TP Organics newsletter

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1 TP Organics newsletter Dear TP Organics newsletter reader, It is my great pleasure to introduce, as Chair of the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament, this new TP Organics newsletter issue. Since its establishment in 2008, TP Organics has been of high interest for the European Parliament due to the great potential that organic food and farming has to significantly contribute to the EU 2020 strategy and its innovation union. The economic importance of organic agriculture is growing considerably in many countries in Europe as well as outside Europe. The European organic market has reached the 22 billion Euros in 2010 becoming one of the healthier economical sectors of the old continent. Without doubts, the organic sector has a great potential and it can contribute to the global value chain benefiting Europe. Engaging small medium enterprises, companies, stakeholders, NGOs and consumer/civil society groups appropriately, TP Organics has managed to align all the priorities of the organic and low input sector. This inclusive approach is giving to the platform the tools to be prepared to future challenges such as achieving food security, sustainable agriculture, resource efficiency, etc. Indeed, TP Organics offers a new interdisciplinary approach which fosters new solutions for the enlarged agrisector. The level of engagement and commitment of the TP Organics members, the openness and the transparency of its activities have inspired me to host Organic solutions for sustainable agriculture, the next stakeholder forum organised by TP Organics to be held on 25 June in the European Parliament. The half-day event will serve as a discussion forum to set the priorities of the organic and low-input food & farming sector for the first Horizon 2020 working programmes and the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for "Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability". I would be very honoured to welcome you in the European Parliament on 25 June. Yours sincerely, Content summary: Latest from TP Organics Activity Report 2012 Conclusions from the Organic Days in Cyprus Event TP Organics Workshop: BioFach 2013 Core Organic+ Priority Topics Horizon 2020 Advisory Board FACCE-JPI Upcoming activities Stakeholders Forum June 2013 Agroecology Conference June European Organic Congress July 2013 IFOAM EU Sustainable Rural Development Training Days Event Latest from Brussels Update on Horizon 2020 Update in European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Call ERA-Net SUSFOOD Other Calls TP Organics supporters Become a supporter! Credits TP Organics Newsletter is published and edited by TP Organics Editor: Eduardo Cuoco Authors: Eduardo Cuoco, Bram Moeskops, Silvia Schiavon and Marco Schlüter Paolo De Castro Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament To remove your name from our mailing list, please send an to: info@tporganics.eu subject: no newsletter Questions or comments? us at info@tporganics.eu or visit

2 Latest from TP Organics TP Organics Activity Report 2012 Thanks to the support of all our members and donors, 2012 has been a very successful year for TP Organics! Here is an overview of all we have achieved: TP Organics started 2012 with the creation of a brief for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) describing the main issues to be improved in Horizon 2020: 1. Promote resource conservation rather than resource efficiency 2. Preserve the diversity of food production 3. Recognise the impact of food habits on health 4. Promote a broad and inclusive understanding of innovation) This briefing has served as a basis for the formulation of concrete proposals for amendments to the legal texts of Horizon On 20 March, TP Organics presented its demands at a public hearing of the ITRE Committee (Industry, Research and Energy), the European Parliament's leading committee for Horizon In coalition with a big alliance of civil society organisations, TP Organics organised a conference in the European Parliament on 7 June at which our demands were again put forward. Furthermore, TP Organics had several other meetings with key MEPs of the ITRE Committee. Thanks to our efforts, 23 of TP Organics' amendments were approved at the end of November by the ITRE Committee. The next steps in the legislative process are the vote in plenary session of the European Parliament and the process of co-decision with the Council. In 2012, TP Organics became a key player in the area or agricultural research. TP Organics became a member of the advisory board of the Joint Programming Initiative 'Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change' (FACCE-JPI) and of the ERA-Net SUSFOOD (Sustainable Food Production and Consumption). In particular FACCE-JPI is an important transnational initiative that aims to align the research agendas of the EU and Member States in the field of agriculture, food security and climate change for the following programming period and beyond. TP Organics was also co-organiser of the Commission's conference 'Organic and Low-Input Agriculture: Implementing Innovation to respond to EU Challenges' that took place on 25 September in Cyprus. The conference provided the organic research community the opportunity to discuss with representatives from the European Commission how Horizon 2020 and the EIP for Agriculture should be implemented and what should be the place of organic and agro-ecological innovation in it. Thanks to the efforts of TP Organics, calls for organic research were included in the FP7 Cooperation Work Programme 'Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnologies' for Two national platforms for organic research & innovation have been established in 2012, one in Spain and one in Germany. TP Organics was present at the kick-off meeting of both platforms. Finally, TP Organics, in collaboration with IFOAM EU and ARC 2020, conducted the project Agro-ecological innovation: from best practice exchange to policy frameworks. The project kicked-off with a questionnaire in six languages to collect experiences with the exchange of agro-ecological knowledge. The outcome of the questionnaire served as a basis for discussions at a workshop in July. Participants came to the conclusion that: 1. Farmers should be rewarded when contributing to research and research policy 2. More efforts should be made to include consumers and citizens in innovation partnerships 3. Innovation is not only about technology; it also includes social and other types of innovation. The next step in the project was the publication of a promotional brochure in English and French with 10 examples of successful agro-ecological innovation and a website was developed to host a database of agro-ecological projects in Europe, and a toolbox with reports and slideshows on the subject. The project was closed with an event on 15 November 2012 at which several Commission officials were present, including Antonio Di Gulio, the Acting Director of the Biotechnologies, Agriculture and Food Directorate of DG Research & Innovation.

