Program on Sustainable Food and Biomass Systems

The world faces enormous challenges of supplying food and biomass in a sustainable manner under the escalating pressures of climate change, environmental degradation and population dynamics. In addition, Covid19 was a reminder that the world needs to be better prepared for next pandemics of human, animal and plant diseases as well as other disasters that can disrupt food supplies. Part of that preparedness will be to complement existing food systems with sustainable local food systems.

Addressing these challenges requires transformative change and unprecedented innovation as well as integrated strategies for sustainable food and biomass systems.  On the EU-level such integrated initiatives include the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the EU 2030 Biodiversity strategy,  “Food 2030” and the July 2020 European Council decision on the Recovery Plan.

Critical to successful development and implementation of integrated strategies for sustainable food and biomass systems is that they are multidisciplinary, based on evidence and impact assessment, developed in a transparent and inclusive manner, including developing country perspectives.

In the context described above, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has established a program to support the preparation and execution of multi-disciplinary research and education initiatives on sustainable food and biomass systems.

While the projects developed with the support of the program will vary in nature, they will have several common characteristics, such as:

1. multi-disciplinary and integrative: drawing upon all relevant disciplines and strengthening synergy between education and research
2. collaborative and open: developed and conducted in collaboration between universities and research institutes in the EU and beyond, in consultation with other relevant organisations, and applying to the extent possible the concept of Open Science.
3. Evidence based and results-oriented: aimed at providing decisionmakers and other stakeholders with substantiated, tangible tools to make informed decisions, including decisions that involve ‘trade offs’ between different aspects of sustainability.
4. Serving a broad audience, including researchers, educators, students, policy makers in national, EU and international organisations, private sector actors, farmers, and the general public.

The program will provide support to the development and execution of the multidisciplinary projects by:

• Bringing together a consortium of interested research and education groups at universities and public research institutes.
• Collecting and sharing topics that could be addressed in the projects.
• Preparing proposals for multi-disciplinary projects and promoting coherence in the development and execution of the projects.
• Communicating with national-, regional and international organisations to share information and views relevant to the program and the projects.
• Assisting, through collaboration with specialised departments, with the identification of potential budgets and application for funding.
• Conducting outreach activities, such as debate events and participating in other fora.

The program works as follows: When there is a convergence of suggestions from consortium members and/or other organisations for topics to be addressed in a multidisciplinary project, the program leadership will produce a brief outline for a project and discuss that with departments specialised in funding. If these departments assess that there are realistic avenues to obtain funding, then the outline will be sent to the consortium members, with the invitation to indicate interest and relevant expertise. When there is sufficient interest and expertise among consortium members, then a full project proposal will be prepared in collaboration with interested consortium members and funding departments. During the drafting process, other stakeholders (e.g. organisations and private sector) may be approached to explore collaboration. After finalisation of the project proposal, the program leadership will work with the funding departments to finalise and submit the proposal.

The VUB Multidisciplinary Program on Sustainable Food and Biomass systems is coordinated by the office of the vice-rector for Research.

Feedback on the program and indications of interest in participation can be sent to:

Prof. Piet van der Meer

The heart of the program is a consortium of groups at universities and public research institutes multi-disciplinary research and education projects on sustainable food and biomass systems.

While it is the collective of input of the consortium members that decides whether proposals for projects will be developed, other stakeholders can participate in the projects.

The current 100+ consortium members are:

