Vision Research Agenda to 2025

The TP Organics Vision Research Agenda was prepared between June 2007 and July 2008 on the basis of wide-ranging discussions with farmers’ organizations, scientists, organic traders and retailers, and EU-wide umbrella organizations representing a variety of commercial, non-commercial and civil interests. Up to now, research projects and national framework programmes on organic agriculture have addressed immediate technology gaps in organic agriculture and food production. This Vision has been politically expedient and has given rise to a greater number of producers and professional skills for the task of serving unexpectedly fast growing consumer driven markets. Thus, many organic research projects had a short term perspective only. In contrast to this, our vision takes a long-term perspective on the research needs of organic agriculture and food systems. The three strategic research priorities presented in the vision focus in particular on the inconsistencies between economy, ecology and social cohesion in agriculture and food production and propose research activities and insightful learning concepts for organic and other farming systems

Zweite Phase der Technologieplattform für ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft – Ausarbeitung einer Forschungsagenda und eines Aktionsplanes für die biologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft

Die Ziele und Aufgabenstellungen der Forschungsplattform erfüllen die einschlägigen Ziele des Bundesprogramms Ökologischer Landbau: Die Forschungsplattform entspricht dem Ziel die Rahmenbedingungen für die ökologische Landwirtschaft und andere nachhaltige Formen der Landwirtschaft deutlich zu verbessern und ein gleichgewichtiges Wachstum von Angebot und Nachfrage zu erzielen‘. Auch das Kriterium ‚alle Stufen der Wertschöpfungskette – von der Erzeugung bis hin zum Verbraucher‘ abzudecken, ist erfüllt. Die zentralen Ziele im Bereich Forschungsmanagement und Wissenstransfer im Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau sind erfüllt. Die Forschungspattform hat sowohl zur Forschungsförderung als auch zum Wissenstransfer beigetragen. Die Forschungsplattform ‘Organics’ kann als Erfolg bezeichnet werden. Es ist gelungen, die Forschungsplattform mit einem riesigen Netzwerk europäischer Dachorganisationen, Wissenschaftlern, Vertretern der Zivilgesellschaft, Firmen und nationalen Plattformen aufzubauen. Aufbauend auf der Forschungsvision konnten die Strategische Forschungsagenda und der Forschungsaktionsplan erarbeitet und veröffentlicht werden. Der Plattform gelang es außerdem, sich einen Namen bei relevanten Vertretern der EU-Administration und politischen Entscheidungsträgern zu machen. Die Forschungsplattform hat eine Kommunikationsstruktur aufgebaut um ihre Aktivitäten und Ergebnisse bekannt zu machen. Besonders die Webseite der Plattform und der Newsletter erfreuen sich großer Beliebtheit. Vertreter der Plattform haben die Struktur und Ergebnisse der TP ‚Organics‘ in 34 Veranstaltungen in ganz Europa vorgestellt. TP ‚Organics‘ wird auch in der Zukunft weiterhin ein Partner in Kongressen und Konferenzen sein. Es gelang der Plattform zudem, dass fünf seiner Forschungsvorschläge von der Generaldirektion Forschung der EU bei den Ausschreibungen für das Arbeitsprogramm 2011 berücksichtigt wurden. Im September 2010 wurden der Generaldirektion erneut 13 neue Themenvorschläge unterbreitet, von denen zu erwarten ist, dass einige Aufnahme in die Forschungsausschreibungen für die Arbeitsprogramme 2012 und 2013 finden werden. Die TP ‚Organics‘ bietet eine effektive Plattform um Informationen zu teilen und somit zur Entwicklung zukünftiger EU Forschungsprojekte beizutragen. Während der Definition der Forschungsprioritäten, hatten sowohl landwirtschaftliche Berater, Landwirte als auch Vertreter biologischer Klein- und Mittelunternehmen die Möglichkeit sich einzubringen und ihre Bedürfnisse zu kommunizieren. Der Wissenstransfer und die Teilhabe von Wirtschaftsbeteiligten in der Forschung entwickelten sich zu wichtigen Themenschwerpunkten. Die Ermittlung der Forschungsbedürnisse hatte und hat weiterhin einen großen Einfluss auf die zukünftigen Ausschreibungen von EU-Forschungsprojekten. Die Arbeit an der TP ‚Organics‘ hat außerdem alle Beteiligten durch die Wertschöpfungskette hindurch in ihrem Informations- und Arbeitsaustausch gestärkt. Partnerschaften wurden gefestigt, die der Weiterentwicklung der Forschungslandschaft für biologische Landwirtschaft zugutekommen werden. Die an der Plattform mitwirkenden Forscher und anderen Akteure hatten zudem die Möglichkeit, über neue Methoden partizipativer Forschung, des Austausches von Wissen, Netzwerken und Methoden zur Entscheidungsfindung zu diskutieren. Die TP ‘Organics’ hat außerdem Konzepte ausgearbeitet, die auch anderen Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft zugutekommen kann, so zum Beispiel einer Landwirtschaft, die sich auf nur geringe externe Betriebsmittel stützt (low external input agriculture)

