Food & Farm-to-Fork

The loss of most of the world’s crop and animal genetic diversity over the past century poses a serious threat to global food security. This affects the robustness of many agricultural systems, including their resistance to pests, pathogens, and climate change. Additionally, the global consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical events on food supplies are amplifying existing food system vulnerabilities.

Green technologies and future sustainable food systems focus on protecting the environment, reducing or reversing the adverse effects of human activity, and conserving our planet’s natural resources. To do so, industry and science must promote a shift in mindset toward sustainability and strengthen environmental awareness so that society can thrive.

To tackle these pressing global challenges, a particular focus is given to R&I activities that are related to the conservation of genetic resources, breeding for resilience, organic and agroecological practices, soil biodiversity as well as food and nutritional diversification. These efforts are aligned with several far-reaching EU policy priorities such as the Green Deal, Biodiversity, Farm to Fork, and Soil Strategy.

In a nutshell, projects in this thematic area set out to reduce environmental degradation, halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity and support sustainable agriculture and food security with substantial co-benefits across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).