Transcript European Research Area Agri-environmental research priorities Claudia Neubauer Fondation Sciences Citoyennes Co-operative Research on Environmental Problems in Europe Brussels Meeting - June 8 2010

European Research Area
Agri-environmental
research priorities
Claudia Neubauer
Fondation Sciences Citoyennes
Co-operative Research on Environmental Problems in Europe
Brussels Meeting - June 8 2010
Sustainable agriculture is a central concept in agricultural policy and research.
It is used by different actors – policy makers, scientists, industry, NGOs and social movements.
How do different actors
understand the concept?
 analysis of discourses
 analysis of budgets
 analysis of publications
Semantic analysis of diverse documents
IAASTD - International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and
Technology for Development, Summary Report, 2008
Independent, multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder process, directed by a board of 30
government representatives and 30 representatives of NGOs
SCAR - Standing Committee on Agricultural Research, 2nd foresight exercise, 2007
Report: New challenges for agricultural research: climate change, food security, rural
development, agricultural knowledge systems -
Knowledge based bio-economy (KBBE)
several documents : New perspectives on KBBE, 2005, KBBE WP 2009-3, KBBE WP 2010-4
European Technology Platform Plants for the Future
2025 - A European vision for plant genomics and biotechnology
IFOAM 2025 (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements)
Research vision: Food, Fairness and Ecology - An organic research agenda for a sustainable
future
Diverse documents from NGOs (ex. NGO Sustainable Agriculture Treaty 1992, Greenpeace,
Friends of the Earth, Rainforest Alliance, Grain, Oxfam)
Semantic analysis
biotechnology, agronomy, (agro-)ecology, sustainable
IAASTD
SCAR
2nd
foresight
KBBE
perspectives
Plants for IFOAM
KBBE WP
the Futur Vision for
2009-3
2025
SRA
18
6
43
94
51
0
agronomy 2
4
0
3
5
21
ecology
0
4
0
8
3
14
organic *
2
23
0
21
5
157
agroecolog*
2
2
0
2
0
2
sustainabl*
51
116
22
136
50
63
biotech*
Semantic Analysis
On sustainable agriculture
Some common principles shared by NGOs
Sustainable agriculture is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and inclusive,
culturally appropriate and based on a holistic and participatory scientific approach.
It minimizes the use of external inputs and excludes the use of pesticides and GMOs.
It adapts farming practices to local and regional contexts (and not the other way around)
in respecting the agroecosystems, provides a more efficient management and better conditions for
farm workers.
It promotes a holistic approach to agriculture integrating traditional agricultural knowledge
with modern scientific knowledge. It redirects scientific research towards sustainability and
equity, it disseminates knowledge freely.
It ensures food available and suitable for all, and promotes sustainable consumption of local
food.
It facilitates the empowerment of small farmers, family farms and rural communities (eg
access to land, income stability).
It promotes fair trade with the countries of the global South.
It promotes food sovereignty.
Semantic Analysis
On sustainable agriculture
 IFOAM, SCAR, IAASTD
The issue of sustainable agricultural development is placed in a complex and plural
context at the confluence of environment, society, health, economy and culture.
IFOAM: long-term perspectives concerning the development of agricultural practices
and sustainable food covering the following three fields:
i) principles of organic farming,
ii) scientific innovation and
iii) integration of the knowledge of peasants
⦁
⦁
IAASTD, SCAR: integration of peasants in both defining research priorities
and applying scientific results, thus giving a specific meaning to sustainable agriculture
 KBBE, Plants for the Future
Sustainable agriculture is placed in a context of profitability, competitiveness and
support for the European biotech industry.
If Europe wants to improve the sustainability of its agriculture and its forestry, it must
inevitably use genetic tools and biotechnology.
Semantic Analysis
On innovation, appropriation and participation
 IFOAM
Organic agriculture and food as a highly innovative sector.
Organic sector has led European agriculture to evolve towards greater sustainability,
quality and use of less risky technology.
Sustainable agriculture and organic farming are heavily based on knowledge (“highly
knowledge-based agriculture”) and on the concept of common property.
 SCAR, IAASTD and IFOAM
Consider participatory research and the integration of peasants in the process of
research and innovation (farmer-based participatory breeding, participatory or action
research) as part of sustainable agriculture necessary to achieve its objectives.
SCAR reminds that the involvement of peasants is critical to the innovation
process in regard to the acceptance of new innovations and to research in ecology.
 KBBE and Plants for the Future
The sector allowing for significant advances in R & D and innovation is
biotechnology;
regarding other partners in the innovation process, the integration of SMEs is highlighted.
Semantic Analysis
On biotechnology, agronomy, (agro-)ecology
 SCAR foresight report
Criticizes genomics and genetic engineering. Using the word 'biotechnology” only six times, the
report acknowledges that 'advanced modern biotechnology' has got an interest in breeding and to
open the space of innovation.
