Students explore sustainability beyond the plate

Green Templeton’s annual student-run Human Welfare Conference, held on 19 May, focused this year on sustainable approaches to food and food systems. Researchers, practitioners, and community organizations came together to explore the intersections of sustainable agriculture, public health, and social equity. Over the course of the day, attendees had the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue, reflect on policy and grassroots practices, and participate in interactive activities designed to inspire both scholarly inquiry and practical collaboration. The event also celebrated Green Templeton’s continued commitment to sustainability, which has been repeatedly recognised in the Vice Chancellor’s Sustainability Awards.

Keynote speakers Dr John Ingram (Food Systems Transformation Group, University of Oxford Environmental Change Institute) and Dr Peter Scarborough (Sustainable Healthy Food Group, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences) emphasized that food systems are critical not only to nutrition but also to environmental sustainability. Dr Ingram opened the conference with a systems-level analysis of how food systems must be transformed to deliver equitable outcomes across health, sustainability, and economic viability. He emphasized that food systems encompass more than food production—they include distribution, accessibility, social values, and environmental externalities. Importantly, he argued that transformation means shifting not just practices, but desired outcomes—moving from harmful dietary norms to health-promoting food environments. This requires collaboration across sectors, policy interventions, and a willingness to challenge entrenched interests.

Dr Scarborough provided a critical perspective on the challenges of aligning health and sustainability in national food policy. He argued that while we know what constitutes a sustainable diet, effective policy has been constrained by industry lobbying, political hesitation, and an over-reliance on individual behaviour change. Tracing the evolution of UK dietary guidelines and belated integration of agricultural policy into climate negotiations, he concluded that food system transformation requires structural intervention—not just consumer education—and that addressing the political economy of food is essential. His talk called on attendees to interrogate the power structures behind food production and to advocate for regulatory mechanisms that promote equitable dietary transitions.

Between the first keynote and student presentations, attendees participated in an engaging icebreaker workshop. Audience members were divided into small groups and invited to reflect on personal and collective relationships with food. This session encouraged dialogue and connection among participants, setting a collaborative tone for the rest of the event. Participants appreciated the opportunity to engage informally and gain perspectives from diverse backgrounds, reaffirming the value of shared food experiences as a means to build community.

A series of postgraduate presentations showcased a diverse range of research projects currently underway at Oxford. Shruti Jain (Reuben College, PDhil Geography and the Environment) presented a novel methodology for estimating the environmental footprint of packaged foods using algorithmic ingredient parsing, FAOSTAT sourcing data, and lifecycle assessment (LCA) tools. Her research shows that while animal products have the highest environmental impact, some plant-based foods—like coffee and rice—can also have significant footprints. The model offers a scalable tool for informing sustainable procurement and consumer choices.

Stephanie Walton (DPhil Geography and the Environment) explored how capital investment in U.S. meatpacking infrastructure creates financial lock-in that resists dietary transitions. Using geospatial and investment data, she showed that companies are heavily committed to high-emission practices. Stephanie highlighted the importance of rethinking financial structures that shape food system trajectories and called for bold regulatory leadership to realign economic incentives.

Youyi Xie (Linacre College, DPhil International Development) shared an ethnographic case study of the Tikuna women’s cooking collective in San Martín de Amacayacu. These women are not just preserving traditional recipes but are rebuilding agrifood systems grounded in land, memory, and intergenerational care. Youyi emphasized that food can be a site of resistance and renewal, and the project underscores the role of Indigenous knowledge in shaping more sustainable, place-based food futures.

Samantha Landsman (Oriel College, MSc Nature, Society, and Environmental Governance) examined how cooperative models like Agrihubs can shape urban food environments and wellbeing. Her case study in Langa, Cape Town, highlights how over 1,200 smallholder farmers are supported through coordinated access to inputs, markets, and shared knowledge. Samantha’s research calls attention to the potential of decentralized, bottom-up solutions that empower local actors to meet nutritional and economic needs.

There followed a vibrant Friendly Food Fair, where attendees engaged with a variety of organizations working at the intersection of food justice, sustainability, and community wellbeing, including FEAST (A Horizon Europe-funded project partnering with Good Food Oxfordshire to improve food security among low-income families); Oxford Farmhouse (a community group making juice and cider from surplus apples and pears donated by local residents); Tap Social (a brewery, bakery, and hospitality enterprise offering training and employment for people transitioning from prison); Oxford Mutual Aid; Oxford Food Hub; and Tropical Agriculture Association International, alongside Green Templeton College researchers focused on public health and nutrition.

The presence of the Green Templeton catering team at the fair reaffirmed the college’s institutional commitment to sustainability and equitable health systems. Head Chef Oliver Snowden showcased Trimchi, an Elderflower-based Kimchi, as an example of how the group creatively solves problems with food waste.

Together, these organizations demonstrated a diverse array of community-led responses to food system challenges, creating a lively and hopeful close to the conference through conversation, collaboration, and the shared enjoyment of food.

The conference concluded with a reflective panel, with Dr Keren Papier (nutritional epidemiologist, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford); Kim Samuel (Founder of The Belonging Forum, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford); and Claire Gray (Health Improvement Practitioner, Oxfordshire County Council). Their conversation stressed the need to consider context when scaling local actions and called for systems that are inclusive, adaptive, and grounded in lived experience, and offered a multidimensional view of how food policy and practice intersect with identity, infrastructure, and justice.

Conference convener and chair of the organising committee Sunjin Uhm (DPhil Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, 2024) explained that her aim had been to make the conference as interactive as possible, and “it seemed like that worked well, facilitating discussion and intermingling.” She added, “I heard from many people that they were impressed by the range and quality of our student research presentations! I was so happy to provide an opportunity to feature such great works.”

For Sunjin and the committee, this conference highlighted both the complexity of transforming food systems and the creative, interdisciplinary approaches required to do so. From high-level research to grassroots action, participants demonstrated that sustainable food futures must be both evidence-informed and community-empowered. The event reaffirmed the power of academic-practitioner partnerships and reminded all participants that collective action, informed by diverse forms of knowledge, is essential to building just and resilient food systems.

Committee

Sunjin Uhm, Chair

Alexandra Viloria Tejada, Finance Manager

Josefina Orliacq, Speakers Manager

Megan Jenkins, Publicity Manager

Sakshi Rajesh, Project Manager

Samuel McQuillen, Speakers Manager