The Queensland Government and the IDEAS Festival have launched the first Australian-led OpenIDEO Challenge asking the question ‘How might we better connect food production and consumption?

Launched by the Premier, Anna Bligh, this initiative is a ’global challenge’ that aims to benefit Queensland as a major centre of food production in Australia and the world.

OpenIDEO invites everyone to get involved in solving the world’s biggest problems with small, achievable solutions. Users sign up for an account and then get involved in the challenges.

There will be 3 rounds in which you are invited to upload ‘inspirations’ – any programs, ideas or initiatives that currently tackle the problem or are relevant – followed by the ‘concepting’ phase where you are encourages to collaborate with other members and come up with ideas that tackle the challenge.

Finally, all the concepts will be ‘evaluated’ and a winning concept announced at the Ideas Festival 19-22 May and workshopped in one of the Ideas Festival Sessions.

As the Premier explains: “The challenge for Queensland is ‘How might we better connect food production and consumption?’, and we are asking the international and local community to brainstorm for the next six weeks and come up with ideas and solutions.

“This challenge, developed through workshops with three government departments to initiate policy change, is focused on the key themes of the Ideas Festival: wellbeing, food futures and sustainability.”

The challenge is now open and Indesignlive.com invites you to sign up and get involved in solving one of the country’s, and the world’s, biggest challenges – the future of food.

We will be bringing you updates throughout the next 6 weeks and will be featuring selected concepts, interviewing the people behind OpenIDEO and the challenge and following the process.

To enter the Challenge visit: www.openideo.com

For the IDEAS Festival Program visit: www.ideasfestival.com.au

Twitter:

@openideo

@ideasfestival

#oi_localfood

#ideas2011