Ready for a new adventure, we joined the World Food Systems (WFS) Summer School 2025, as its theme, Design Ideas for Sustainable Food Systems by World Food System Center at ETH Zurich, spoke to both of us. We are: Natali, coming from health sciences with knowledge of nutrition but less on how food gets from field to plate; and Maria-Luisa, with a background in hospitality management and at the end of a master’s in sustainability, both eager to explore diverse disciplines and step out of our comfort zones.

Arriving on Sunday, we were greeted by a diversity of backgrounds. On day one, discussions ranged from recycling packaging to sales negotiations, with team-building activities that included dance moves and Play-Doh. Our team from Ethiopia, Brazil, Switzerland and Italy, bonded over building marshmallow towers, defining roles, and favourite snacks like cucumber sprinkled with Aromat.

Throughout the week, inspiring speakers introduced stakeholder mapping, systems thinking, and even an impromptu lentil pancake cooking class. We embraced Zurich’s summer with swims in the Limmat and searching for the best ice cream in town. Field trips evoked childhood school outings: early trains, lunchboxes, and sleepy rides. At Hoflabor near Uster we learned about regenerative farming methods and got our hands dirty weeding celery. Tasting fruits straight from the trees and watching bees and butterflies made us appreciate organic farming anew. At Strickhof, we encountered a “fistulated cow” and learned about cows equipped with “fitness trackers”.

A highlight was the lunch shopping challenge: each team received a family scenario and a budget. Natali’s group had to feed four people on just seven francs, debating every cent; Maria-Luisa’s group, with 120 francs, found it surprisingly hard to spend so much on one meal. Comparing results revealed how resources shape both diet and food experience. Later, at Rathgeb Bio, we marvelled at the large-scale organic vegetable production, and the surprising number of vegetables not conforming with retail specifications.

Week two was all about applying theory to practice. Our challenge: to help Hoflabor share regenerative farming methods. Armed with Post-its, we ideated wild ideas, from mud baths, tractor competitions, and even a farm rave, to inspire more farmers. Most importantly, we learned the value of teamwork, listening, and reflecting on our roles. Creativity thrived when we embraced everyone’s input.

We ended with Michelle Grant’s talk on conflict as a catalyst for change. By then, we had experienced both fun and tensions, and her message reframed conflict as growth. We left with the lesson that while science matters, trust, safe spaces and collaboration are what turn knowledge into impact.

For both of us, the most valuable takeaway was the people: future food researchers, supply chain managers and entrepreneurs, who became our friends. The summer school turned food systems from abstract to living, interconnected realities, and showed us that collaboration is essential for change.