scaling up of NBS, including food, biodiversity and well-being solutions. It is a place-based approach, engaging with stakeholders across land and sea, including those involved in agriculture, marine, social innovators, and other stakeholders.
We request recognition of 'weaving' through the BWL approach as one that is recognized in supporting stakeholder engagement across Waterford. The request is for additional capacity to support this approach to system change, in order to support engagement with all involved in agriculture and other nature based solutions in the Waterford area.
There are multiple and complex root causes, systemic drivers, and mindsets that impact on system change. Ultimately the current food system can work to disproportionately serve short term economic interests and prioritize financial return and shareholder value, at the expense of people and planet. We propose that Waterford prioritizes a multi-stakeholder approach, where all members of the food growing society come together to co-create solutions that work for all.