The post test appeared first on Forum for the Future of Agriculture ..read more

Janez Potočnik, Chair of ForumforAg 2022 and Chairman the Rise Foundation; Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel of the United Nations Programme (UNEP), welcomed participants, especially the delegation which had travelled from the US. Noting that the meeting was taking place on World Soil Day, he said that together, the EU and the US, “have enormous influence and the ability to affect change on the big strategic challenges of our time”. Calling for full scale system change, he asked participants to bear certain questions in mind during their discussions. What is needed to tak ..read more

Defining and delivering on sustainable trade objectives Jason Hafemeister, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, USDA, the first of two key speakers, identified productivity as the key for farmers to both provide food and protect the environment. An open, transparent, market-oriented and predictable trading system is essential. The system should not restrict trade in products from new technologies; should include objective health and safety standards which can’t be used as protectionism; help build the market for climate smart production; and encoura ..read more

At the ForumForAg, Swedish Regional Conference on December 1, speakers and panellists examined the theme, “Food security and National Strategic Plans – how to deliver environmental targets”. All agreed on the crucial role innovation must play to achieve the different goals. What’s really new in terms of food security uncertainties? Tassos Haniotis, former Director of Strategy, Simplification and Policy Analysis, DG AGRI, European Commission, highlighted extreme uncertainty in three interlinked areas – agricultural and food markets, energy markets and emerging shifts in trade flows – in ..read more

Is it a false dilemma that people have to choose between either food security or climate action?   In this first episode of our new series we talk with Tassos Haniotis, former AGRI Director and former AMIS Chair, about Ukraine and the extent to which that conflict has brought into focus some of the uncertainties that have impacted on agricultural markets since the late 2010s and the false dilemmas that Tassos has talked about in relation to the sustainability of agriculture. Is it a false dilemma that people have to choose between either food security or climate action? For a taster, read ..read more

On Thursday, December 1, 2022 the Forum moves to Sweden for our next regional event. Here we take a look at the agriculture in a country that is also known for its forestry. Sweden is one of the smaller national food markets in the European Community (EC), with a population of just 8.9 million. About 80% of the nation’s supply of food and beverage is produced domestically, with imports making up the remaining 20%. The import proportion is far higher—more than 70%—for fresh fruit and vegetables. In contrast to the significantly bigger forestry area, Sweden’s arable land only makes up ..read more

On Wednesday, May 18, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague hosted the latest edition of the ForumforAg Regional conference. More than 200 participants joined us in the auditorium for a truly international event marking the crossover from the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union to the upcoming Czech Presidency in July. Throughout the day, sessions discussed biodiversity, environmental targets, climate mitigation, food system transformation and forestry. Delegates were welcomed by Professor Josef Soukup, CSc, Dean of the faculty, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and ..read more

At the ForumforAg Czech Regional conference held on May 18 at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, the pressing question posed during session 1 ‘Can we achieve the environmental targets with the new CAP and the National Strategic Plans?’ brought our panellists plenty of challenges from the audience. Livestock reduction, how best to improve soil, and the need for wide consultation on the national plan were among them. How does the CAP strategy tie in to farmers’ interests? Pierre Bascou, Director Sustainability Directorate, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commissi ..read more

How best to integrate climate mitigation and biodiversity regeneration in food system transformation? In our third session at the ForumforAg Czech Regional conference held on May 18 at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, an expert panel tackled the complexity of this 3-way challenge and how to implement practical solutions, while still giving choices. Discussion flourished as each gave their – and their organization’s – perspective, from farmer to landowner, private sector to NGO. After introductions by the Moderator, Naděžda Hávová, Jurgen Tack, Scientific Director, ELO, opene ..read more

The final session of the ForumforAg Czech Regional conference held on May 18 at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague was an opportunity to hear experts discuss the type of forest the world needs to mitigate climate change. Opening the session, the Moderator, Constantin Kinský, Vice President and Member of the Board of the Private Forests Chamber in the Czech Republic (SVOL) and European delegate, European Landowners Association, set the scene by saying that what was common to all parties was that we do not know how far climate change will go. We do know the climate is warming, mo ..read more