The drivers of change for the contribution of small farms to regional food security in Europe

[EN] The capacity of the food system to respond to the economic, demographic and environmental challenges ahead has become a topic of increasing interest, with particular attention to the roles and responsibilities of the different actors to ensure more sustainable food systems that can guarantee food and nutrition security for all. In this paper we approach the need to better understand the factors that can condition the potential contribution of small farms to regional food and nutrition security in Europe, acknowledging the role that small farms play in Europe at present. The analysis is based on a survey to 94 experts from 17 regions (NUTS3 level) in 11 different European countries, which identified the drivers of change according to the regional experts. These drivers were then categorized and their relative relevance assessed. The results indicate that some relevant drivers in the European context are linked to the capacity to adopt technologies and practices allowing adaptation to climate change, and the capacity to connect to food markets, with emphasis in the need for cooperation and collective action. The weight of other more European-specific drivers such as 'consumer values and habits' reveal that the future role of small farms will be very dependent on a societal change, with equity becoming a relevant component of consumers' choice.This research was supported by the `Small Farms, Small Food Businesses and Sustainable Food Security' (SALSA) project, which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 677363Arnalte-Mur, L.; Ortiz Miranda, D.; Cerrada-Serra, P.; Martinez Gomez, VD.; Moreno-Pérez, OM.; Barbu, R.; Bjorkhaug, H.... (2020). The drivers of change for the contribution of small farms to regional food security in Europe. Global Food Security. 26:1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100395S1826Béné, C., Prager, S. D., Achicanoy, H. A. E., Toro, P. A., Lamotte, L., Cedrez, C. B., & Mapes, B. R. (2019). Understanding food systems drivers: A critical review of the literature. Global Food Security, 23, 149-159. doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2019.04.009Bourgeois, R., & Sette, C. (2017). The state of foresight in food and agriculture: Challenges for impact and participation. Futures, 93, 115-131. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2017.05.004Ericksen, P. J. (2008). Conceptualizing food systems for global environmental change research. Global Environmental Change, 18(1), 234-245. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2007.09.002Guiomar, N., Godinho, S., Pinto-Correia, T., Almeida, M., Bartolini, F., Bezák, P., … Wästfelt, A. (2018). Typology and distribution of small farms in Europe: Towards a better picture. Land Use Policy, 75, 784-798. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.04.012Inayatullah, S. (1998). Causal layered analysis. Futures, 30(8), 815-829. doi:10.1016/s0016-3287(98)00086-xMiller, R. (2015). Learning, the Future, and Complexity. An Essay on the Emergence of Futures Literacy. European Journal of Education, 50(4), 513-523. doi:10.1111/ejed.12157Šūmane, S., Kunda, I., Knickel, K., Strauss, A., Tisenkopfs, T., Rios, I. des I., … Ashkenazy, A. (2018). Local and farmers’ knowledge matters! How integrating informal and formal knowledge enhances sustainable and resilient agriculture. Journal of Rural Studies, 59, 232-241. doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.01.02