Organic Innovation Days 2023: Citizen-driven transformation of European food systems

TP Organics’ annual Organic Innovation Days – the only EU event on organic and agroecological research and innovation – took place in Brussels 25-26 October titled ‘Citizen-driven transformation of European food systems’. For the 2023 edition, TP Organics partnered with FoodSHIFT 2030, a Horizon 2020 project focused on transforming the European food system towards a low-carbon, circular future, including a shift to less meat and more plant-based diets.

Day 1 of the Organic Innovation Days 2023 focused on research and innovation (R&I) to guarantee long-term food security in Europe and globally, which depends on healthy soils and ecosystems. IFOAM Organics Europe Director and TP Organics Head of Secretariat Eduardo Cuoco kicked off the event by introducing TP Organics: the European Technology Platform is advocating for organic and agroecological R&I, providing brokerage services for members as well as information about funding opportunities, and promoting knowledge exchange. Still this year, TP Organics will start a Strategic R&I Agenda (SRIA) process. The first official workshop to identify future R&I needs and priorities will take place at the TP Organics Science Day at BIOFACH 2024. Get involved, contact [email protected]!

First key-note speaker, longstanding expert John Ingram, Food Systems Programme Leader, Environmental Change Institute, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Somerville College, and Visiting Scholar, University of Oxford presented the complex, dire and inequal situation of food security. He recalled the environmental, social and health costs of the current system and the need to also consider ethics and moral aspects. Extending the current food system’s technologies is not a solution; we need a real transformation of the food system’s outcomes (socioeconomic, food security and environmental). A dynamic food system responds to different external signals and needs to constantly assess policies.

Next, Kirsten Arp, Project Lead at BÖLW presented the model project HumusKlimaNetz, coordinated by German Association of Organic Farmers, Processors and Traders (BÖLW) and German Farmers’ Association and scientifically supported by TP Organics Member Thünen Institute. This first large-scale project setting ambitious climate targets for agriculture and a collaboration between organic and conventional farmers aims to build up and maintain humus to sequester carbon and ensure climate-resilient agriculture. For this, the project has set up a network of 150 farmers to transfer knowledge, generate recommendations for agriculture and climate policy development. Building up soil organic matter, as pioneered by organic farmers, is key for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as food security.

High-level policy debate

During the high-level policy debate, Orsolya Frizon-Somogyi, Deputy Head of Unit, Research & Innovation at DG AGRI, European Commission highlighted that the Commission links R&I with the EU Organic Action Plan and also builds bridges between Horizon Europe, specifically the Soil Mission with an important budget dedicated to soil health, and the CAP. Farmers are in the centre of Soil Mission and supported R&I and sustainable practices, which relate to organic and agroecology. Citizen engagement, regions, education, and training are key. Living labs are at the heart of the mission and the new Agroecology Partnership. Sign the Soil Mission Manifesto uniting policymakers, stakeholders and citizens in a community caring for soil health as citizen or organisation!

Jorge Molina Villanueva, Policy Officer at DG RTD, European Commission pointed out that research & innovation funded under Horizon Europe Cluster 6 is key to develop solutions for the food systems transition. The Food 2030 priorities and pathways for action take a systemic approach generating co-benefits.

Nicole Pita, Project Manager at IPES-Food pointed out that the problem is not a lack of knowledge about agroecology as a systemic innovation and solution but a lack of policy support and funding! The prevailing short-term, narrow, and misleading “feed the world” narrative and corporate concentration prevent holistic change. Agroecology is well defined by the 10 FAO elements and the 13 principles of the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE), contrary to regenerative agriculture for example. Yet, it is side-lined in the policy debate because there is no common understanding across different countries and because it threatens the current agro-industrial model. IPES-Food recommends focussing R&I on systemic solutions, longer-term research projects helping farmers to transition to agroecology, and shifting to bottom-up knowledge exchange. The Agroecology Coalition already has lots of country and organisation members and will hopefully take up the task of a communication campaign.

Luca Colombo, Secretary General, FIRAB and TP Organics Advisory Board Member highlighted the completely different condition and situation we are in today, whereas the public discourse is still 50 years back. With the HLPE Committee on World Food Security (CFS), sustainability and agency entered the discussion about food security. Food system actors should have a say in governments and decision-making processes at all policy levels. This is crucial to ensure a long-term perspective, especially on old and new GMOs, and an inclusive transition.

Conclusions of Day 1

• Food security is more than production,
• It is urgent to transform food and farming, both bottom up and top down,
• Funding for R&I for organic and other agroecological practices is crucial.