 IAASTD
Gives a differentiated image of biotechnologies. It distinguishes between classical biotechnologies
(breeding techniques, tissue cultivation fermentation...) and modern biotechnologies, such as GM
plants.
Reminds the controversies about GMO.
Criticizes the concentration on biotechnologies, which could lead to the loss of expertise in other
fundamental sciences in agriculture.
 IFOAM
Ecology and agronomy are the central issues: ecological intensification, challenges, methods and
production, ecological footprint, social and ecological cohesion.
 KBBE and Plants for the Future
Sustainable agriculture seems related to biotechnology and very little (if at all) to agronomy or
ecology.
Priority is given to the biotechnological approach over other approaches that may be systemic,
agronomic, environmental.
The simultaneous use of the words 'life sciences' and 'biotechnology' gives the impression that the
two fields go automatically or naturally hand in hand, and that they are even interchangeable.
The existence of controversies about biotechnology in agriculture is not mentioned.
Budgets: financing research for organic
and biotechnological agriculture
Research Funding in EC Framework
Programmes
On organic farming (1/2)
Since FP3, European funding in total amount of money for organic agriculture research is constantly
growing. However, since total FP budgets raised constantly as well, the relative support of the FPs
to research for organic agriculture did not grow since 1994 and stays stable at a very low level
under FP 4, 5 and 6.
Research Funding in EC Framework Programmes
On organic farming (2/2)
In FP6-Food, project funding on BT projects (26 projects) was almost 4 fold higher than funding on
organic agriculture projects (7 projects). (stacs)
Publications: organic farming research in the scientific literature
*Applied Biology:
scientific discipline,
where approx. 80% of
the total number
of articles in organic
farming can be found.
*Bibliographic database:
Thomson Scientific's
Web of Science
Indications to explain why Denmark has a strong publicaton activity in organic farming research:
A high market share of organic products of the total market (with 5 to 6 %). A high share of organic agriculturual land (6%
of the country's agricultural land are organic). Development of organic production as an integrated part of Danish
agricultural policies since the mid 1980s. An active research policy for the sector since the mid 1990s: creation of the Danish
Agricultural Research Centre for Organic Farming (DARCOF, 1996), since 2008 International Centre for Research in Organic
Food Systems (ICROFS).
Latest news: FP7-KBBE-2010-4
Call from July 30 2009
Indicative budget: 190 million €
organics
biotech*
sustainabl*
agro-ecology*
10 x
66 x
88 x
0x
Organics AND low input :
6 million €
= 3.16%
Transition pathways :
1.5 million €
= 0.79 %
Agroecological approaches :
?
genetic engineering and agroecology are two different technological paradigms
Technological
paradigm
Genetic engineering / biotech
agroecology
research model
« taylorized », standardised research (ex.
sequencing), complexity at the gene and
cell level, more short term, specialisation,
restricted interdisciplinarity
context-dependent research,
complexity up to the ecosystem level,
more long term, large interdisciplinarity
implicite objective
engineering plants: improvement of single
elements of agroecosystems
engineering systems: improve the
structure of the agroecosystem, rely on
ecological interactions and synergisms
scientific paradigm
positivism, reductionism
ecology, holism
ex. of subtrajectories
BT insect resistant plants, herbicide
tolerant plants, etc.
biological control of pests, cultivar
mixtures, agroforestry, habitat
management techniques, etc.
underlying economic
assumptions
growth, competitiveness, global finance,
free trade, IPR systems (e.g. patents),
creation of spin-offs
sustainability, not linked to growth and
competitiveness, fair trade, open
access to knowledge
other (technical)
developments
favoring it
use of pesticides, monoculture,
standardisation of agriculture, IT
organic farming, small farms, IT
leitmotiv
modernisation, little need for knowledge
from past agricultural systems
improvement of current systems by
valuing past systems
(Vanloqueren, Baret, 2009)
« Is it just too simple,
not making enough use of high technology? »
(Wolfe, 2000)
The overall organisation of research systems, the existing agricultural system, the
dominant perception of progress and innovation are broadly more in favor of
genetic engineering and biotechnological agriculture than of agroecology and
organic farming.
=> need of 'fair' forecasting exercises to explore the potential contributions of the two
approaches and especially of agroecology (only very few scenarios exist on what would happen
by a massive promotion of agroecological innovations by S&T policy and agricultural policies)
=> innovation policies must take into account the importance of niches and the true value
of agroecological innovations (climate change, rising costs of energy, externalities) and
should reflect on changes in the dominant technological regime
=> need of breaking off the lock-in situation to allow the development of agroecology
=> need for a shared definition of agricultural sustainability
(Vanloqueren, Baret,
2009)