New farming, food and bio-based systems potentials

The potential of new farming

Farmers are the backbone of dynamic food systems. Every day, they make sure that we have enough safe and high-quality food. As managers of natural resources, they are best placed to protect the environment from unnecessary pressure linked to food production and safeguard planetary health.

Over the past few years, farmers have made efforts to transition to sustainability. However, these efforts are not necessarily recognised, nor do producers always receive a fair price for the food produced, which puts them under financial stress and makes them vulnerable.

New farming approaches provide a promising alternative to traditional agriculture to increase farmers' competitiveness and meet growing global demand for food. Agricultural supply chains operate in an increasingly complex and dynamic environment characterised by:

• new consumer demands,
• new and sometimes game-changing technologies,
• changing structures and cooperation models.

The use of new and innovative business models can generate higher income for producers while keeping consumer prices affordable and boost environmental and social benefits.

Research has a role to play in unravelling the links between the complexity of food systems and their efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. This should help us understand food chain dynamics and the interaction between them and non-food chains.

Activities under EU missions

Research in action

New farming systems

New farming systems, such as urban agriculture (UA), are rapidly emerging as innovative solutions to global challenges. They offer a complementary approach to enhancing food security, environmental sustainability, and economic stability. The European Forum on Urban Agriculture (EFUA) is an EU-funded project that has developed a comprehensive vision for the future role of urban agriculture.

Urban agriculture takes various forms:

• Uncontrolled Environment Agriculture (UEA) includes open-space and in/off-soil agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas, such as vegetable gardens, rooftop gardens, community gardens, and traditional farms (including livestock production). UEA promotes organic farming, urban greening and biodiversity preservation, while also generating local economic growth and fostering social cohesion.
• Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) refers to any form of agriculture that controls and optimises environmental conditions like temperature, light or nutrient levels. Examples of CEA include modern greenhouses, vertical farms, building-integrated agriculture, hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics. CEA supports natural resources preservation, reduces dependency on chemical pesticides and fertilisers, and enhances climate resilience and nutritional improvement.

Advancements in innovative farming technologies – such as robotics- boost efficiency, increase farm profitability, create jobs and drive economic growth.

Short and sustainable food supply chains

The development of innovative and sustainable food chains supports the diverse needs of communities and businesses, in a responsible and ethical way, hence leveraging the position of farmers in supply chains and fostering sustainable growth and jobs in rural areas.

Examples of projects include:

• The FOODRUS and FOX projects create sustainable and competitive fruit and vegetables value chains avoiding food loss by deploying technological, social, financial, legal, educational, political, labelling and innovative solutions.
• The COCOREADO project connects consumers and producers and trained farmers to leverage their position in the food chain.

Small scale bioeconomy solutions in rural areas

The bioeconomy is an opportunity to revive rural areas, create more innovative jobs in primary production and processing, contribute to generational renewal, and fight de-population in rural areas. There is already a wide range of small-scale bio-based solutions available for deployment in rural areas, as identified by two Coordination and Support Actions.

The following projects aim to get small-scale bio-based solutions into mainstream practice across rural Europe, providing a broader range of rural actors with the opportunity to engage in and speed up the development of the bioeconomy:

• POWER4BIO
• BE-Rural
• BioRural
• MainstreamBIO
• RuralBioUp
• SCALE-UP

Securing diversification and sustainability in agriculture

The diversity and diversification of farming systems can contribute to a sustainable European bioeconomy by securing stable revenues for farmers, lowering negative environmental impacts, and increasing resilience to climatic, economic, and biological risks.

Examples of projects include:

• MAGIC and PANACEA demonstrated that the cultivation of industrial crops can provide new market opportunities and business models that do not interfere with food production.
• CARINA focuses on new sustainable and diversified farming systems including two new oilseed crops, carinata and camelina, which can provide multiple low iLUC feedstocks for the bio-based economy.
• AGRIFORVALOR oand AgriLoop, convert underexploited residues into a portfolio of high added-value bio-based products.

New farming in EIP-AGRI

Examples of focus groups:

• Enhancing production and use of renewable energy on the farm
• Sustainable industrial crops in Europe: new market opportunities and business models which do not replace food production
• Diversification opportunities through plant-based medicinal and cosmetic products
• Reducing food loss on the farm
• Innovative Short Food Supply Chain management

Examples of operational groups:

• Biorefinery Glas -Small-scale Farmer-led Green Biorefineries 
• From ecological intercropping to fine fiber 
• MUNTER 
• BIOALLIFUNGI
• Short Food Chains in the Liemers Region 
• Automated vertical farming in the city