Living with Urban Flooding: A Continuous Learning Process for Local Municipalities and Lessons Learnt from the 2021 Events in Germany

In 2021, heavy precipitation events in Germany have confirmed once again that pluvial flooding can cause catastrophic damage in large, medium, and small cities. However, despite several hazard-oriented strategies already in place, to date there is still a lack of integrated approaches to actually preventing negative consequences induced by heavy rainfall events. Furthermore, municipalities across the world are still learning from recent episodes and there is a general need to explore new techniques and guidelines that could help to reduce vulnerability, and enhance the resilience, adaptive capacity, and sustainability of urban environments, considering the already predicted future challenges associated with climate variability. To address this gap, this paper presents the outcomes of the research project “Heavy Rainfall Checklist for Sewer Operation” which was conducted by IKT Institute for Underground Infrastructure, to involve all the stakeholders affected by pluvial flooding within cities, and implement a series of documents that can be adopted by municipalities across the world to support organizations and their operational staff in preventing problems caused by heavy rainfall incidents. More in detail, three different rainfall scenarios have been deeply analysed, and for each of them a list of specific tasks and suggestions has been provided for aiding decision-making

Vision for an Organic Food and Farming Research Agenda 2025. Organic Knowledge for the Future.

The 'Vision for an Organic Food and Farming Research Agenda to 2025' was prepared between June 2007 and August 2008 on the basis of wideranging discussions with farmers’ organizations, scientists, organic traders and retailers, and EU-wide umbrella organizations representing a variety of commercial, non-commercial and civil interests. The Vision Paper i) shows the strengths and weaknesses of organic food and farming, ii) identifies five global and European challenges and trends on which food and farming research should focus, iii) groups the strategic priorities of future research and iv) highlights a large number of specific research activities for the future. The potential for innovation on the basis of organic knowledge is considerable and its potential impact on public goods and services as well as on markets is also great. However, current spending on research and dissemination does not adequately reflect this potential. The paper is intended to show the way towards a European organic food and farming research agenda that will help to meet the major challenges of the next twenty years. Parallel to the process of developing the Vision paper, a Technology Platform entitled “Organics” was established with a focus on sustainable food systems and public goods, and will be officially launched in autumn 2008

Forschungsvision 2025 für die ökologische Land- und Lebensmittelwirtschaft

The TP Organics Vision Research Agenda was prepared between June 2007 and July 2008 on the basis of wide-ranging discussions with farmers’ organizations, scientists, organic traders and retailers, and EU-wide umbrella organizations representing a variety of commercial, non-commercial and civil interests. Up to now, research projects and national framework programmes on organic agriculture have addressed immediate technology gaps in organic agriculture and food production. This Vision has been politically expedient and has given rise to a greater number of producers and professional skills for the task of serving unexpectedly fast growing consumer driven markets. Thus, many organic research projects had a short term perspective only. In contrast to this, our vision takes a long-term perspective on the research needs of organic agriculture and food systems. The three strategic research priorities presented in the vision focus in particular on the inconsistencies between economy, ecology and social cohesion in agriculture and food production and propose research activities and insightful learning concepts for organic and other farming systems

Vision d‘avenir pour la recherche en agriculture biologique à l‘horizon 2025. Un savoir bio pour l‘avenir

Ce dossier a pour objectif de montrer le chemin vers un programme de recherche européen en agriculture et alimentation biologiques qui permettra de faire face aux défis des vingt prochaines années

Vizija za raziskovalni program za ekoživila in ekološko kmetijstvo do leta 2025

The TP Organics Vision Research Agenda was prepared between June 2007 and July 2008 on the basis of wide-ranging discussions with farmers’ organizations, scientists, organic traders and retailers, and EU-wide umbrella organizations representing a variety of commercial, non-commercial and civil interests. Up to now, research projects and national framework programmes on organic agriculture have addressed immediate technology gaps in organic agriculture and food production. This Vision has been politically expedient and has given rise to a greater number of producers and professional skills for the task of serving unexpectedly fast growing consumer driven markets. Thus, many organic research projects had a short term perspective only. In contrast to this, our vision takes a long-term perspective on the research needs of organic agriculture and food systems. The three strategic research priorities presented in the vision focus in particular on the inconsistencies between economy, ecology and social cohesion in agriculture and food production and propose research activities and insightful learning concepts for organic and other farming systems