3 BioFach Workshop "Preparing the organic and agro-ecological sector for the new EU research and innovation policy" The EU Commission is now fully preparing for the implementation of Horizon 2020 and the EIP for Agriculture. At Member State level, ministries have started consultations with the sector. In order to prepare the organic sector for the new EU research & innovation policy, TP Organics organised a workshop at BioFach in February. The workshop started with an overview by Hans-Jörg Lutzeyer (DG Research & Innovation) of the structures of Horizon 2020 and the EIP for Agriculture. Next, IFOAM EU Director Marco Schlüter explained that DG AGRI will have a much more important role in the agricultural research programme than it had in the past. Finally, Bram Moeskops presented the way ahead towards TP Organics' Action Plan for Innovation and Learning. The Action Plan will demonstrate the innovation potential of organic farming and agro-ecology and present a vision on agro-ecological learning and innovation. Based on this analysis, TP Organics will make policy recommendations regarding the implementation of Horizon 2020 and the EIP Agriculture. The second part of the workshop served to exchange experiences with the EIP for Agriculture at regional level. A positive message came from Flanders (Belgium) where funds will for example be made available for operational groups of farmers and researchers to jointly design research projects. Money for the actual implementation of the projects will have to come from other sources. In general, the set-up of the programme is considered open and transparent. This appeared, however, not to be the case in many other regions. TP Organics demands that the EIP for Agriculture be open for all stakeholders, including civil society, both at EU and regional level. TP Organics would like to know what the situation is in your Member State or region. Are you involved in the design of operational groups? Have you been in contact with your Ministry for Agriculture or Research? How will the EIP for Agriculture be implemented in your region? Send your input to bram.moeskops@tporganics.eu. Your information might be very instructive for people throughout Europe. Conclusions from the Organic Days in Cyprus Conference: Organic and Low Input Agriculture: Implementing innovation to respond to EU challenges The conclusions of the EU Commission's conference 'Organic and Low Input Agriculture: Implementing innovation to respond to EU challenges', co-organised by TP Organics, are now available at the website of TP Organics. This report has been provided by Bram Moeskops (TP Organics), Donal Murphy-Bokern and Les Levidow (The Open University). The report discusses how the European organic research community might position itself as we move forward into Horizon 2020 and the EIP for agriculture and considers how the European Commission could draw on this research community to implement these policy frameworks. The main conclusions drawn from contributions to the conference can be summarised as follows: The organic sector has grown significantly over the last decades and has become one of the most successful branches of the food and farming sector in the EU. Besides its direct positive impact on the environment, animal welfare and rural development, the organic sector continuously inspires other food systems to become more sustainable. Therefore the further development of the organic sector is in the interest of the EU. Research & innovation support for the organic sector should be increased.

