What if food were a publicly shared good rather than a commodity? This discussion with Dr. Jose Luis Vivero Pol (Université de Louvain) and Dr. Johanna Herrigel (Biovision) examines “food as a commons” as an alternative to market-driven food systems. The event explores implications for sustainability, democracy, and global equity.

This conceptual paper compares three overarching frameworks used to analyze agri-food systems: multifunctionality, ecosystem services, and the just transition approach. The authors argue that while the first two concepts have been useful for recognizing agriculture’s multiple functions and environmental contributions, they fall short of addressing systemic social and ecological challenges. The “just transition” framework is proposed as a more comprehensive alternative that integrates justice, sustainability, and governance dimensions, offering pathways for transformative policy innovations toward equitable and sustainable food systems.

A global team of researchers led by ETH Zurich, ICARDA, and CIMMYT has released the Global Wheat Full Semantic Organ Segmentation (GWFSS) dataset — a major open-access resource for improving computer vision in crop phenotyping. The dataset includes over 50,000 RGB images of wheat fields from 11 institutions across five continents, enabling the development of AI models for organ-level segmentation (leaves, stems, spikes) to support wheat breeding and agroecological research in diverse environments.

Helvetas hosts the hybrid launch of the 2025 Global Hunger Index in Bern and online. Under the theme “It’s time to recommit to Zero Hunger,” the event reflects on two decades of tracking hunger trends and lessons for achieving SDG 2. Speakers include Regula Rytz (Helvetas President), Agnes Mahembe (Helvetas Tanzania), Shruti Patel (ETH Zurich), and Alessandra Roversi (SDC). A networking reception will follow.

ETH Zürich

Qualifications: Excellent Master’s degree in Political Science, Economics, Behavioral Science, Public Policy, or Environmental/Food and Agricultural Economics; strong analytical skills and proficiency in R or Python; experience in survey or experimental design is an advantage; motivation to work in an inter- and transdisciplinary environment; fluent in German and English; strong interpersonal and collaboration skills. Positions are part of the Plant4Value project led by Dr. Daniela Hoffmann and Dr. Lukas Fesenfeld at ETH Zurich’s forthcoming School of Public Policy.