Please follow the link below for an illustrated presentation on our project (furher details can be also found in the following text): http://bit.ly/2l7RnFV

Context & problem:

Local food markets including so called farmer's market, fresh markets, wet markets, bush markets etc. exist all over the world and they are pillars for urban-rural sustainable development and health. They are crowded and lively places where locals and foreigners sell and buy affordable, nutritious and healthy fresh foods ranging from vegetables, fruits, grains and tubers to poultry, meat, fish and even live animals depending on the socio-cultural context. Due to their strong cultural heritage, local food markets have become major tourist attractions, with travelers visiting them internationally or locally, and discovering local and exotic products and practices. However, information on these markets is very limited and fragmented, and there is no comprehensive map of distribution of local food markets and inventory of their products for Switzerland and the world.

Our solution:

1. Yuzou is the first open and participatory photo inventory of local food markets and food products of Switzerland and the world

2. Yuzou brings together information on the biodiversity of fresh food products including fruits, vegetables, grains, animals etc. with their geographical origin, costs and official information on their nutritional values and health claims that we have obtained from the Swiss Food Composition Database and EU Register of Nutrition and Health Claims.

3. Yuzou is about you and living a fascinating socio-cultural experiences while discovering local food markets on your own or with our local ambassadors in Switzerland and the world

Open data sources:

We combined and cross-referenced three open data sources: iNaturalist.org, the Swiss Food Composition Database and the EU Register of Nutrition and Health Claims. The first source refers to a preliminary project that we developed in 2016 to collect information on products from local food markets.

Economic model and tourism sector opportunity:

We have checked which are the 2017 Global Tourism Trends and Drivers and, guess what? Food tourism, mobile photography and active and responsible tourism are just at the top! (https://www.trekksoft.com/en/blog/7-travel-trends-for-2017-that-will-drive-the-global-tourism-industry)

Yuzou is about living exciting socio-cultural experiences while discovering local food markets in Switzerland and the world. Our platform will build a network of local markets ambassadors and associated activities, that could be linked with existing platforms such as AirBandB (https://www.airbnb.fr/), WithLocals (https://www.withlocals.com/) etc.

The Yuzou Platform:

Our targeted audience are the millenniums travelers looking for authentic food experience around the world. The Yuzou platform allows them to connect with our ambassadors who will guide them through a local market, offer them valuable informations on the local food biodiversity and offer them a unique travel experience. The platform encourage travelers to share pictures & stories of their adventures.

Streams:

• Endorsement (wwf, sierra club, audubon)
• Sponsors ( team with chefs / fauchons supplier / ig foodies & influencers / sustainable brand
• Ambassadors/cicerone
• Green washing opportunities
• Tailormade experience travel
• Visit the farms/vineyards/orchards
• Cooking classes
• Top markets/top destinations
• Public/NGO/nonprofit/state
• Commissions
• Staycation opportunities
• Green B2B i.e. Seed/plant
• Producers selection for Q Bio Certification

Impact:

Our idea is ambicious and innovative and it addresses a Swiss and global gap in information in the food system. The participatory inventory ultimately generated on local food markets and food products will be open and freely accessible to everyone bringing new opportunities for research around Sustainable Development and Public Health. In addition, it will promote local food markets and subsequently local socio-economic development from farm to table, and education and health among the population.

Our team:

We are a highly interdisciplinary team including experts in computers sciences, designers, medical doctors, vets, economists etc. but now we also need your support to develop a beta version of our platform and test it in Swiss local food markets!

• Rafael Ruiz de Castaneda, Isabelle Bolon, Lester Genevieve, Maria Christina Mallet: Public and Global Health, Environmental Health
• Camille Bossel: Arts and Graphic Designer, Marketing
• Sophie Schmidt, Pierre Alexandre Fonta, Gianrocco Lazzari: Computer sciences, Web Development
• Greg Staehli : Marketing, Economy