Mapping agricultural and food research across Europe
Agricultural and food research involves a plethora of disciplines and issues, ranging from food production to nutrition and health, and from natural resources management to rural development. Pinpointing the research needs, pitfalls and priorities in each country would improve the utilisation of the research potential and enable actors to address challenges regarding climate change and alternative energy sources. The EU-funded ‘Mapping and foresight of agricultural and food research capacity in the new member states and in the candidate countries’ (EU-AGRI Mapping) project primarily aimed to map the research capacity across Europe. A survey was conducted among European research establishments in order to portray the current state and future prospective of the agricultural and food research. Study results indicated that northern European countries had incorporated new policies regarding energy, climate change and biodiversity as well as technological challenges faster than the rest of Europe. Dissemination of practice and experience could prove beneficial to the countries that are currently implementing changes in their research systems. The project proposed that this could only be achieved through a common database with relevant information that would help the research community to identify collaborations, organise consultations and implement emerging challenges in the field. Additionally, it was stressed that the new EU Member States lack the correct infrastructure to support research, indicating the strong need for reinforcement in that area. Overall, the EU-AGRI Mapping study confirmed the need for more efficient coordination of research planning and funding across Europe. Although countries may present with different climate conditions, they certainly face common agricultural challenges that could be addressed with a pan-European agricultural policy.
