The Farm-Food-Climate Action Plan: Open Social Innovation for a sustainable agrifood sector
The COVID 19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a resilient food system. It has made us very aware of the interactions between our health, ecosystems, supply chains, consumption patterns and the limits of our planet.
The world’s population is growing and climate change is having a negative impact on the ability of agriculture to continue feeding it in the future. At the same time, the food system is responsible for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, nutritional problems such as obesity and malnutrition persist and a third of the food produced globally is still lost or wasted. Even though awareness of sustainable and healthy nutrition is growing in Germany, this is rarely reflected in customers’ willingness to pay. Nevertheless, farmers are expected to not only grow food at low cost, but also to protect the climate and foster biodiversity.
This has created deep rifts, between farmers and citizens and between conventional, organic and alternative production methods. It is time to rethink and transform the food system together — into a resilient system that produces healthy food within planetary boundaries through regenerative agriculture and the careful use of resources. Scientific research has shown that a healthy diet is possible within the limits of our planet. Now it is up to us to put this vision into action, and in this way contribute to several sustainable development goals at once.
In line with the recommendations of the EAT-Lancet Commission and its report “Food in the Anthropocene — the EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Food through Sustainable Food Systems”, the UN 2021 Food System Summit advocates a global transformation of food systems.
On our continent, the European Green Deal was adopted to make Europe the first climate neutral continent. The way to achieve this is through a new, sustainable and inclusive growth strategy that stimulates the economy, improves people’s health and quality of life and protects nature. This is also the basis of the “Farm-2-Fork” Strategy, published on 17 February 2020, as a core element of the European Green Deal: It sets out a comprehensive roadmap for tackling the challenges of sustainable food systems and recognises that healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet are inextricably linked.
What is the Farm-Food-Climate Challenge?
The Farm-Food-Climate Challenge pursues the goal of bringing the Farm-2-Fork strategy to life through a testing room for bottom-up, innovative solutions that is designed together with citizens. Within this new participation process, a platform is being created to jointly exploit opportunities in society as a whole — to make the agricultural and food sector of tomorrow sustainable. With this Open Social Innovation approach, the Farm-Food-Climate Challenge aims to actively engage a high diversity of actors within the entire food system. Through its process, a community of engaged citizens is built — and the relationship between citizens, farmers and the state is redefined through active participation, thereby reducing the ideological distance.
In August 2020, more than 100 courageous and ambitious initiators, who develop innovative solutions for a sustainable agricultural and food sector along the entire value chain, joined the program of the Farm-Food-Climate Challenge. From humus building and new organic fertilizers to Big Data and Smart Farming, new acceptance of insects, avoidance of food waste and direct marketing — the approaches are multifaceted.
The framework for this innovative problem-solving process is provided by the nine-month Farm-Food-Climate Program (with access to the digital platform of ProjectTogether, mentoring and coaching offers, peer learning formats, contact and networking opportunities, access to a pool of experts, networking events with partners for piloting, etc.), which promotes joint and pragmatic learning in the community. Through this program, ProjectTogether and the elobau Foundation as organizers of the Challenge created a digital test room that enables the quick and low-risk testing and validation of solutions (= reality checks). The solutions that prove themselves are established.
“Bottom-up” is combined with “top-down”: For rapid piloting and implementation of successful approaches, these are brought together with public and private institutions.
How do we get there?
The transition to a sustainable and healthy food system cannot be achieved by one technological breakthrough, a single actor or a multitude of independently acting lone fighters. A combined strategy with carefully coordinated actions, mutual willingness to help each other and a great deal of understanding is necessary.
The activities of the Farm-Food-Climate objective interact directly and indirectly with each other. It is therefore important to strengthen synergies:
Without a strong, consistent cohesion between regenerative agriculture and well-informed, affluent consumers, there will be neither sales markets nor willingness to pay, acceptance or public support for sustainable products and their ecosystem services, even if these can be measured. A possible large-scale “coal entry” in agriculture and forestry with biochar can only be assessed in the overall context of defining and measuring ecosystem services. Data on the ecological handprint at the consumer level must be based on a comprehensible measurement of ecosystem effects in the primary sector. Furthermore, it will only be possible to inject funds for sustainable agriculture services into public and private budgets if ecosystems of sustainable agriculture are clearly defined, measurable and assessable, and if there are enough sustainable agriculture ambassadors who can convince and involve farmers on the ground.
Our objectives: A holistic approach — from production and consumption to the frameworks of the agrifood sector
We have seen — a climate-positive food sector is only possible if we influence key levers simultaneously. The generation and production of food, consumer behavior or general conditions cannot be considered in silos. Therefore, we strive for holistic thinking, cooperation and approaches to solutions that aim to change the production, consumption and framework conditions of the food system.
Therefore, we aim to create an agrifood sector in which these 12 goals hold true:
Goal 1: Making ecosystem services measurable
Measurable ecosystem services provide the basis for a market for social and ecological services from agriculture. Examples of environmental ecosystem services are the provision of a carbon sink and the promotion of biodiversity, or the role of agriculture for drinking water quality. Social ecosystem services include the recreational and leisure value of cultural landscapes, their aesthetics and the cultural identities rooted in them. In this way, farmers can be rewarded for sustainable economic activity by companies and consumers. The commitment of society as a whole that agriculture does not only mean food production, but also preserves the cultural landscape and can contribute to climate protection is strengthened.
