Achieving a paradigm shift in Earth systems requires dialogue among stakeholders on redesign strategies for liveable futures. The MSc course “Redesigning Global Farming and Food Systems” at Wageningen University addresses this challenge by engaging students in participatory cross- and transdisciplinary methods. The course's main group assignment is to design serious boardgames as policy support tools that facilitate dialogue on food system transformation. Students work with real research and intervention projects encompassing multiple aspects of farming and food systems, integrating diverse disciplines and knowledges. The design process applies metaphors, stakeholder networks, and power dynamics using tangible materials as boundary objects to model and play complex systems dynamics and interaction.
Students learn the principles and applications of various cross- and transdisciplinary approaches to analyze and redesign food systems. They also explore how to translate scenarios and both qualitative and quantitative data into the design of serious games, using them as discussion-support tools for food system transformation. This programme is done in collaboration with the WUR Games Hub with Federico Andreotti (FSE, WUR), and Stefan Werning (Utrecht University). The students have the chance to finalize their serious game design – e.g. in the form of a collaborative boardgame – using the facilities of the Playground at Utrecht University and of the DesignLab at Twente University guided by Robert-Jan den Haan.
Final event of the course “Redesigning global farming and food systems” 2025 Wageningen University. Credit to Federico Andreotti and WUR Games Hub
Over the last three years, students have designed multiple serious games to reassess global farming and food systems. The course ended with a final interactive event in which external participants were offered the opportunity to play these serious games exploring futures farming and food systems.
Now these games are available at Games at TABLE the first food-systems-focused serious games library to encourage future project collaborations and support food system education, research, and broader transformation: https://www.doi.org/10.56661/d1243efe
During the dialogue session, participants will have the opportunity to playtest and discuss the design process multiple games developed by the students, exploring further potential applications and collaborations.