Implementation Action Plan for organic food and farming research

The Implementation Action Plan completes TP Organics’ trilogy of key documents of the Research Vision to 2025 (Niggli et al 2008) and the Strategic Research Agenda (Schmid et al 2009). The Implementation Action Plan addresses important areas for a successful implementation of the Strategic Research Agenda. It explores the strength of Europe’s organic sector on the world stage with about one quarter of the world’s organic agricultural land in 2008 and accounting for more than half of the global organic market. The aims and objectives of organic farming reflect a broad range of societal demands on the multiple roles of agriculture and food production of not only producing commodities but also ecosystem services. These are important for Europe’s economic success, the resilience of its farms and prosperity in its rural areas. The organic sector is a leading market for quality and authenticity: values at the heart of European food culture. Innovation is important across the EU economy, and no less so within the organic sector. The Implementation Action Plan devotes its third chapter to considering how innovation can be stimulated through organic food and farming research and, crucially, translated into changes in business and agricultural practice. TP Organics argues for a broad understanding of innovation that includes technology, know-how and social/organisational innovations. Accordingly, innovation can involve different actors throughout the food sector. Many examples illustrate innovations in the organic sector includign and beyond technology. The various restrictions imposed by organic standards have driven change and turned organic farms and food businesses into creative living laboratories for smart and green innovations and the sector will continue to generate new examples. The research topics proposed by TP Organics in the Strategic Research Agenda can drive innovation in areas as wide ranging as production practices for crops, technologies for livestock, food processing, quality management, on-farm renewable energy or insights into the effects of consumption of organic products on disease and wellbeing and life style of citizens. Importantly, many approaches developed within the sector are relevant and useful beyond the specific sector. The fourth chapter addresses knowledge management in organic agriculture, focusing on the further development of participatory research methods. Participatory (or trans-disciplinary) models recognise the worth and importance of different forms of knowledge and reduced boundaries between the generators and the users of knowledge, while respecting and benefitting from transparent division of tasks. The emphasis on joint creation and exchange of knowledge makes them valuable as part of a knowledge management toolkit as they have the capacity to enhance the translation of research outcomes into practical changes and lead to real-world progress. The Implementation Action Plan argues for the wider application of participatory methods in publicly-funded research and also proposes some criteria for evaluating participatory research, such as the involvement and satisfaction of stakeholders as well as real improvements in sustainability and delivery of public goods/services. European agriculture faces specific challenges but at the same time Europe has a unique potential for the development of agro-ecology based solutions that must be supported through well focused research. TP Organics believes that the most effective approaches in agriculture and food research will be systems-based, multi- and trans-disciplinary, and that in the development of research priorities, the interconnections between biodiversity, dietary diversity, functional diversity and health must be taken into account. Chapter five of the action plan identifies six themes which could be used to organise research and innovation activities in agriculture under Europe’s 8th Framework Programme on Research Cooperation: • Eco-functional intensification – A new area of agricultural research which aims to harness beneficial activities of the ecosystem to increase productivity in agriculture. • The economics of high output / low input farming Developing reliable economic and environmental assessments of new recycling, renewable-based and efficiency-boosting technologies for agriculture. • Health care schemes for livestock Shifting from therapeutics to livestock health care schemes based on good husbandry and disease prevention. • Resilience and “sustainagility” Dealing with a more rapidly changing environment by focusing on ‘adaptive capacity’ to help build resilience of farmers, farms and production methods. • From farm diversity to food diversity and health and wellbeing of citizens Building on existing initiatives to reconnect consumers and producers, use a ‘whole food chain’ approach to improve availability of natural and authentic foods. • Creating centres of innovation in farming communities A network of centres in Europe applying and developing trans-disciplinary and participatory scientific approaches to support innovation among farmers and SMEs and improving research capacities across Europe

Strategic Research Agenda for organic food and farming

The TP Organics Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) was finalised in December 2009. The purpose of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) is to enable research, development and knowledge transfer that will deliver relevant outcomes – results that will contribute to the improvement of the organic sector and other low external input systems. The document has been developed through a dynamic consultative process that ran from 2008 to 2009. It involved a wide range of stakeholders who enthusiastically joined the effort to define organic research priorities. From December 2008 to February; the expert groups elaborated the first draft. The consultative process involved the active participation of many different countries. Consultation involved researchers, advisors, members of inspection/certification bodies, as well as different users/beneficiaries of the research such as farmers, processors, market actors and members of civil society organisations throughout Europe and further afield in order to gather the research needs of the whole organic sector