Regional Launch of Horizon 2020 Meeting EuroMed Common Challenges – Research and

Innovation Cooperation

Cairo 9 February 2014

Panel: Food and Sustainable Agriculture

Research valorisation, barriers and actions

Claudio Bogliotti

Where are we ?

- Here again to take stock…..!

- Deciding and agreeing on need and priorities

-Still we do not know where we fail

-More focus on valorization, methods, actions and barriers

Recent references

• Inconet MIRA (FP7)

– Thematic workshops (2009-2011)

– Common Research & Innovation Agenda – CRIA, 2012 (Food, Water, Energy)

• Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Research and Innovation, Barcelona (April, 2012)

• Inconet MedSpring (FP7) ongoing

• Recent Ministerial conferences (5+5, CIHEAM)

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G8 and G20 Summits: more sophisticated coordination at global level is needed to meet the new challenge of food security. Upside-down scenario in comparison to what prevail in the last years of the 20th century when food seemed relatively plentiful. Uprising in some Mediterranean countries was initially triggered as riots for bread. Food is a socio-political concern, being not only a question of self-sufficiency but rather a problem of equal access. North-south dichotomy: production against large trade / food aid: no longer sustainable Above conditions must be seen as an opportunity to pool together resources of talent, knowledge and cultural heritage to develop “smart” rural areas and “smart” food-chain

The background in few tips

Reference

-) Euro-Mediterranean Conference Barcelona, 2012

-) CIHEAM Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Agriculture – 2012 and 2014

-) 5+5 Ministerial Meeting (2013)

• Sustainable development of rural and marginal areas with an

holistic approach

• Food culture and food sovereignty: reconciliation between modernity and tradition and family agriculture

• Increased capacity of access to markets by farmers

• Agri-food as market opportunity for new jobs in rural areas

• Biodiversity and phyto-sanitary protection

• Strong contribution from research for stable cooperation

The main view of EU-MED policy

Mediterranean Science, Policy, Research and Innovation Gateway

Euro-Mediterranean Expert Group (EMEG) of

more than 50 experts /organisations

Civil society

Open consultation

• Researchers, young researchers, students, policy makers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, associations, web communities

• Listen to often unheard voices and make good use of them with the aim of creating “participatory papers”

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• Sustainability in agriculture accounting for the right

integration of traditional agriculture, innovative technologies, organic farming, empowerment of rural communities.

• Policies and governance to integrate technologies with traditional food production systems.

• Innovation in local Mediterranean food chains.

Areas for valorizing research results

Opportunities for market and new jobs

• Precision agricultural technologies in all food value-chain.

• Quality certification via participatory / group certification.

• Pre and post-harvest early detection of pest/pathogens.

• Biotechnology for sustainable production of rich protein crops.

• EU-MED pedo-climatic conditions for sustainable food production.

• Rich protein microorganism’s interactions for nutritional value .

• Local biodiversity to adapt to climate change

• Competitive local traditional food.

• Long food shelf life techniques

• Bio-districts to boost rural economy for creating new jobs

Private-public-society partnerships

• Farmers and food producers.

• Consumers associations.

• Food and biotech industry / SMEs.

• Academia and research centers.

• Investors.

• Ethical groups of buyers.

• Policy makers and local authorities.

• Women associations.

Networking & Communication • Low culture in communication leading to inappropriate communication methods,

media and languages to disseminate research results. • Week interaction between academia, industry/SMEs and final users. Management & Institutional responsibility • Conservative research policies. • Lack of integrated financial support to the whole research cycle. Resources (financial/human) & Capacity • Fragmentation • Bureaucratic burdens that make project management a difficult and time-

consuming exercise.

Responsiveness to users’ needs • Research is not dealing with concrete problems on the ground. • Lacks of beneficiary and target group involvement in research design. • Insufficient demand for use of research results from SMEs.

Main barriers

Networking & Communication • Creating clusters for research and promoting staff exchange, mobility programs. • Increasing technology awareness, communication and dissemination using ICT tools (mobiles,

media, WEB) as well as through social campaign. Management & Institutional responsibility • Decentralizing programs at local level to be closer to the field needs. • Promoting methods for multi-disciplinary stakeholders involvement and ownership. • Promoting advocacy addressed to national governments to create a tax system enabling

research for SMEs. Resources (financial/human) & Capacity • Coaching of researchers, especially young researchers, and experts to ensure knowledge

share and consultancy services. • Providing travel grants for young scientists to prepare collaborative research proposals. Responsiveness to users’ needs • Enhancing ICT and DSS solutions responding to transparency and research-society mutual

trust in resources management. • Facilitating development and empowerment of rural community and marginalized groups. • Encouraging SMEs in research projects providing ad hoc research modules for start-ups.

Actions

Overarching paradigm

“Integrated development and rehabilitation of

rural arid and semi-arid areas capitalizing on

sustainable agriculture including traditional and

organic farming, empowering rural communities

and valorizing agricultural resources”

LINKS / NEXUS

Water

Climate

Energy

Logistics

Cross-cutting issues

Thank you for the kind attention

www.ciheam.org

www.iamb.it

www.medspring.eu