The Ceinture Aliment-Terre Liégeoise (CATL) is a non-profit association based in the Liège area that works to develop sustainable food systems and short, local supply chains. It brings together local actors around a shared transition agenda, combining territorial animation, network-building, and practical support for food-chain initiatives. CATL positions itself as both a social movement and a territorial development initiative. Its work is rooted in the Liège metropolitan area, but it also connects to wider regional networks and public-policy efforts aimed at relocalizing food, strengthening food sovereignty, and making local food systems more resilient, inclusive, and ecologically sound. Key Offerings Territorial animation and coordination : CATL mobilizes local stakeholders across the Liège metropolitan area to cooperate on building a sustainable food system. It uses participatory governance tools such as the Conseil de Politique Alimentaire (CPA) to connect citizens, professionals, and elected officials. Short-chain and local supply-chain support : The organization helps structure local food chains by linking supply and demand between producers, processors, distributors, and other actors. It also supports shared infrastructure such as the Pôle Circuit Court, a logistics center dedicated to local food. Professional guidance and networking : Through the Arlette project, CATL provides one-to-one information, advice, and orientation for sustainable-food professionals, alongside collective workshops and community-building activities for entrepreneurs in the sector. Awareness-raising and public engagement : CATL organizes and supports events, especially the Nourrir Liège and Nourrir Les Campus festivals, to inform and mobilize the public around food, agriculture, and transition issues. Publications and knowledge-sharing : The organization publishes analyses, studies, articles, and videos that synthesize field experience and research, making practical knowledge on sustainable food systems accessible to a wider audience. Core Values Food sovereignty : CATL promotes the collective reappropriation of the food chain so that producers and citizens have more economic and democratic power over how food is produced and distributed. Local economic development : The organization aims to create non-relocatable jobs and keep more value circulating within the Liège region by strengthening local production, processing, and distribution. Social inclusion : CATL emphasizes access to quality food for everyone and seeks to bring together actors with different profiles, whether or not they are part of the social economy or certified organic sector. Ecological responsibility : Its charter highlights agriculture and food models that are closer to people and territories, less energy-intensive, less dependent on non-renewable resources, and more respectful of biodiversity and health. Democratic cooperation : CATL promotes participatory, transparent governance and collaboration among public authorities, associations, businesses, and citizens. Agroecology and transition : The organization supports agroecology and broader systemic transition as ways to build more resilient and sustainable food systems. Unique Aspects A long-running territorial network : CATL was launched in 2013 and has since helped catalyze a broad ecosystem of local food initiatives in the Liège region, including new cooperatives and stronger public-sector involvement. A participatory policy platform : Its Conseil de Politique Alimentaire is a structured democratic forum for food-system actors across the 24 communes of Liège Métropole, designed to generate recommendations and pilot projects. A major public-facing festival : Nourrir Liège has become a flagship transition-food festival, and since 2022 it has also been adapted for higher-education audiences through Nourrir Les Campus. A logistics hub for local food : CATL is associated with the Pôle Circuit Court, a dedicated local-food logistics center; supplementary news indicates this hub is being developed as Wallonia’s first logistics hub for short food chains, with the building budgeted at 7.6 million euros and the land provided by the City of Liège. Strong public and institutional partnerships : CATL works with Liège Métropole, the University of Liège, local municipalities, and regional actors such as the RATAV and GAL groups to advance food relocalization and transition projects.
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