Education for Sustainable Food Systems in Europe

Education and information spotlight from the COACH Project reveals systemic gaps in agricultural and food system literacy across Europe. Nine COACH Beacons report widespread public misunderstanding of food production, sustainability, and farming’s economic and environmental impacts. Consumer choices are often driven by price, not ethics or ecology, due to limited awareness of food’s true cost. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) models—such as Hungary’s Nyiregyházi Kosár with its five-category impact rating, the UK’s Tamar Grow Local offering seasonal boxes with educational tools, and France’s GASAP’Ecole integrating food education into elementary schools—demonstrate effective, experiential learning. In the Czech Republic, Centrum Konipas and KPZkoALICE promote school-based agricultural training and national CSA networks. The spotlight emphasizes that transformative change requires coordinated, multi-stakeholder education for consumers, farmers, and policymakers. Transparent labelling, as promoted by the Our Food. Our Future campaign, and EU organic farming standards (2021) are key enablers. Research supports CSAs in building ethical consumption and trust. Ultimately, education is central to building resilient local food systems, regenerating rural communities, and advancing sustainable agricultural transitions.