DESCRIPTION
Located in a sparsely populated region in the centre of Sweden, Östersund, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, is widely appreciated for its gastronomic culture, based on local sustainable food inspired from longstanding culinary traditions. Bringing together and supporting small entrepreneurs and farmers, Eldrimner, the Swedish National Centre for Small Scale Artisan Food Processing, provides guidance and supports training and product development demonstrating the importance of gastronomy in relation to the creative industries. The city’s culinary tradition is intimately linked to its natural surroundings and the region’s sustainable development efforts. The management of the food sector in Östersund is shared between the city of Östersund and the Region of Jämtland Härjedalen. The city is the main market for food products, and the rural areas provide a workspace for the producers, thereby strengthening urban-rural connections. Other organizations connected to the food, culture and tourism sector are also involved in these efforts. The sustainability of Östersund’s society is one the city’s priorities. Östersund has identified local ‘jämtlandic’ culture and creative gastronomy as key factors for sustainable development and economic growth. A reason why they got awarded the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO Prize in 2017. Winner of Sweden’s best climate city award in 2010, Östersund is also using a heating system powered by biofuel and biogas. The region’s creative sector, incorporating architecture, design, interactive software, film and television, music, publishing and the performing arts, is currently growing by 5 – 10 percent on an annual basis. Tourism is a major part of the local economy. Altogether there are about 2,000 companies and 4,500 employees in the region’s creative industries, most of which are based in Östersund.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE NETWORK
As a Creative City of Gastronomy, Östersund envisages:
- Continuing work with rural-urban project where the city and the region cooperate in the theme of food/gastronomy, culture and tourism, within the Regional Food Strategy in the four-year period 2018-2021
- Long-term work with the UNESCO Creative Cities Network where the region’s companies gain access to collaborative opportunities in international cooperation as well as in the private but also in the public sector
- Continuation of Östersunds and the regions cluster function within the UCCN network from 2016-2018. More focus on exchange programs and cooperation on the Nordic and European level.
- Actively taking part in improving the communication within the network