Where Is Food Research And Technological Development Headed In The Eu? What Are The Most Relevant Advances And The Challenges In Food Security, Nutrition And Sustainable Development In The Coming Years? What Defines The European Research And Innovation Policy Framework? The Food 2030 Document From The European Commission Is Tremendously Revealing. In The Article We Analyze It And Draw Conclusions Of Value For Managers And Professionals Of Agri-Food R&D&I.
Food 2030 Is A New Framework For European Research And Innovation Policy That Pursues A Sustainable Future And Is Conceptually Based On Achieving A Balance Between Production And Consumption, With Holistic Management Before And After Use.
The Thematic Areas On Which It Has An Impact And On Which More Work Is Being Done Are Four:
- Innovation In The Food System And Empowerment Of Communities.
- Sustainable And Healthy Nutrition.
- Action Against Climate Change And Environmental Sustainability.
- Circularity And Efficiency In The Use Of Resources.
This Document, Which Was Presented By The European Commission At The End Of Last Year, Coinciding With World Food Day, Made It Possible To Discover The Analyzes Of Leading European Experts, Some Of Whom I Consider Important To Include In These Lines, Due To Their Special Value As Approach, Since It Can Help To Anticipate Where The Support Policies For R&D&I In The Eu In Food Are Going To Go.
The Challenge Of Reducing Emissions, The Growing Demand For Protein And The Problems Of Obesity And Malnutrition
In His Speech, John Bell, Director Of Bioeconomy Of The General Directorate For Research And Innovation Of The European Union, Highlighted Three Issues That The World Of Innovation Must Address In The Coming Years, Namely: On The One Hand, The Reduction Of Gas Emissions Related To The Greenhouse Effect From Food Facilities And Processes.
On The Other, Being Able To Meet The Growing Demand For Protein From A Constantly Growing Population.
And Finally, Drastically Reduce The Problem Of Obesity And Malnutrition.
Primary Producers And Consumers, Priority Objective
For His Part, Luis Fresco, President Of Wageningen University, Highlighted What In His Opinion Are The Priority Challenges And Lines Of Research For Europe. First Of All, Being Able To Produce More With Less.
Second, To Change Our Way Of Thinking, Incorporating Ecological Principles In Our Conception Of Food Production Systems.
Thirdly, It Will Be Necessary To Integrate Very Disparate And Complementary Areas Of Knowledge, Such As Genetics, Robotics, Big Data, Photosynthetic Production, The Search For New Sources Of Protein And The Incorporation Of A More Informed Consumer Such As A Active Agent In The Production Systems Of The Future Through The Widespread Use Of Icts.
For His Part, Tassos Haniotis, The Director Of Economic Analysis Of The General Directorate Of Agriculture, Highlighted The Importance That Common European Policies Have Had For Agricultural Modernization Since The 1990s In The Process Of European Integration.
He Also Highlighted The Need To Adapt These Policies To The New Challenges And Tensions That Are Taking Place, Such As Climate Change, The Development Of The Digital Economy, And The Difficult Balance Between Economic Competitiveness And Environmental Costs In The Short And Long Term.
Towards Global Models Of Food Sustainability
Cristina Amaral, Director Of The European Union Office At Fao, Developed Her Presentation Around Three Main Messages. In The First Place, She Showed That After A Historical Reduction In Hunger In The World, Unfortunately, In The Last Decade, Malnutrition Has Been Increasing Again, Reaching 815 Million People.
Secondly, He Reminded Us That In The World In Recent Years More And More People Have Been Forced To Leave Their Homes As A Result Of Political Instability, With The Serious Relevance That This Has Had In The Abandonment Of Farming Areas And Recurrence Of Famines.
And Finally He Reminded Us Of The Important Impact That The Uprooting Of The Population From Rural Areas Is Having. Its Impact On The Increase In Poverty And The Inexplicable Lack Of Social Policies That Mitigate The Progressive Abandonment Of The Territories As A Consequence Of Migration Flows. All This With A Significant Impact On The Stability Of The Ecosystem And The Food System In The Medium And Long Term.
JoaquÃn Von Braun, Director Of The Center For Development And Research (Zef) In Germany, In His Presentation Emphasized The Need To Study The World's Food Systems As An Interrelated Whole. Today, Food Is A Commodity In An Interconnected World Such That Changes In Production Efficiency, Or An Increase In Consumer Demand In One Part Of The World Dramatically Affect Another Part Of It. Thus Giving Rise To Changes In The Prices Of Raw Materials And Imbalances In Costs In Other Regions Of The World.
Von Braun Recalls That The Current Trend In The Study Of Food Systems Is To Address The Development Of Global Models For The Study Of Food Production Systems.
Models That Must Increasingly Incorporate A Holistic Perspective And Thus Include Aspects Such As Waste Reduction, Bioeconomy, Waste, Climate Change, Improvements In Production Techniques, Water Availability,...
For This Reason, Simulation Models Must Be Developed That Serve For Multidisciplinary Decision-Making And Cooperation Between Agents From The Scientific World And Policy Promoters From Different Organizations And Countries.
On The Other Hand, In The Coming Decades, The Sustainability Of The Planet Will Have To Be Made Compatible With The Generalized Intention Of Governments To Maintain The Quality Of Life Of The Population. And That This Supposes A Contradiction That Can Only Be Overcome With A Profound Change, Not Only In Technologies And Production Systems, But Also In The Activities And Behavior Of The Population.
But The Eu Also Knows That Although Current Policies Have Primary Producers And Consumers As A Priority Target Because They Are The Most Numerous, They Do Not Always Have The Power And Influence To Make The Necessary Changes In The Food System.
That Is Why A Paradigm Shift Is Required, Leaving Aside The Sectoral Approach In Exchange For A New Comprehensive Approach, Which Contemplates The Globality Of The Agents Of The Food System, Seeking A Change Of Mentality And With It A Planning Of Sustainability To Long-Term Versus Current Short-Term Production Processes.
Ainia, Reference Center In Sustainable Innovation
At Ainia, Our Mission Is To Add Value And Cooperate With Companies Leading Innovation And Technological Development In A Sustainable Manner. We Want To Be A Benchmark In Comprehensive Value Solutions. For This Reason, Our R&D Responds To A Multidisciplinary Organization Model That Covers The Entire Innovation Funnel, From Basic Research To The Commercialization Of The Final Innovation, Passing Through Prototyping, Technological Development, Etc. Our Lines Of Research And The Orientation Of Our Own R&D In Recent Years Is Fully Aligned With These Objectives Towards Which Europe Is Moving.
We Are Pioneers In R&D Lines In Bioeconomy And Circular Economy; References In Innovative Technological Solutions In Nutrition And Health, Specialists In Adapting The Agri-Food Sector To Industry 4.0 And, In Addition, We Offer The Most Complete Offer For The Sector In Relation To Prevention, Control And Research In Food Safety. If You Want To Know How We Can Cooperate With You In The Field Of R&D, Contact Us, We Can Help You.