4 Future EU-funded agricultural research & innovation should be guided by the concepts of eco-functional intensification and agro-ecology. Eco-functional intensification means making good use of beneficial ecosystem functions, such as biodiversity and soil fertility, and also maintaining these services. It is part of the wider concept of agro-ecology, which deals with the sustainability of the whole food system. Promoting eco-functional intensification and agro-ecology would significantly reduce the need for external inputs and reduce negative externalities. Besides the integration of organic principles, such as eco-functional intensification, in the wider agro-food system, EU research funds should also support the further development of specific methods and techniques directly relevant to the EU regulation for organic farming. A funding line of 5% of the proposed budget for agricultural research & innovation should be established for organic farming research & innovation. This figure corresponds to the 5% of agricultural land organically managed in the EU. The organic sector has the potential to account for 15-20% of agricultural land. In order to address the real needs of organic and low-input farming, appropriate participatory research approaches should be used. This requires much time on the part of researchers and of practitioners, who should appropriately be rewarded for the time invested. Knowledge exchange for organic and low-input farming should be improved. The European Commission can support this by establishing a dedicated thematic network under the EIP for Agriculture and/or by funding a knowledge management platform for the organic and low-input agriculture sector under Horizon 2020 TP Organics, the research and technology platform for organic food and farming has been very instrumental over the last years in identifying the research & innovation needs of the sector. It should be officially recognised as a European Technology Platform (ETP) by the European Commission. News from CORE Organic (by Ulla Sonne Bertelsen, CORE Organic project manager) Three years have passed since the CORE Organic II ERA-NET started and it will come to an end in August There are no plans to stop the collaboration and the CORE Organic network of funding bodies will continue. Fortunately, the European Commission planned to fund an organic Plus ERA-NET in its work programme for 2013, and the CORE Organic network The countries of the CORE Organic network has send in an application. The Plus implies that the European Commission will top up 33% of the funding with a maximum of 3 million euro. The network is very confident and expects a positive evaluation, and has planned to launch the Plus call of more than 10 million euro in January The partners in CORE Organic will continue except for Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland and Luxembourg. New countries/regions are Poland, Romania and Belgium (Wallonia). TP Organics will play an active role in the Plus project by providing input from the stakeholder side for the prioritisation of research areas. The first transnational research projects of CORE Organic II were initiated in These projects are now ready to communicate their first results, and therefore we are now re-starting the CORE Organic newsletter. You can follow the research projects via the website and by subscribing to the newsletter on the website. The coordinators of the 14 CORE Organic research projects will present their results and plans at a research seminar 15 May 2013 in Amsterdam. A key-note talk with the title Linking project results with stakeholders in the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System will be given by Krijn Poppe, co-chair of the SCAR- AKIS WG, Wageningen University, Netherlands. The seminar is open for all. Please find more details and registration form on the CORE Organic II website.

5 Priority topics for Work Programme 2014 / 2015 sent to Commission At the beginning of March, TP Organics has sent a list with 13 priority topics for the first Work Programme (2014 / 2015) of Horizon 2020 to the Commission. These topics were drawn from the Strategic Research Agenda published by TP Organics in 2009 and have been further developed based on discussions and a consultation in One of the most prominent proposals is for a European knowledge exchange platform for the organic and low-input food & farming sector. This platform should benefit farmers & companies, both from the organic and conventional sector and promote uptake of agro-ecological innovation. The project will also help research funders and researchers have greater impact on practice. In line with the themes of TP Organics' strategic research agenda, the other topics promote the empowerment of rural areas, enhance eco-functional intensification of agriculture and contribute to the production of healthy food. It is important that the topics be promoted at national level as well. National programme committees have an important voice in the selection of topics at EU level. You can use TP Organics s as the basis of your presentation to the programme committee in your country. Report Advisory Board Meeting FACCE-JPI On 13 March, Bram Moerskops, TP Organics scientific coordinator, participated in the 2 nd Stakeholder Advisory Board of FACCE-JPI. During the meeting, TP Organics underlined the role of soil management in climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as the adaptation potential of local traditional plant varieties and animal breeds. Intercropping and crop rotation were presented as ways to increase resilience against erratic weather patterns, pests, diseases and weeds. Furthermore, TP Organics highlighted that innovation is not just about new technology; it can also be new combinations of existing knowledge, new way of cooperating and changes in behaviour. Finally, TP Organics stated that FACEE-JPI must better reflect how knowledge can better be brought to end-users (farmers, advisors and companies). The FACCE-JPI is an important Joint Programming Initiative, which endeavours to align the research funded by EU and Member States in the field of agriculture, food security and climate change for the following programming period and beyond. To this aim FACCE-JPI has recently published its own research agenda. The next action of FACCE-JPI will be the launch of the ERA-Net+ call on climate-smart agriculture at the beginning of October.

