About the network
Together, we seek to put issues concerning food and water on the European agenda while at the same time establishing the connection with citizens on a local level.
The network will provide a space to share knowledge and ideas, discuss research projects and develop cross-border collaborations. For this end, we get together in network meetings at the Dataharvest – European Investigative Journalism Conference as well as the Arena Climate Conference in November 2023.
During 2022, the Arena Food & Water network facilitated the scaling up of a the cross-border investigation “The Forever Pollution Project” from five to 18 media partners by connecting journalists within the network and coordinating the extension of the project. You can find more information about the collaboration and investigation on our website.
How to get involved
Join the Arena Food & Water Network signal group and mailing list to get and stay in touch with journalists and experts in the field from all across Europe.
Or contact sarah@journalismarena.eu with any questions or suggestions.
History of the network
Launched at the European Investigative Journalism Conference – Dataharvest 2022, the collaborative network aims to bring together journalists, researchers and civil society representatives working on all aspects of food, from field to table.
Throughout 2022 we have organised multiple online-seminars to meet around specific topics and discuss research methods and findings with experts from journalism and academia. To let us know which issues are most relevant to your reporting and which activities and resources you would need from the network, you can take part in this short survey.
The range of topics to investigate is wide: from food production and distribution, pesticides or water consumption, to lobbying battles and commodity trading patterns. Moreover, all of this takes place against the background of the significant climate impact of food production.
While there are several journalistic investigations, academic and civil society works that address these issues, they often remain in their national realms or professional contexts. As a result, the impact of research on the European agenda setting remains limited, even though it affects citizens across Europe.
With all of you, the Arena Food & Water Network sets out to change just that.