Addressing food insecurity. Leveraging empathy and Design Thinking to achieve transformative learning

This paper explores how Design Thinking methodologies can address UN Sustainable Devel-opment Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), emphasizing the transformative role of empathy and emotionalengagement in fostering innovative solutions. Through a participatory workshop at an inter-national conference, participants critically examined the systemic, cultural, and emotional di-mensions of food insecurity. The workshop integrated experiential learning, guiding attendeesfrom personal emotional responses to collaborative problem-solving. By leveraging interdis-ciplinary teamwork, participants developed technological, cultural, and community-basedstrategies for tackling food insecurity. Over 80% of attendees deepened their understandingand felt more confident in addressing food insecurity in their communities. This study under-scores the pedagogical value of Design Thinking in food systems education, demonstratinghow empathy-driven, participatory approaches can drive systemic change