6 Upcoming activities Next TP Organics Stakeholders Forum TP Organics Stakeholder forum is organised in cooperation with the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network. SAVE THE DATE: TP Organics -Stakeholder Forum on 25 June 2013 in Brussels Please register here before 12 June 2013 Find the draft agenda here TP Organics is pleased to invite you to the upcoming Stakeholder Forum which will take place on 25 June 2013 in Brussels. The one-day event will serve as a discussion forum to set the priorities for the organic and low-input food & farming sector for the first Horizon 2020 working programmes and the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for "Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability". The stakeholders will also have the opportunity to provide input to the updated Strategic Research Agenda of TP Organics to be published at the end of Agroecology for Sustainable Food Systems in Europe: A Transformative Agenda SAVE THE DATE: June 26-27, 2013 at the European Parliament (Policy Session, June 26 th in the morning) and Université Libre de Bruxelles (Scientific Session June 26 th in the afternoon and June 27 th ) Organisers: Centre for Agroecology and Food Security of the Coventry University (CAFS, UK), European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER, Germany), Fondation Sciences Citoyennes (FSC, France), IFOAM EU (Belgium) Scientific Partner: TP Organics (Belgium) This event has the aim of indentifying key political, social and scientific elements required for the spread of agro-ecological models of production. The final goal is to reach a fundamental transformation of the agro-food system in Europe. This comprehensive, ecological approach to agro-food production challenges policy makers and researchers to look beyond the farm. Indeed, changing models of agricultural production per se is not enough, especially given the emerging context of peak oil, climate change, food and water scarcities, and economic recession. The challenge for Europe is to radically transform the entire food system, its support infrastructure (energy, water, waste sinks, resource recycling) and the socio-economic incentives. The 3 major European tools: CAP, EIP and Horizon 2020 will be therefore discussed. Shaping Europe's Organic Future Together: Making an impact on the EU organic legal framework within the future CAP. Register now, until the 30 of April you can have 20% of discount! Have a look to the programme here 2013 will be a key year for organic food and farming. The European Commission launched a review of the European legal and political requirements for organic food and farming, and a legal proposal to amend the current regulation ((EC) No 834/2007) may be submitted by the Commission to the European Parliament and Council at the end of The EU organic action plan from 2004 may also be updated. Together with the reform of the CAP, this will define a new political framework for organic food and farming in the EU. Contribute to the process! Your input at this congress will be used to feed into the IFOAM EU proposals provided to the Commission. Gathering opinions from and mobilising the European organic sector is thus the focus of the 7th European Organic Congress,

7 organised by the IFOAM EU Group in co-operation with the Lithuanian EU Presidency. We expect 250 people from the Commission, the European Parliament, Member states, the organic sector and agrienvironmental stakeholders. Useful discussions and lectures, excellent networking opportunities and Lithuanian culture await you. Looking forward to seeing you in Vilnius. July is the right time to act: let's shape Europe's Organic Future together IFOAM EU Sustainable Rural Development Training Days Event You can sign up for this event by completing the online registration form IFOAM EU is organising a 3-day programme of Sustainable Rural Development Training Days in Ireland on April. The programme is co-organised with Irish IFOAM EU members from the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association and the Organic Trust. In Ireland participants will visit a number of organic farms and businesses in the Leinster region on 23 April. A public seminar and strategy meeting on CAP reform and innovation policy will take place on April at European Union House in Dublin with a key focus on the implementation of new rural development programmes and the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability. Sustainable Rural Development Training Days is aimed at organic farming associations and other interested stakeholders. Latest from Brussels Update on Horizon 2020 After Europe s leaders came to agreement on the Union s financial framework , the news is that the budget adopted by the European Council for the Horizon 2020 research and innovation framework programme is expected to amount to billion. The Council slashed the budget of 80 billion initially proposed by the Commission by 12%. The total could be better, but nevertheless represents a huge step forward compared with the current seventh R&D framework programme. However, it is important to remember that the numbers are not yet final as the co-decision process is still in progress and it is too early to draw final conclusions. The budget agreement still needs to be approved by the European Parliament, and a number of parliamentarians have said they will block the current deal. Update European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability On 21 February, the High-Level Steering Board of the EIP for Agriculture met for the first time. In his conclusions of the meeting, Commissioner Cioloş recognised the divergent opinions about which agricultural model to follow in Europe. He underlined that these differences should not be flattened. Instead the diversity of production systems in Europe should be seen as an advantage. Next, Cioloş presented the four main challenges the EIP should tackle: Resource use efficiency The role of agriculture in society Sustainable value chains The need for an innovation culture Finally, Cioloş showed commitment to make sure Member States take up the opportunity provided by the EIP and include support to operational groups in their rural development programmes. Based on the discussions of the High-Level Steering Board, the Sherpa drafting team is now developing a Strategic Implementation Plan, which will be adopted by the Steering Board on 11 July.

