The Food-Belt (Ceinture Aliment-Terre), an innovative system for feeding the population

Food supply is increasingly central to many questions, including both environmental and social issues; interest in the sustainability of food production systems is continually increasing. Many consumers have become very critical of the practices of modern productivist agriculture, inherited after World War II in order to defeat the "scourge of hunger" and supported later by different government policies. These practices have been increasingly rejected in rich countries by consumers more favorable towards local agriculture that also contributes to better product traceability, a key factor for many consumers. This trend also favors certain agronomic advances to mitigate the negative externalities of these productivist agricultural practices, notably negative environmental impacts and their implications for public health. In relation to this, some innovative systems have been set up, putting into practice the sustainability of agricultural practices such as the Ceinture Aliment-Terre of Liège, where since 2012 a healthier agriculture has developed through agroecology. The networks have encouraged the development of an alternative model, that is ecologically intensive, focused on short circuits, made up of diversified "micro-farms" which also give new life to conventional farms, involving the development of a very extensive model focused on a type of bio-grazing, through the purchase and development of their products through short circuits. This innovative model is also innovative from the productivity and social points of view. To demonstrate the innovative nature of food production in the Ceinture Aliment-Terre of Liège, we propose a comparative analysis with several other 'green' belts in the world: ex. London and Ottawa where other functions of these spaces have become more important than the food production function and others where the food issue has always been crucial (e.g. Toronto and Paris).