Title: Presentation of the Vision for an Organic Food and Farming Research Agenda 2025 Food, Fairness and E
1Presentation of the Vision for an Organic Food
and Farming Research Agenda 2025Food, Fairness
and Ecology
- 5th Draft, 17 February, 2008
- Urs Niggli, Anamarija Slabe, Otto Schmid, Niels
Halberg, Marco Schlüter and Ulrich Köpke
2Why a vision for organic research?
- Big global challenges for (EU) agri food
production - Organic and farming systems have many solutions
both existing and potential - Research is one of key tools for further
development and innovation in organic farming - ? we need more organic research
3- Main aim significantly increase the funding for
organic research in the EU through creation of a
Technology Platform and its strategic research
agenda - Our argument none of 30 existing TPs so is
dealing with agriculture, in general, or with
organic food and farming and public goods, in
particular. - The 1st step is A VISION FOR ORGANIC RESEARCH
- This paper is intended to show the way towards a
European organic food and farming research agenda
that will help to meet the big challenges of the
next twenty years.
4The main contents
- A Vision Camp organised by the IFOAM-EU group in
France (June, 2-3, 2007) - A SWOT analysis of organic food and farming was
carried out on - Sustainable use of natural resources and
reduction of negative environmental impacts. - Contribution to economic diversification, rural
development and societal problems. - Food quality, nutrition and public health.
5Introduction
- Current situation of organic agriculture,
- The context of EU policy
- Action plan for organic food and farming
- State of organic research
6Challenges for agriculture and food production to
be met
- Citizens attitudes and food systems
- Global dimension of sustainability and food
security
7 STRENGHTS of organic agriculture
- Environment and ecology
- Reduced pollution
- Biological and physical soil properties
- Biodiversity
- Climate change
- Water shortage
- Fossil fuel shortage
- Food quality, food safety and food security
aspects - Socio-economic aspects
- WEAKNESSES of organic agriculture
- Productivity gap
- Global warming potential food production
- Organic certification doesnt check for
ecological goods and services
3. Food quality, nutrition and public health
- S Meeting consumer demand Public health
Population growth and food security - W Expectations only partly guaranteed by the
organic certification scheme - O/T consumer producer relationship
8 WEAKNESSES of organic agriculture
- Productivity gap
- Global warming potential food production
- Organic certification doesnt check for
ecological goods and services
9Chapter 7 A multidimensional vision on food and
farming research
- The most important part of the document)
- Consists of 4 visions
- 1. The society vision
- 2. The socio-economic vision
- 3. The ecological vision
- 4. Good/quality foods improving quality of life
and public health
10The vision(s)
- Each vision is shortly described, then the
examples of research needed for the realisation
of the vision are given. - A long-term perspective on sustainable food and
farming practices based on - the principles of organic agriculture,
- scientific innovation
- best integration of indigenous knowledge of
actors.
11The vision(s)
- Particularly focuses on the inconsistencies
between economy, ecology and social
cohesion/harmony inherent in most concepts for
sustainable agriculture and food production -
- proposes research activities and insightful
learning concepts far beyond niches.
12The vision(s)
- Methodological specifications
- systems sciences,
- predominantly applying interdisciplinary and
trans-disciplinary methods, and - pursuing and learning from long-term impacts in
complex contexts.
131. The society vision
- Ethical value systems for guiding political,
economic and social decisions in rural
development, agriculture and food production. - agriculture and food production are based on
distinctive ethical value systems - scientific and economic feasibility is ONLY ONE
part contributing to societal decision making - Organic agriculture is strongly based on an
ethical value system (underlying principles of
health, ecology, fairness and care)
14Practical consequences are the following criteria
and indicators
- Impacts in agro-ecological systems and
socio-economic contexts are observed and analysed
over long time spaces. - The active participation of stakeholders,
especially at farm level, is characterised by
decentralised patterns of responsibility and
decision making. - The flow of information along the food chain and
the effective management of knowledge, including
tacit or indigenous knowledge, are high. - The collective understanding for ecological
circuits, finite resources and precaution as a
principle in technology assessments is high.
15Research needed to support the realisation of
this vision
- Development of approaches how to successfully
integrate people in the research programmes using
participatory and action research methodology. - Assessing novel technologies
- Developing technologies that will be readapted to
people and resilient to human error instead of
training people to adequately respond to imposed
technologies. - Developing appropriate livestock technologies and
practices that foster welfare and allow for
ethological functions of farm animals while at
the same time minimises environmental impacts.
162. The socio-economic vision
- Viable concepts for the empowerment of local
rural economies in a regional and global context
173. The environmental vision
- Efficient approaches to ecological
intensification
184th vision
- Good/quality foods improving quality of life
and public health