Virtual Session 1
EURACTIV Virtual Conference – sponsored by FACCE-JPI
The European Food System: The transition towards sustainability and climate mitigation
Register for this Virtual Session 1 of the FACCE-JPI 10 Year Event at the EURACTIV registration website. More information on the content of the session to be found on the EURACTIV website.
Moderator: EURACTIV
The session aims to engage the wider public into a discussion about the future of European Food System. The aim is to highlight the major questions and priorities, also for those sectors and interested stakeholders who are not necessary influenced directly by the future of the agri-food system, however might be affected due to the major changes. Our society faces challenges more urgent than ever. The food sector is striving to transform the way that we produce, manage and consume food. This will achieve sustainable and resilient agricultural production systems that can at the same time help reduce emissions and adapt to changing environmental conditions.
The Covid-19 pandemic has also raised questions about the fragility of our food supply, putting food security back on the agenda. Coupled with the on-going threat of climate change, agriculture has a crucial role to play to ensure European food remains safe, nutritious, affordable and plentiful.
A sustainably-driven recovery in Europe will require a re-think of the agrifood system with an integrated approach to climate, food and ecosystems. There is a growing polarization in the way society perceives solutions to agrifood challenges. Some focus on sustainability, whilst others favor economic ‘pragmatism’. To achieve sustainable food systems, policymakers must look at evidence-based arguments, engaging with actors from multiple sectors at local, national and regional level. Only this will lead to a holistic, fair, and coordinated approach. Ongoing investments in research and innovation will be crucial to achieve the necessary changes.
Join this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to discuss how the European food system can be changed, taking account of European resources, resilience, production, consumption, consumer choices and geographical balance, and how can this best be achieved sustainably, minimizing the effects of climate change?
Invited panelists
- Wim Haentjens, Policy Officer in Bioeconomy and Food Systems Unit, Directorate General Research & Innovation, European Commission
- Atidzhe Alieva-Veli, Member, AGRI Committee, European Parliament
- Máximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO
- Frank Ewert, Scientific Director of Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and Professor of Crop Science at the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) at the University of Bonn and FACCE-JPI Scientific Advisory Board Chair