Local food challenge

How exciting is this? The Ideas Festival is back (19-22 May, 2011) and just to prove my point that there is a shift in the social attitude to food, try this on for size. This year's Queensland OpenIDEO Challenge asks the question "How might we better connect food production and food consumption?" The OpenIDEO Challenge is a collaborative online platform - created by design firm IDEO - aimed at tackling global issues and challenges through open conversation and contribution from the community. The Premier had this to say about this year's challenge on the Ideas Festival website: "Ideas that consider how rural and urban communities can work better together to ensure a future where healthy food is available to all. Food is an industry and a source of livelihood for many, but it is also a fundamental need, something that forms the basis of our health, wellbeing and sense of self. Our relationship with food is a thread that runs through our lives and communities. But with world population expected to hit 9 billion by 2050 it is vital that we prepare ourselves well so there is enough food for all and that food production is efficient and sustainable."

With three stages - inspiration, concepting and evaluation - the challenge is to find practical solutions that address issues like energy use, transportation, biodiversity, environment, food security, nutrition, obesity... the list goes on. The most inspiring and relevant ideas will then be brought to the Festival for workshopping by teams of policy makers, community and industry. The inspiration stage has just closed and already there are some amazing ideas being 'concepted' right now, right here. My favourite is probably the PlantCam, which connects farmers with eaters through timelapse photography showing your food growing; or the ice-cream truck turned mobile farm - giving kids access to farming fun on their doorstep. Urban agriculture never looked so mobile! I'm super excited for all of the mental stimulation the festival will bring but I'm especially looking forward to the outcome of this little challenge. It's great to see so many passionate and inspired people getting involved too! How would you answer the question?