Read TP Organics’ policy brief on organic and sustainable food security. 

Day 2 of the Organic Innovation Days 2023 was dedicated to the FoodSHIFT 2030 Final Policy Conference. Eduardo Cuoco, in his role as Director of IFOAM Organics Europe, partner in this project on citizen-driven transformation of the European food system, welcomed the participants and project partners. FoodSHIFT 2030 is working “from farm to citizen”: The EU Farm to Fork strategy is telling us that our food system must change. All actors are needed. Policymakers should engage the people. Citizen empowerment, urban-rural cohesion, lasting positive impact on food system sustainability beyond the project are achieved through a framework for organising living labs, mechanisms for accelerating innovation, and a methodology for knowledge sharing. Driven by food accelerator labs (FALs) based in 9 cities that acted as multipliers and established Food Enabler Labs (FELs) in neighbouring cities, the project also published a Food Manifesto for establishing minimum standards for public canteens in the EU.

Karen Fabbri, Deputy Head of Unit, Bioeconomy & Food Systems, DG RTD, European Commission introduced the Food 2030 pathways deployed in Horizon Europe and now being updated with a new pathway on zero pollution. Project coordinator Christian B. Henriksen presented key project achievements. FoodSHIFT 2030 took a truly systemic, multi-actor approach to food systems transformation and developed a scoring system for city regions based on the SDGs, as well as guidelines for food policy councils. Organic is central to the Farm to Fork strategy. We need to bring forward the systemic approach of FoodSHIFT 2030 involving all stakeholders. FoodSHIFT is part of the Food 2030 network. The living labs address all Food 2030 pathways and need long-term support (see FoodSHIFT policy brief). Dirk Wascher added that FoodSHIFT 2030 living labs all increased their “innovation readiness level”, going beyond technology readiness levels (TRL). The policy brief also includes recommendations and guidelines. Sustainable food systems must be integrated in CAP reforms. We need circular economic models.

Panel discussions

Silvia Schmidt, Policy Manager at IFOAM Organics Europe, moderated the first, female panel on transition governance: we need to understand the different powers, from local to global level as well as from citizens to companies and connect with places people can identify with. Alexandra Nikolakopoulou from DG SANTE pointed out that cities have a very important role to play and we need to keep in mind the long-term aspect of solutions. To reach significant progress, we need to do things differently and challenge the status quo. There is polarisation in some of the proposals of the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy. We need to be vocal and show the benefits of the proposals as enablers of the transformation.

The second panel highlighted the need to connect policies and practices. The basis of citizen engagement is collective thinking. People need space and time to be a proactive part of the transition. Localised approaches with the community and showcases like maker spaces and fab labs are key, is a paradigm shift from consumers to food citizens, reinvigorating the public sphere. Food connects. Thinking collectively about public concerns like shifting to plant-based diets can be empowering.

The next panel was dedicated to organic versus plant-based food. Kurt Sannen, organic farmer, researcher, and chair of the IFOAM Organics Europe Farmers Interest Group pointed out that animals have their role in the agroecological systems we need to transition to, calling for less and better meat to stay within the planetary boundaries. “It’s not the cow but the how!” Farmers need a fair price, but powerful multinationals push costs to future generations. Kurt called for true cost accounting and “public money for public goods” instead of direct payments, which is also a key demand from IFOAM Organics Europe. Government has a major role in changing the organisation of our food system. Elena Walden from Good Food Institute called for public policy support, especially R&I funding for agroecology, and pointed out the negative global impacts generated by our industrial European food system. We are offshoring the problems and externalities of our food systems to other countries! Christian B. Henriksen stressed the need for a holistic approach and for plant-based advocacy (NGOs, movements etc.) to commit to and emphasise organic to be truly sustainable.

The last panel on linking city regions and living labs to policies and moving from low-hanging fruits to long-term food system transformation. Daniela Lueth from DG RTD highlighted the Horizon Europe Partnerships like the Sustainable Food Systems Partnership FutureFoods which are intended to scale and speed up deployment of solutions. Christian B. Henriksen concluded:

• We must overcome the polarisation between sustainable food and farming and food security.
• We need to talk to the hearts and emotions of people to ensure inclusivity of the transformation.
• Food policy debates at city region level are key.

Save the date for the next Organic Innovation Days 22-23 October 2024 (TBC) at the “Organic House” (IFOAM Organics Europe office, Rue Marie-Thérèse 11).