Stakeholders urge dedicated agri-food innovation budget in key upcoming EU funding

Industry stakeholders urge the EU to give agri-food a strategic role and provide the resources required for a sustainable, competitive transition of European agri-food systems in its upcoming Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10).

The European Technology Platform TP Organics emphasizes in new recommendations that FP10 should present a minimum budget of €200 billion (US$229 billion), with at least €20 billion (US$23 billion) dedicated to agri-food research innovation.

It adds that 30% of agri-food research funding should go to organic and agroecological priorities, as the EU Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production outlines. This will address issues of structural underfunding and unlock the sector’s full potential.

“Climate resilience, access to healthy and affordable food, and genuine food sovereignty all depend on research and innovation that puts farmers and citizens first,” says Dora Drexler, TP Organics steering committee member.

“A forward-looking FP10 that addresses societal challenges like sustainable food production is essential to Europe’s security and prosperity.”

TP Organics is among a few industry-led stakeholders’ fora recognized by the European Commission (EC) to enable knowledge transfer and aid European competitiveness. 

It stresses that organic and agroecological systems can provide scalable, science-based solutions that reduce input dependencies, improve farmers’ income, create rural employment, and boost climate resilience.

The organization highlights that these approaches have already guided key EU roadmaps, including EC’s Political Guidelines 2024–2029, the recommendations of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, and the new Vision for Agriculture and Food.

It adds that for research to match on-farm realities, adaptable technologies, and sound feedback loops, the FP10 must build on Horizon Europe’s successful multi-actor research and innovation model. 

The committee recommends that actors include farmers, advisers, researchers, SMEs, businesses, NGOs, and policymakers to help overcome acute geopolitical, economic, social, and environmental issues plaguing the F&B sector.