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TIPITIPI eventsScience DayScience Day 2018

Science Day 2018 at BIOFACH

On February 16, 2018, the sixth Science Day took place at BIOFACH, the World Organic Trade Fair, in Nuremberg, Germany. It was  a joint event of TIPI, the Technology Innovation Platform of IFOAM - Organics International, and TP Organics, the European Technology Platform for Organic Food and Farming.

Science Day 2018 was  organized by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL in collaboration with IFOAM EU.

Report from Science Day 2018

MORNING: Organics in future EU Research & Innovation policy

Objectives

The morning session of Science Day will be organised in cooperation with ERA-Net CORE Organic and dedicated to EU research and innovation policy. What will be the place of organics in the new EU policies that are currently being developed? Inspired by testimonies about how previous research projects have benefited organic companies, participants will discuss how research in the organic sector can contribute to more sustainable food systems.

Format

The half-day conference will include presentations from the European Commission, testimonies from CORE Organic projects and a 1 hour workshop focussing on strategies for minimal food processing and reconnecting consumers with food production. The conference will close with a roundtable discussion with the European Commission, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food as well the organic sector.

Speakers

  • Eduardo Cuoco, Head of Secretariat, TP Organics
  • Hans-Joerg Lutzeyer, Senior Expert, Unit Agri-Food Chain, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
  • Annette Schneegans, Senior Expert, Unit Research and Innovation, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
  • Albert Esper, Meridian Fruchthandelsgesellschaft mbH, Germany
  • Giovanni Marino, G-teK srl / CREA-IT Milano, Italy
  • Hanns-Christoph Eiden, President, Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, Germany
  • Philippe Vinçon, General Director, DG Education and Research, French Ministry of Agriculture and Food
  • Marian Blom, GB member CORE Organic, Bionext, the Netherlands
  • Workshop facilitators: Bram Moeskops (TP Organics), Ivana Trkulja (ICROFS), Lucie Andeltova (BLE), Marco Schlüter (Naturland)

Contact person

Bram Moeskops, Senior Scientific Coordinator, Tel. +32 2 416 27 61, bram.moeskops(at)tporganics.eu, www.tporganics.eu

10 am to 10.10 am: Welcome

  • Bram Moeskops, Senior Scientific Coordinator, TP Organics

10.10 am to 10.25 am: Food 2030: research and innovation for tomorrow’s nutrition and food systems

  • Hans-Joerg Lutzeyer, Senior Expert, Unit Agri-Food Chain, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission

The 9th Framework Programme (FP9) is the Commission’s next programme for research and innovation. It will start in 2021. The European Commission is expected to publish a paper outlining the structure and priorities of FP9 in summer 2018.

Food 2030 is a policy framework to better structure Research and Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security. It has a whole food value chain approach. The initiative will guide DG Research & Innovation’s priorities for FP9 and should also help to better align policies of individual Member States.

10.25 am to 10.40 am: EU agricultural research and innovation: From Horizon 2020 to FP9

  • Annette Schneegans, Senior Expert, Unit Research and Innovation, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission

The "Strategic approach" describes the research priorities of DG Agriculture and Rural Development for the last part of Horizon 2020 and FP9.

10.40 am to 11 am: Organic food innovations – experiences from CORE Organic projects

  • Albert Esper, Meridian Fruchthandelsgesellschaft mbH, Germany (SusOrganic)
  • Giovanni Marino, G-teK srl / CREA-IT Milano, Italy (FavorDeNonde)
  • Mikael Toivo, CEO ROOMI, Sweden (EcoBerries)

11 am to 11.20 am: Coffee break

11.20 am to 12.20 pm: Workshop - the contribution of organics to sustainable food systems

Facilitators:

  • Bram Moeskops (TP Organics)
  • Ivana Trkulja (ICROFS)
  • Lucie Andeltova (BLE)
  • Marco Schlüter (Naturland)

Themes for discussion:

  • Strategies for minimal and mild food processing
    Mainstream processing techniques often break down and recompose food which results in a loss of nutritional value. At the same time, many industries and businesses are seeking to invest in minimal and mild processing because of consumer demand for more natural food.
    • What experience exists so far with minimal and mild processing in the organic sector, in terms of technology and marketing of minimally processed products?
    • What research is needed to make minimally processed products more widely available, in terms of technology, marketing and business models?
    • How can consumers be involved in the co-design of food processing techniques? How can the benefits of minimally processed food be communicated to consumers?
  • Reconnecting consumers with food production
    Most consumers have little understanding of the production systems behind the food they eat. The increasing divide between consumers and food producers is threatening progress towards sustainable food systems.
    • What is the organic sector already doing to assure confidence in (organic) food production?
    • What research is needed to help reconnect consumers with organic and sustainable food production?
    • How to better engage consumers in efforts to make food systems more sustainable?

