Philosophy

F.R.E.S.H. is a student initiative founded at the Universität Hohenheim in May 2008, which aims to stimulate a dialogue on the future of food amongst the University community. Central to our philosophy is to re-consider the way food is being produced, distributed and eaten today. We do this by cultivating and leading an innovative food culture that is grounded on an honest interpretation of food and environment-related issues.

It is important for the agriculturalists of the future to understand that the challenge of feeding the world is not isolated from ecological, social, political, ethical and cultural factors. The food we eat, how we eat it and where we source it from does have an impact in the landscape, livelihoods and culture in another part of the world. FRESH tries to strengthen this connection and communicates this as an everyday notion for everyone in the University.

FRESH nurtures the idea for more social responsibility and ethical standards in the agricultural research, education and practice. We specifically set sights to allowing access to innovative ideas and world-views which otherwise would not be heard in our lecture theatres. With this in mind, we try to bring the student community in contact with the bio-cultural diversity that surrounds food, following a multi-level approach which involves action upon different aspects of university life.

Thus, we strive to integrate bachelor, master and PhD students from all faculties of the University in order to create synergies by a high diversity of backgrounds and experiences.

In our activities, we aim to raise awareness and provide opportunities for learning about the life of the food we eat by exploring and explaining the lifecycle of food. This takes us from seed to plate…and from plate to planet with all its diversity: natural and cultural.