Alison
We promote healthy and sustainable food through a systemic, collaborative and decentralized innovation network.
About the Alison innovation network
In response to the growing need to transform the food system and, in particular, the promotion of Healthy and Sustainable Food, the multi-stakeholder innovation network Alison was born, driven from the Barcelona CaixaResearch Living Lab, with the support of the "la Caixa" Foundation and the Barcelona City Council, and coordinated from the Living Lab for Health at IrsiCaixa.
It was initiated within the framework of the European project FIT4FOOD2030 (ending in January 2021), with the aim of promoting the implementation of European Commission strategies such as FOOD2030 or From Farm to Fork, or the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, it is also supported by the European projects CLEVERFOOD, FOSTER and FOODCLIC.
Alison aims to innovate in the promotion of Healthy and Sustainable Food in Barcelona to make it more systemic, collaborative and decentralized.
First pilot and scalability
The first pilot is deployed in the Barcelona neighbourhood of La Verneda i La Pau, with more than 25 organizations involved that define and implement a comprehensive intervention in a coordinated manner, acting as referents and agents of change. They move collectively towards a shared vision, with reflective and iterative monitoring. In this way, they work as a decentralized organization with a shared strategy.
The integrated intervention promotes changes in the food environment, in Research and Innovation, evaluation and funding models, and in the strategies of the organizations. These changes are implemented in parallel with individual changes.
After this first pilot, the Alison Network envisions scaling up to other neighbourhoods in Barcelona, as well as cities in the Metropolitan Area.
Methodology and milestones achieved
During the first strategic phase, the achievements were the consensus of a Strategic and Collective Action Plan of Barcelona in which more than 136 professionals from 64 organizations participated, and a Strategic and Collective Action Plan focused on the neighbourhood of La Verneda i La Pau. This phase was based on the methodology of Phase 1 of Participatory Research for the Design of Strategies.
This was followed by the co-design of the comprehensive and collaborative intervention consisting of 8 Innovation Programs driven by a total of more than 50 professionals and 25 organizations from inside and outside the neighbourhood organized in innovation teams. This phase started in July 2021 and is being carried out following the Co-Creation Phase 2 methodology.
Currently, some of the Innovation Programs are also being implemented in collaboration with university students through a pilot phase following the Phase 3 implementation methodology. The scalability phase will be implemented during 2023.
Phase 1: participatory research for the design of strategies
Strategic and action plans (city and neighborhood level)
Participants
Participating organizations
Systemic map
Vision for the future
Leverage factors on which to intervene
Phase 2 and 3: co-creation and implementation
Innovation programs
Innovation programs in implementation
Network members
Participating organizations
University students
Alison digital exchange platform
Soon, the Alison Network will be supported by a digital platform for exchange and interaction for open networking, which will facilitate the dynamization of the network with participatory processes with a diversity of social actors. It will also allow the visualization of resources and participation in experiences, resources, activities and services related to the promotion of Healthy and Sustainable Food, and a space for the creation of synergies and data visualization that will show the progress of the project, activities and interactions. Thus, participating entities and citizens will be able to participate and contribute community assets and receive information of interest in the field of Healthy and Sustainable Food.
Methodological guides
Within the framework of the different Innovation Programs, methodological guides are developed to enable different actors to become agents of change. Some examples are:
- Methodological Guide for the Nutrition Education Program. Developed within the framework of Program 7 so that nutrition experts can give training courses in Primary Care Centers and hospitals. The guide also contemplates other educational modalities: via telematic means, with educational capsules shared in school and neighbourhood events, etc.
- Methodological guide for strategic design. Developed within the framework of the FIT4FOOD2030 project. It consists of three modules focused on systemic reflection around the promotion of healthy and sustainable diets and the ideation of impact solutions based on the identification of key areas and factors where changes need to be implemented. The modules can be found here.