Building a shared Food Systems Observatory in Europe
The FutureFoodS partnership aims to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient food system in Europe. To identify key leverage points for this transition, and to assess the interconnections of drivers and activities with changes in the outcomes of the food system in Europe, an observatory is being established.
Well over a dozen partners are working on this food systems observatory. The collective aim is to establish a platform for sharing methods, data, and assessments on the sustainability of European food systems and critical points in the transition to a sustainable future of food systems. What will this mean?
One of the earliest references to an observatory in the food systems literature was the original report of the EAT Lancet Commission. It argues for establishinh a combination of a network and a platform that forms an interface between science and the multitude of institutions that would promote, steer and monitor changes in the food systems, building a body of evidence on effective interventions. Since then, clear advances in this area have been made. In our work we are making utmost use of recent advances in the field, in particular the global monitoring of progress against key targets by the Food Systems Countdown Initiative and the monitoring framework and dashboard for sustainable food systems by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. We will also build on a review of existing data driven “agrifood system observatories” and needs for improvement developed by FoodPathS, the CSA project in support of FutureFoodS.
The research program on the Food Systems Observatory in FutureFoodS aims to deliver a much-needed European perspective on sustainable food systems and healthy sustainable diets, with national, regional and cultural differentiation.
Visioning the main contribution Observatory
All partners are currently engaged in a process of developing a shared vision of the food systems observatory under FutureFoodS, which will serve as guide for the 10-years of implementation of the research program. The program is set up as an interdisciplinary, bottom-up process that builds on the specific contributions and expertise areas of the partners. The visioning therefore started with the writing of position papers that presents, from the viewpoint of each partner, the purpose and potential impact of an Observatory, both for the EU and the ecosystem in which they currently operate. From these contributions, five possible functions of the Observatory were identified:
Dashboard for monitoring food systems transition and sustainable food systems (SFS)
EU network of national nodes for monitoring SFS with a data architecture & governance structure
Toolbox for analysing the interconnections in SFS within a framework of Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response
Platform for participatory processes of planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning (PMEL) on policy reform and investment programs for SFS
A “compass” for co-creation in innovation ecosystems, e.g. in living labs, for aligning actors, strategies and pathways for sustainable food systems
Consolidating a final vision from the functional perspective will be done over coming month. This will shape the direction for the Observatory and the research agenda for creating it. Literature on social tipping points in food systems and the governance of systemic change suggests that specific transition indicators are needed to complement those that monitor the sustainability outcomes of the food system over time. In our work we are making utmost use of recent advances in the field, in particular the global monitoring of progress against key targets by the Food Systems Countdown Initiative and the monitoring framework and dashboard for sustainable food systems by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. We will also build on a review of existing data driven “agrifood system observatories” and needs for improvement developed by FoodPathS, the CSA project in support of FutureFoodS.
Partners and contact persons
The full list of partners currently involved in the Observatory is presented below. The names of respective contact persons for each partner are presented to provide opportunities for direct engagement. Kindly note that the list of contact persons is subject to change. Kindly reach out to the co-leads for up to date information.
Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands (contact: Thom ACHTERBOSCH), co-lead
Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Germany (contact: Annika FUCHS), co-lead
Aarhus University, Denmark (contact: Niels HALBERG)
Agricultural University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria (contact: Giorgieva RUMYANA & Vladislav POPOV)
Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Austria (contact: Julian KUNZ)
CIHEAM Bari, Italy (contact: Francesco BOTTALICO)
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Italy (contact: Marika FERRARI & Lorenza MISTURA)
German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Germany (contact: Filippo REALE)
Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment “Ernest Lupan” (IRCEM), Romania (contact: Andreea-Loredana RHAZZALI)
Institute of Public Health of the Republic of North Macedonia, North Macedonia (contact: Igor SPIROSKI)
Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Germany (contact: Naser REYHANI)
Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DAFA), Denmark (contact: Nina Nørgaard SØRENSEN)
National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research (INIAV), Portugal (contact: José PINELA)
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Netherlands (contact: Marieke VAN BAKEL)
National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), France (contact: Alberto TONDA & Didier DUPONT)
University of Belgrade, Centre of Research Excellence in Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Medical Research (CENM-IMR), Serbia (contact: Jelena MILEŠEVIĆ & Mirjana GURINOVIĆ)
University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO), Denmark (contact: Jørgen Dejgård JENSEN)
University of Firenze (UNIFI), Italy (contact: Silvia SCARAMUZZI)
University of Food Technology (UFT), Bulgaria (contact: Velitchka GOCHEVA)
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty (UL-BF), Slovenia (contact: Mojca KOROŠEC)
University of Osijek, Faculty of Food Technology Osijek (PTFOS), Croatia (contact: Đurđica AČKAR)
For more information please contact the co-leaders, Thom Achterbosch (thom.achterbosch@wur.nl) and Annika Fuchs (annika.fuchs@ble.de).