The EIT Food Innovation Network, Western Region, brought together over 100 experts from various sectors in Edinburgh on 20 June 2024. The discussions among the participants focused on regenerative agriculture and environmentally friendly packaging solutions for a healthy, eco-friendly diet. AIT was represented by representatives from two centres and Dirk Holste, Deputy Head of the AIT Center for Health and Bioresources, played a central role in the panel discussion on food in the area of conflict between quantity, nutritional quality, price and sustainability.
Global food systems face a number of challenges to master important transitions in four areas: (1) balanced, safe and healthy nutrition, (2) available, affordable and fair food in a digitalised food economy with robust business models, (3) environmentally friendly food production and (4) social acceptance with responsible consumers.
Global challenges and the role of agriculture in the sustainable transformation
On the one hand, inadequate nutrition of over 800 million people worldwide and an even larger number with insufficiently healthy diets leads to increased health risks and contributes to the rise of non-communicable diseases. On the other hand, COP28 recently declared the transition away from fossil fuels in the presence of 100 countries and 700 CEOs, but the transition is not yet happening fast enough. Modern agriculture can make a decisive contribution to this, e.g. by replacing chemical pesticides, increasing organic farming or increasing the proportion of nutrients while taking soil health into account. The fields of regenerative agriculture and sustainable packaging were highlighted as two important areas to be addressed. Dirk Holste from AIT emphasised the importance and facilitation of providing resources, regulations and funding for research, innovation and entrepreneurship with a systemic approach: "Collaboration across disciplines is crucial to boosting entrepreneurship and finding new solutions that are scalable and disruptive and create space for sustainable transitions."
The following keys to success were discussed, among others:
- Interdisciplinary collaboration and cooperation: Bringing together different expertise across borders and with critical mass in synergy to generate new solutions and foster global relationships
- Systemic approach: moving away from input to increased output approaches, away from micromanagement to a solution-oriented approach for agile and digitalised precision agriculture, taking into account the risks for farmers when switching to new technologies
- Data-driven approaches: the majority of agriculture is small-scale - more data from farmers is needed to develop digital solutions for forecasting and decision support
- Legislation: innovation-friendly regulation, transparency and digital signature of novel foods (e.g. cellular agriculture, plant-based products, microbial applications)
- Public-private partnerships: sustainable financing of innovations with disruptive potential, e.g. through food system innovation funds
- Consumer-centred: Provide platforms and other instruments for more consumer participation
- Food security: risk management of polycrises, taking into account the highly heterogeneous global distribution of the production of agricultural products and fertilisers.
Shaping sustainability together
The EIT Food West event promoted continued collaboration and innovation. AIT, with its Competence Unit Bioresources in Tulln, continues to drive research and innovation to create more sustainable food systems. The knowledge and connections gained will contribute to a more sustainable future.
More at: https://www.eitfood.eu/events/next-bite-partner-event-uk