1. Food and NutritionSecurity and Agriculture – the European perspective from EASAC
Robin Fears
Director Biosciences Programme, EASAC
Secretariat for EASAC Working Group on FNSA

2. EASAC and FNSA project in Europe
EASAC is formed by national science academies of EU Member States. In this IAP project, EASAC has wider European remit, e.g. Russia is part of Working Group
EASAC history of interest in relevant matters, e.g. crop genomics and breeding techniques, ecosystem services and environmental sustainability, human and animal health, emerging technologies
EASAC report is not yet published – present focus is on topics explored and emerging priorities, not detailed recommendations
Using IAP template to take food systems approach incorporating demand- and supply-side issues and covering obesity/overweight issues as well as undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies
31/07/2018

3. Conceptual framework for aggregating research within the food systems context
31/07/2018

4. How to increase efficiency of food systems
How to increase efficiency of food systems? Research points emerging in EASAC analysis
Agricultural productivity – issues for sustainable intensification and minimising pressures on natural resources
Tackling food loss and waste (including over consumption) – and issues for Circular Economy
Applying advances in food science and technology – and addressing issues for food safety in processing, distribution and storage
Understanding markets and their instability in the increasingly globalised food system
Taking account of cross-cutting issues, e.g. digitalisation and using big data, impacts of climate change and issues for adaptation and mitigation
31/07/2018

5. Innovation in agriculture: research points emerging from EASAC analysis
Requirements for taking comprehensive ecological approach to improving agronomic practice: broad opportunities for social and technological innovation, report focuses on biosciences and on precision agriculture
Issues for livestock production and improved crop plant breeding: new opportunities coming within range from advances in science (e.g. genomics) but need proportionate, evidence-based regulation to enable future innovation
Also multiple issues for food and biomass from ocean, e.g. improving knowledge base for sustainable harvest and culturing of lower trophic level marine resources and exploring potential for biomass provision to diminish pressures on land, freshwater and fertilisers
31/07/2018

6. Nutrition, food choices and public health: research points emerging from EASAC analysis
Options for better data collection, interpretation and sharing, e.g. on food consumption patterns and links with health
Options for better integration of agriculture and health agendas
Rapidly advancing science across multiple disciplines, e.g. personalised nutrition, human gut microbiomics, determinants of consumer behaviour
Developing innovative foods and diets – but how to define and measure what is a sustainable healthy diet? e.g. if climate change objectives require reduction in European meat consumption, what are the food systems implications for a healthy diet?
31/07/2018

7. Managing competition for land use and other natural resources: EASAC analysis
Efforts to increase food systems efficiency should not depend on agricultural productivity achieved by ignoring environmental costs
Opportunities to co-design research across disciplines for nexus food-water-other ecosystem services and provide scientific basis to coordinate relevant EU policy instruments, e.g. CAP, Water Framework Directive, Habitats Directive
Soil – scientific opportunities to characterise functions of soil microbiome, and support cost-effective soil monitoring and management, including for carbon sequestration
Issues for bioeconomy are relevant to many sectors, e.g. potential competition between food and bioenergy production
31/07/2018

8. Some emerging strategic dimensions from EASAC analysis of FNSA
Critical interface between research on nutrition-sensitivity of food systems and on environmental sustainability
Focus on food and nutrition security cannot only be on populations but also vulnerable groups, e.g. mothers, children, elderly, patients, migrants
Large data sets are a vital tool throughout food system
Research agendas need to recognise importance of:
Basic research
Multidisciplinary research
Long-term commitment to research
31/07/2018

9. Using scientific outputs: what more should Academies do?
Emphasising the importance of being more ambitious in generating and using scientific information: e.g. opportunities for informing farming practice, encouraging responsible innovation, developing evidence-based regulations to enable further advances, understanding trade-offs
IAP- regional academy network advice is independent and objective and academies have a responsibility to ensure information is available to all:
Regional e.g. EU Institutions, and academy follow-up with multiple stakeholders in countries, leadership of scientific community
Global e.g. UN, G7, G20, private sector bodies, scientific community and research funders
Public-at-large - how best to engage?
31/07/2018

10. Impacts of Europe on other regions
EU is unlike most other regions in having long established regional political and policy-making institutions, large trans-regional R&D programmes and advisory mechanisms
Present work by EASAC identifies relevant issues for inter-regional collaboration and spill over of impacts. For example:
Underpinning role of basic research as resource for discovery
Inter-regional R&D partnerships on FNSA of global importance
Spillover of European choices on agriculture and resources outside of Europe
Impact on other regions of EU policy decisions, e.g. on GMOs, and EU uncertainty, e.g. on status of new plant breeding techniques
31/07/2018