8 ERA-Net SUSFOOD opens first call The first Joint Call for Proposals of the ERA-Net SUSFOOD (Sustainable Food Production & Consumption) has been opened on February 15 th, The deadline for submission of pre-proposals is May 3 rd, 2013 at 3 p.m. CET. Interested consortia must apply to at least one of the three following topics: 1. Improving input, waste and side flow strategies to increase resource efficiency and provide added value in food products and food processing, manufacture, reducing input (energy, water) in the food chain 2. Innovation in food processing technologies and food products to support a sustainable food chain 3. Understanding consumer behaviour to encourage a (more) sustainable food choice The call is divided into two sections: 1. "Research": open to consortia of only research organisations 2. "Research and Innovation": open to consortia of research organisations and enterprises A detailed description of the call topics, an overview of the participating countries, the timeline and budget table as well as a list of the national contacts are listed in the Call Announcement. WoodWisdom-Net launched 4th Call The WoodWisdom-Net Research Programme has announced a call for joint European research projects. The closing date for pre-proposals is 30 April, The main aim of the WoodWisdom-Net is the substitution of non-renewable resources (e.g. materials or fossil fuels), by renewable forest-based solutions to reduce carbon emissions and waste. The participation of commercial and industrial partners especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is strongly recommended to ensure the relevance of the research to technological development and to the needs of society. ERA-Net Bioenergy launched 7th Joint Call The ERA-Net Bioenergy launched a Joint Call for the following topics: 1. Small-scale systems for thermochemical biomass conversion to heat and power; 2. Small-scale solid biomass conversion: development and implementation of innovative CHP methods for solid biomass conversion; 3. Emission reduction technologies; 4. Systems combining small-scale bioenergy with other renewable technologies; The closing date for pre-proposals is 13 May, The funding for the call will be provided by Germany, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. ERANET+ Bioenergy Sustaining the Future (BESTF) launched call ERANET+ Bioenergy Sustaining the Future (BESTF) will provide funding to collaborative bioenergy projects that demonstrate at least one innovative step and will result in demonstration at a pre-commercial stage. Deadline for submitting Stage 1 proposal is 27 March Call for expressions of interest (CEI/AMI) The European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment has published the new Call for Expressions of Interest (C.E.I ). Objective: The purpose of this call is to provide the Commission with a list of pre-selected candidates who could be awarded with contracts in connection with activities related to the policy areas of the Directorate-General for Environment. Deadline: The list will be used until the 15th of January 2015, but the deadline for receipt of applications is the 15th of October For all the information please click here For any questions please contact env-clima-ami@ec.europa.eu or tel.: (+32-2)

9 The Platform is financially supported by: ROGAU Stiftung

10 Ekhagastiftelsen Become a supporter! The TP Organics supporters are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided. TP Organics is a dynamic network of European umbrella organizations, research institutes, national platforms, companies and civil society organizations. We are widely recognized by officials in the European Commission and members of the European Parliament. We have observer status in the ERA Net Core Organic II and are member of the advisory board of several other transnational research initiatives such as the ERA Net SUSFOOD and the JPI Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change. Each year, TP Organics works in order to include a number of proposals from its Strategic Research Agenda in the European Research Framework. We hope that you also have benefited from these calls and will benefit from future calls. Members of the platform and sympathizing scientists have invested and engaged time, money and efforts during the last years to build up the initiative, we are now looking for organizations to financially support the future work of TP Organics. You can become supporter of TP Organics starting at 500 If you are interested, contact the TP Secretariat who will provide you with the working programme for Thanks for your contribution to the success of TP Organics! TP Organics Technology Platform for Organic Food and Farming -