12.20 pm to 1 pm: Roundtable discussion – Organics in future EU Research & Innovation policy

  • Moderator: Eduardo Cuoco, Head of Secretariat, TP Organics
  • Hans-Joerg Lutzeyer, Senior Expert, Unit Agri-Food Chain, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
  • Annette Schneegans, Senior Expert, Unit Research and Innovation, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
  • Hanns-Christoph Eiden, President, Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, Germany
  • Philippe Vinçon, General Director, DG Education and Research, French Ministry of Agriculture and Food
  • Marian Blom, GB member CORE Organic, Bionext, the Netherlands

12.30 pm to 1.30 pm: LUNCH

AFTERNOON: TIPI WORKSHOP: "State of the art and research gaps in organic systems in the Global South", organized by TIPI

Logo TPOrganics

Background

Organic food and farming systems are economically attractive to farmers and have great potential to meet global challenges such as population growth, climate change, environmental pollution and deterioration of natural resources. However, with less than one percent of the global farmland certified and only few people globally consuming organic produce, they remain a niche. Researchers working on organic systems in the Global South do not have access to sufficient resources to realize the potential contribution of organic to rural development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, the ever-widening disparity between smallholder/family farms and industrialised production continues to undermine that potential.

Objectives

Building on the vision and strategic action plan of TIPI, this event will further elaborate research gaps in organic food and farming systems in the Global South (100 questions to be addressed by novel organic food and farming systems). These will contribute to the development of strategic regional research agendas, which, in turn, will influence regional action plans to address the research gaps. After input presentations, the workshop (World Café) poses the following questions:

  • WHERE? How should we delineate the different regions (continentally, climatically, main crops)?
  • WHO? Who should be the main actors to elaborate the strategic regional research agendas?
  • HOW? How should be the main actors elaborate the strategic regional research agendas?

Format

This event will be organized as a half-day conference, with lectures by representatives from the organic community followed by a workshop (World Café). After the event, the process of elaborating the strategic regional research agendas will be pursued.

List of speakers

  • Christian Andres, Research Scientist at Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) & Coordinator of TIPI, Switzerland
  • Dr Monika Messmer, Senior Plant Breeder, FiBL, Switzerland
  • Prof Dr emer. Hans Hummel, Distinguished expert in plant protection and biocontrol, University of Giessen, Germany (tbc)
  • Prof Dr Gerold Rahmann, Director Thünen Institute of Organic Farming, Germany

Names, affiliation and e-mail address of chair

Christian Andres, Research Scientist FiBL & Coordinator TIPI, christian.andres(at)fibl.org

Time plan

1.30 pm – 1.40 pm: Welcome, introduction to objective and process, conceptual framework and current state

  • Christian Andres, Research Scientist FiBL & Coordinator TIPI

1.40 pm – 2 pm: Biggest challenges and research gaps for organic plant breeding in the Global South

  • Dr Monika Messmer, Senior Plant Breeder, FiBL, Switzerland

2 pm – 2.20 pm: Biggest challenges and research gaps for biological plant protection in the Global South

  • Prof Dr emer. Hans Hummel, Distinguished expert in plant protection and biocontrol, University of Giessen, Germany (tbc)

2.20 pm – 2.20 pm: Biggest challenges and research gaps for organic livestock systems in the Global South

  • Prof Dr Gerold Rahmann, Director Thünen Institute of Organic Farming, Germany

2.20 pm – 2.50 pm: Introduction to workshop

  • Christian Andres, Research Scientist FiBL & Coordinator TIPI

2.50 pm – 4.20 pm: Workshop breakout sessions (World Café on three questions listed under "Objectives"), including individual coffee break

4.20 pm – 4.50 pm: Workshop plenary session (conclusion)

4.50 pm – 5 pm: Closing remarks

  • Urs Niggli, Director FiBL & President TIPI

Registration and further information

Registration

If you wish to attend please register via the FiBL registration service.

Contact

Dr. Helga Willer, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL

Links

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