European Union’s Farm to Fork Strategy
Sustainable food system for Europe
Description
The Europe-wide Farm to Fork strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal, which aims to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally friendly, and to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The strategy focuses on four main pillars: sustainable food production, sustainable food processing and distribution, sustainable food consumption; and food loss and waste prevention.
Technology
The strategy underlines the importance of connectivity and access to fast and reliable broadband internet. Aside from advisory services and financial instruments, the strategy advances digital agriculture through investments in research and innovation, and the modernization of the control of regulatory frameworks (e.g. statistics, food safety checks, etc.). (https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/)
Target
The strategy targets all levels of public administration (including cities, and rural and coastal communities), private sector actors across the food value chain, non-governmental organizations, social partners, academicians and the general public, recognizing that the transition to sustainable food systems requires a collective approach and that all actors can contribute to the implementation of the strategy and its initiatives.
Business model
The strategy supports digital agriculture through the incentives and support schemes provided by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) implemented at a Member State level (e.g. investments, direct payments to eco-schemes using smart farming technologies, knowledge transfer, cooperation, etc.).
Impact
As of 2024, no assessment of the impacts of the strategy had been made. The Farm to Fork Strategy aims to accelerate the sustainable transition of the European Union’s food system into one with a neutral or positive environmental impact; that supports the mitigation of climate change and its impacts; that contributes to the return of lost biodiversity; that ensures food security, nutrition and public health; and that preserves the affordability of food while generating fair economic returns, thus contributing to the competitiveness of the supply sector and the promotion of fair trade in the European Union.
Four Betters
Better production
Better nutrition
Better environment
Better life
