“EAThink2015 – eat local, think global” is a project for primary and secondary schools of 12 European and 2 African countries funded by the European Union with the objective of enhancing European students’ and teachers’ critical understanding and active engagement in global development challenges, with a specific focus on food security and sovereignty, sustainable food systems and smallholder farming.

As we know, globalisation fosters dynamics that link our choices and actions to the lives of millions of people worldwide. The era of digital proximity and information does not avoid contradictions and disproportions: poverty, climate change and migration are aspects of an increasingly globalised society.

Today, over 800 million people go hungry every day, while, in the richer countries food is wasted more than ever before.  The current food system has many negative impacts on the environment and health, with political and financial interests often threatening farmers and consumers’ rights.

In fact, rapid and contradictory changes co-exist side by side, and it is hard to interpret events and take action to change. The role of education becomes increasingly central in encouraging young people to develop their own tools for critical understanding. Teachers, social workers, educators and local administrators are all called to respond.

International competitions on photography reportages and video production, school gardens, web journalism trainings, international exchange visits and workshops, a multimedia app for students and a website full of free educational tools are some of the activities that will be implemented during the three years (2015 -2017) of the EAThink2015 project, in order to prepare European students and teachers to face their responsibilities as citizens of a globalized society.  The project targets teachers and students both in Europe (Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain) and Africa (Burkina Faso, Senegal).