At this year’s Festival der Zukünfte in Kempten, these questions became the starting point for conversations, creativity and reflection around the future of food systems and agriculture.

Through collage-making and button-making activities at the BRIGHT-Futures information booth, visitors shared their own visions for more sustainable and hopeful futures. Children, families and festival participants used images, colours and ideas to express what they hope future farming landscapes and food systems could become.

Some imagined more diverse farming systems, others emphasized collaboration, local livelihoods and stronger relationships between people, food and the environment. Across many of the conversations, there was also a shared sense that hopeful futures are not only something imagined far ahead, but are already being shaped through practices and initiatives that exist today.

One particularly memorable insight from the day was how strongly the identity of the Allgäu region remained connected to cows and dairy farming. Again and again, visitors highlighted the importance of cows not only for agriculture, but also for biodiversity, landscapes and regional culture.

More than anything, the event showed how creative and participatory activities can open space for meaningful conversations about sustainability, food systems and collective futures — across generations, backgrounds and perspectives.

This article draws on reflections originally published on the BRIGHT-Futures project website. Read the original article here: Shared Visions for a Sustainable Future – Key Takeaway from the Festival of Futures