Project to reflect on the sustainable food system we want by 2030

What type of research and innovation needs to be promoted to make the food system sustainable by 2030? Various players are reflecting on this subject as part of the European Fit4Food2030 (Horizon 2020) project, under the guidance of the researchers Mirene Begiristain and Goiuri Alberdi, of the Department of Financial Economics II of the UPV/EHU. All kinds of players are participating in the reflection sessions: public and private institutions (DFB, HAZI, Neiker, AZTI, Ihobe, Food Cluster of Euskadi, UPV/EHU, TNI, Orkestra, Elika, Leartiker, etc.), trade unions (EHNE and ENBA), associations (ENEEK, Bizilur, EHKOlektiboa, Ekoizpen Urduña, D’elikatuz, Openbide, Arrels a taula…), etc.

In the first session the participants set various challenges to be addressed to enable a sustainable food system to be achieved. Mirene Begiristain, who has a PhD in Economics from the UPV/EHU, explained that challenges on different levels have been set: “For example, with respect to production levels, the main challenge lies in handing over the production or farm models, enhancing local products, and standards. Then in the area of nutrition, mention was made of the including of nutrition education in the curriculum and the participation of experts in nutrition in the healthcare system as well, and the boosting of communication on nutritional matters. With regard to sustainability, the criteria and aims that need to be applied in connection with public supply were addressed; how we are going to protect production environments and land; how we are going to boost the sector or new facilities. Challenges relating to governance were also set: we discussed the General Urban Planning Scheme and European agricultural policies, and how we can set up regional food councils, etc.”

Co-operation among players and recommendations for the European Commission

The European Fit4Food2030 project is built up around laboratories on three levels. Urban laboratories known as City Labs, “are working on the type of research and innovation that needs to be promoted from cities”, said Begiristain. Policy Labs are regional or state laboratories, which “tackle the subject from that level of governance, in other words, from the perspective of countries”. The recommendations put forward in all of them “are analysed in the so-called Think Tank by a group of expert consultants, who explore these issues on a European level before passing a series of recommendations on to the European Commission”, she explained.

A total of three reflection sessions will be held in the Basque Country. The second session, scheduled for 16 January, aims to link the challenges set in the previous session with research and innovation. The third session, due to be held before the summer, “will not only specify the recommendations for the European Commission and the areas of research and innovation necessary for a system of sustainable food in the BAC by 2030, we would also like to convert all this into specific projects and specify the funding that can be obtained. We also hope that the meetings will encourage collaboration among the players. Besides passing the results of the reflection or the needs we have here on to Europe, it is very important that they should be taken into consideration by research centres, public and private institutions and research groups, and that some of these studies can be activated by means of co-operation with advantage being taken of the currently available competences or resources”, said the UPV/EHU researcher.

Begiristain highlighted the fact that the meetings had been well received, because “we have managed to bring together organisations and players that do not meet together frequently and which have a very broad range of perspectives: agricultural trade unions, social players linked to agriculture, research centres, institutions that participate in decision making in the Basque Government in these matters, etc.” She also pointed out that for the subsistence of the primary sector, it is essential “to have a perspective of innovation and research in order to know what food system we want to have by 2030. We need new ideas and to innovate, not only technologically but also from a social and economic perspective. There is a need for social processes, resources and management models, the forming of alliances, etc. Social innovation is essential to be able to support a solid primary sector”.

Additional information

The BAC section of the project is being led by the researchers in the Department of Financial Economics II of the UPV/EHU Mirene Begiristain (PhD in Economics) and Goiuri Alberdi (PhD in Nutrition), and has the support of the Basque Government’s departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and Health, as well as that of the UPV/EHU’s Vice-Chancellor Nekane Balluerka.

The European Fit4Food2030 project is being led by the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, and has the participation of numerous European bodies.

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