Goal 2: Enabling private financing of ecosystem services
Farmers are financially compensated for their sustainable management. In this way the contribution of agriculture to climate protection is rewarded in society. A portfolio of various proven financing mechanisms is the basis for future political decisions. This creates an incentive system that promotes not only food production but also the ecological added value created by agriculture, e.g. through carbon sequestration or greater biodiversity.
Goal 3: Establishing agroforestry through legal security, subsidies and agricultural research budgets
Legal certainty for agroforestry is created and reward systems the generation of ecosystem services are in place. Hence, farmers in Germany can implement agroforestry on a large scale.
Goal 4: Creating public awareness of the climate impact of biochar
In “Carbon Valleys”, centers and networks of pioneer farmers, tangible practical examples of the carbon sink performance of biochar while improving soil quality are illustrated. Farmers, foresters, municipalities, politicians and investors are convinced of the advantages of biochar. The “(plant) coal entry” is a common term in the media and public awareness.
Goal 5: Furthering EU agricultural policy and promoting sustainable agricultural and research practices
Based on the measurability of ecosystem services, a redistribution of EU agricultural subsidies can be achieved. Area subsidies are redistributed to promote ecosystem services. In order to systematically record and evaluate the achievement of ecosystem services, part of the subsidies are used for accompanying research projects.
Goal 6: Enabling agricultural associations, cooperatives and advisory rings to become ambassadors for sustainable farming practices
Building on research and a number of pilot projects, agricultural associations, cooperatives and advisory rings have included alternative farming methods (e.g. regenerative agriculture, hybrid agriculture, humus building) in their portfolio. Based on this, they inform, advise and support farmers according to their needs. Clear commitments, strategies, convincing examples and reliable support help to overcome barriers to implementation.
Goal 7: Ensuring true prices for sustainable, healthy and fairly produced food
By reflecting social and environmental costs in the price of food, purchasing decisions can be made that also take social and ecological values into account. The basis is created through measurability (see objective 1) and transparency in the value chain, which makes it possible to determine and compare true costs. Thus, production processes that take these values into account become competitive. Through true cost accounting, a sustainable supply of healthy and fairly produced food is established and farmers are given appreciation, security and fair prices for all the services they provide.
Goal 8: Promoting urban food production and integrating it into urban planning
Food is also produced locally in the cities. This creates jobs and reduces the distance “from the field to the plate” (so-called foodmiles). A separate certification for urban farming has been established. In a society that increasingly lives in cities, production in close proximity to consumption strengthens the awareness of food production. Urban Farming is politically promoted and is an essential part of construction planning. Areas for urban food production are integrated into land use plans.
Goal 9: Establishing the ecological handprint as universal and widespread concept for sustainable consumption in the population
Consumers know the ecological footprint of the products they consume. They are aware of the influence of their purchasing decisions on economic incentives for more sustainable practices. With the ecological handprint, a new, generally valid and widespread concept of sustainable consumption is created among the population.
Goal 10: Sustainable catering is becoming a nationwide standard in educational institutions
Healthy, sustainable and climate-friendly catering in schools, daycare centers, kindergartens and other educational institutions is ensured throughout the country. A basis of evidence is created to convince decision makers of the importance of sustainable (and democratically selected) school catering. Decision-makers are teachers and facility managers, as well as municipal actors and politicians at state and federal level.
Goal 11: Avoiding resource loss and food waste through circular value chains
The awareness of society and economy for responsible/sparing use of resources and food is increasing. Through new cycles the waste of resources and food is constantly decreasing. The number of 12 million tons of food waste per year in Germany is demonstrably reduced (and eliminated by 2030). At the production level, the use of residual materials as alternative raw materials is becoming a standard.
Goal 12: Strengthening cohesion between farmers and consumers through new connections and regional supply chains
A steady, participatory dialogue between consumers and farmers is demonstrably increasing, and the appreciation of the other group of actors is growing through building trust and understanding. At a growing number of locations, solidarity-based and cooperative models have established themselves as an exemplary approach for strengthening regional cohesion between agriculture and society. The profitability for producers and trade is proven. It has been possible to guarantee planning security for the trade that is equal to that of conventional models. In addition, the new models are accepted and evaluated by consumers as climate-friendly, easily accessible alternatives to buying healthy and affordable food. Fair prices remain a balancing act: Producers must live from production, (also low-income) consumers must be able to afford regular purchases of fair food and business models must operate profitably.
The Farm-Food-Climate Action Plan was developed in a collaborative workflow of the initiators in cooperation with representatives from business and politics. It is understood as a guiding, “living” working paper that bundles common objectives. The contents are based on the target aspirations and experiences of the Farm-Food-Climate Community. Therefore, absolute completeness and accuracy is not guaranteed at any time.
The complete Action Plan can be found here: Farm-Food-Climate Aktionsplan 2020 (DE) / Farm-Food-Climate Action Plan 2020 (EN)
On Tuesday, November 3rd 2020, the Farm-Food-Climate Community will present and discuss their objectives together with important stakeholders from politics and the economy (among others the EU Commission, the Federal Ministry of Food & Agriculture, Weleda, Baywa, RWZ, Ecosia…)
Register for the Digital Event here: Registration 1. Etappe Farm-Food-Climate (event predominantly in German)
You want to become part of the Open Social Innovation movement and the Farm-Food-Climate network? Email us: ffc@projecttogether.org
Find more information here: https://projecttogether.org/farm-food-climate-challenge/
