Balancing food security, bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity objectives to unlock sustainable value chains

This destination will support the EU Commission priorities ‘Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature’ and ‘A new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness’.

The destination supports the EU Green Deal^[1] and contributes to Europe’s competitiveness and sustainable prosperity by supporting the development of a more resilient circular economy in line with the EU Competitiveness Compass^[2], the announced EU Clean Industrial Deal^[3] and the EU Circular Economy Act.

It aims to increase market demand for secondary materials and establish a single market for waste, whilst enhancing Europe’s efforts to develop a single market for sustainable products. It will also support the implementation of the framework conditions set by the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.

Furthermore, the destination aims to facilitate the emergence and uptake of innovative, circular and bio-based materials, products, processes and value chains that play a key role for the defossilisation (reduction of feedstocks of fossil origin), climate neutrality and strategic autonomy of our economy, in line with the new EU bioeconomy strategy as well as with the New European Bauhaus.

In addition, this destination supports several key EU policies including the industrial strategy, the European Chemicals Industry Action Plan^[4] and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation^[5] and its working plan.

It also contributes to the EU Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative, the SME strategy, the communication on safe and sustainable by design framework, the sustainable blue economy, the European Ocean Pact^[6], the European Water Resilience Strategy^[7], the European Life Sciences Strategy, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, and the Nature Restoration Regulation.

Further support extends to the CAP, the EU forest strategy for 2030, the proposal for a Regulation on a forest monitoring framework, the EU proposal for a directive on soil monitoring and resilience, and the Vision for Agriculture and Food.

The destination supports unlocking the unique assets for research and innovation of the EU outermost regions, in line with the EU strategy for outermost regions^[8].

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes.

Expected impact: Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway contributing to “achieving healthy soils and forests, as well as clean air, fresh and marine water, whilst ensuring water resilience and the transition to a clean, competitive and circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy”, and more specifically to one or more of the following expected impacts:

• Improved climate change adaptation and mitigation through the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy and bioeconomy, underpinned by biotechnologies and sustainable industrial solutions, such as carbon capture and utilisation and recovery of materials, water and energy.
• Industrial competitiveness, sustainability and strategic autonomy are improved through the development of safe, sustainable, circular and/or bio-based value chains. This is done by promoting the efficient and circular use of secondary materials and water, fostering the multi-functionality of forests, and ensuring the sustainable supply of critical resources from land and sea.
• Living conditions for individuals and communities are improved through innovative, affordable and sustainable safe and sustainable by design products and services based on circular and/or bio-based solutions while demonstrating a reduction of environmental and climate pressures.
• Advanced societal transformation based on a systemic approach, as well as people’s involvement and integration of social sciences and humanities for fair, safe, sustainable and circular value chains, sustainable consumption patterns, environmental justice, gender equality and social inclusion.

[1] The European Green Deal - European Commission

[2] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/competitiveness-compass_en

[3] Clean Industrial Deal - European Commission

[4] European Chemicals Industry Action Plan – European Commission

[5] Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation – European Commission

[6] The European Ocean Pact - European Commission

[7] Water resilience strategy - European Commission

[8] COM(2022) Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions.

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• decision-makers have improved understanding of the impacts of bioeconomy and nature markets on the sustainability of the agricultural sector, food security, climate and biodiversity, as well as on land-use conflicts;
• society benefits from economic activities that align bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity objectives while safeguarding food security;
• farmers gain opportunities to diversify their production, their income and improve the environmental performance of agricultural production without compromising food supply;
• policymakers are better equipped to develop more effective, evidence-based agricultural and environmental policies.

Scope:

As the bioeconomy and nature markets gain importance, enabling diversification of value streams for farmers, policymakers must ensure that the growing use of agricultural biomass and agricultural land for non-food purposes (e.g., for the development of novel bio-based chemicals, compounds, materials, products and services, energy production, environmental services provision, carbon and biodiversity credits) does not compromise food security. For the purpose of this topic, nature markets encompass market mechanisms (e.g., nature credits as proposed in the Nature Credits Roadmap^[1], carbon credits, market-based payments for environmental services) mobilising private finance to create income streams for primary producers in return for undertaking actions supporting well-functioning ecosystem services (e.g., water quality and availability, biodiversity, climate). Strategies are needed to balance market incentives, safeguard food supply and the environment, and support farmers in diversifying incomes through sustainable business models and value chains. Successful proposals should support the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food, the Common Agricultural Policy, the new EU bioeconomy strategy, the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation and the climate and biodiversity objectives of the European Green Deal.

Proposals should:

• explore natural capital accounting methods integrating economics and nature into agricultural accounts, and their potential to support economic valuation, pricing and integration in decision-making of environmental services provided by farmers;
• analyse existing and develop new innovative business models and value chains from which farmers can derive fair value and new income beyond food and feed production. This work should include, among others, an assessment of their potential to integrate sustainable practices, enhance farm profitability and performance, and support the transition to a circular bio-based economy and the green transition, as well as an assessment of the market operators involved;
• when conducting the research/assessment, consider the potential of biomass residues and secondary biomass streams, including waste, as well as low value, unused or underutilised biomass, and land areas;
• conduct interdisciplinary research from farm to macro levels, encompassing economic, social, biodiversity and climate impacts, and provide analytical tools in particular assessing implications for:
  • farmers' income, decision-making and farm management including of its natural capital;
  • biomass supply and demand and threshold effects of market prices on production choices;
  • land-use conflicts and food security risks (covering the availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability dimensions), considering leakage effects and other potential conflicts of use (e.g. water);
• provide recommendations for the design of policies and sustainable business models and value chains. The recommendations should anticipate trade-offs and align bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity goals while safeguarding food security and ensuring that farmers can diversify and receive fair incomes. They should also respond to evolving consumer demand.

Proposals should ensure complementarities with ongoing relevant Horizon Europe projects and capitalise on existing relevant research findings and tools. Proposals should also ensure synergies with other relevant EU-funded LIFE and knowledge innovation projects, studies, pilot projects, initiatives and processes (e.g., Economic Accounts for Agriculture framework).

Proposals should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects selected under this topic (e.g., by participating in joint activities, workshops, as well as common communication and dissemination activities).

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach, with a consortium based on a balanced mix of actors with complementary knowledge, including farmers, researchers, farm accountants, and businesses.

This topic should involve the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines.

Proposals are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the data, expertise and services offered by European research infrastructures^[2] in the environment, biological & food domains.

[1] EUR-Lex - 52025DC0374 - EN - EUR-Lex

[2] The catalogue of European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) research infrastructures portfolio can be browsed from ESFRI website https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu/