In Belgium, food banks and support services are more active today than ever before. In 2023, at least 214,000 people relied on local food assistance. Since 2019, the number of people seeking food support has increased by as much as 27%.

In times of a declining supply of food aid, the “demand for more food aid” overshadows in the societal debate:

● the critical approach to the ecological sustainability of food aid,

● the critical approach to the social sustainability of food aid as a means of poverty alleviation, and

● the critical approach to the participation of aid recipients and volunteers from local food support services in the food aid system.

The participatory film project aims to create space in the societal debate for these critical questions through the valorization of the expertise developed by UGent on food aid, as well as the valorisation of the participation of aid recipients and volunteers from local food support services in the societal debate and policy development on food aid and poverty alleviation.

The participatory film project aims to achieve this valorization through:

● a participatory film production with aid recipients and volunteers from Ghent food support services,

● a free and online available film, and

● public film screenings with discussions led by spokespersons (recipients and volunteers from Ghent food support services)

The project operates through a collaboration between the Stadsacademie and the researchers involved in the trajectory 'Food Democracy' thereof, KRAS vzw, and BMLIK vzw.