1. Institute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
2. Laboratory of Plant Genetics, Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
3. Brussels Human Robotics Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
4. Centre for Private and Economic Law, Law Faculty, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
5. Social and Cultural Food Studies (FOST), Department of History, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
6. MOBI research group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
7. Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering (IR-HYDR), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
8. Department of Business – Marketing & Consumer Behavior, Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
9. Research group Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
10. Marine Biology (WE-DBIO), Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
11. Community Ecology (WE-DBIO), Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
12. Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
13. Functional Ecology of Plants and Ecosystems (WE-DBIO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
14. Research Group of Industrial Microbiology and Food Biotechnology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
15. Laboratory of Analytical, Environmental and GeoChemistry (AMGC), Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
16. Multidisciplinary Institute for Teacher Education (MILO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
17. EnvEcon, Departement of Engineering Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp, Belgium
18. PhotoBioCatalysis Unit at Crop Production and Biocatalysis Lab (CPBL)-Science, Biomass Transformation Lab (BTL)-EIB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
19. Crop Nutrition Unit at Crop Production and Biostimulation Laboratory, Interfacultary School of Bioengineers, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
20. BioMatter – Research group for biomaterials and tissue engineering, Faculty of engineering, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
21. LL.M. in International Business Law, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
22. Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis & Drug Discovery (PBDD), Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
23. Plant Physiology and Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Interfaculty School of Bioengineers, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
24. Laboratory on Landscape, Urbanism, Infrastructures and Ecologies (LoUIsE), Faculty of Architecture, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
25. Agroecology lab, EIB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
26. Laboratory of Applied Molecular Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium
27. Department of European, Public and International Law, Faculty of Law, Ghent University, Belgium
28. Laboratory of Biochemistry and Glycobiology, Ghent University, Belgium
29. Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium
30. Centre for Synthetic Biology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium
31. Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT Europe, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
32. Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Belgium
33. Transversal activities in Applied Genomics, Scientific Directorate Expertise and Service provision, Sciensano, Belgium
34. Service Biosafety and Biotechnology (SBB), Scientific Directorate Expertise and Service provision, Sciensano, Belgium
35. Laboratoire de Physiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire des Plantes Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
36. Technology Transfer Office Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
37. Ghent European Law Institute (GELI) Ghent University, Belgium
38. Interdiciplinary BioSciences Expert Group; including Microbiology (MIC) unit and Biosphere Impact Studies (BIS) unit Belgian Nuclear Research Center, Belgium
39. ILVO
40. RADIUS Thomas More University of Applied Sciences
41. RADIUS Thomas More University of Applied Sciences
42. Group of Biotic Stress, Plant Virology, Agrobioinstitute, Sofia, Bulgaria
43. Department of Agro-ecology Agricultural University of Plovdiv.
44. Department of Plant physiology, biochemistry and genetics Agricultural University of Plovdiv.
45. Renewable energy sources, climate and environmental protection Energy institute Hrvoje Požar
46. department of Crop Management Systems, Crop Research Institute Czech Republic
47. Research Group Agricultural Systems and Sustainability, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
48. Danish Centre for Rural Research, The Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics (SEBE) University of Southern Denmark
49. SME
50. Laboratorio de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
51. Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC) Giza, Egypt.
52. Microbiology, Biotechnology, and Molecular Biology CY Cergy Paris Université
53. Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
54. Institute of Political Science, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
55. Hohenheim Research Center for Bioeconomy, Universitaet Hohenheim, Hohenheim, Germany
56. Department Physiology of Yield Stability, Institute of Crop Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Universitaet Hohenheim, Hohenheim, Germany
57. Institute for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology (SB) Julius Kühn-Institut, Germany
58. Law University of Bayreuth, Germany
59. Constitutional and Administrative Law, Public International Law, European and International Economic Law, University of Passau, Passau, Germany.
60. Veterinary Faculty, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
61. Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
62. Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
63. Food & Agriculture Foundation, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India
64. Plant & AgriBiosciences Research Centre (PABC), Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
65. Plant molecular Biology and Environment, Department of Science and Health, Institute of Technology Carlow, Carlow, Ireland
66. Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
67. Institute of Forestry Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Lithuania
68. Université du Luxembourg
69. Centre for Research and Innovation, Quest International University Perak (QIUP), Malaysia
70. International and European Law, Faculty of Law Maastricht University, Netherlands
71. Maastricht Centre for European Law, Maastricht University, Netherlands
72. Food Claims Center Venlo, Maastricht University, Netherlands
73. Maastricht Working on Europe/Studio Europa Maastricht University, Netherlands
74. Institute for Agricultural Research Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
75. NTNU Food Forum, NTNU-Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
76. Department of Sociology and Political Science NTNU-Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
77. Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), College of Agriculture and Food Science, UPLB University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), Philippines
78. Institute of Computer Science (ICS), College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), Philippines
79. Department of Polish and European Industrial Property Law, Institute of Law Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
80. Department of Agronomy, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland
81. Research Department, Breeding and Virology Lab Statiunea de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Pomicultura Bistrita, Romania
82. Agriculture and rural economics Romanian Academy-Institute of Agricultural Economics, Bucharest, Romania
83. Department of Agronomy, Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVC), Serbia
84. The Faculty of Economics Subotica, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
85. Forest Research Institute National Forest Centre, Slovakia
86. Crop Science Department , Kmetijski Institut Slovenije - Agricultural Institute Of Slovenia
87. Department of Animal Science University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Slovenia
88. Citriculture and Crop Production, Instituto Valenciano De Investigaciones Agrarias, Spain
89. Center of Agriculture and Engineering, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Spain
90. Center of Agrobiodiversity, University Polytechnic of Valencia (COMAV), Spain
91. Department of Plant Breeding, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, Sweden
92. Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Developmen GMV University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology Gothenburg, , Sweden
93. Biotechnology/Synthetic Biology Lund University, , Sweden
94. Research Division Agroecology and Environment, Biosafety Research Group Agroscope, Eidgenössisches Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung WBF, Switzerland
95. FoodOmics Laboratory, Food Engineering Department, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
96. International Food Biosafety and Biotechnology Research and Extension Center, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey, Beytepe Campus
97. General Directorate, Sustainability Tekfen Agri, Turkey
98. Crop and Natural Resources program; Livestock and Fisheries program; and Technology Promotion and Outreach program, Mukono Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute, NARO, Uganda
99. Innogen Institute, University of Edinburgh and The Open University, UK
100. Crop Genetics and Crop Transformation Group , John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
101. Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, UK
102. School of Engineering University of Warwick, United Kingdom
103. School of Life Sciences,  University of Warwick, United Kingdom
104. Department of Statistics University of Warwick, United Kingdom
105. Food GRP team University of Warwick, United Kingdom
106. Research and Innovation Directorate University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe

The way in which the program works is that in continuous communication with consortium members and other organisations topics pertaining to sustainable food and biomass systems are collected and discussed. When there is a convergence of suggestions from consortium members and/or other organisations for one or topics to be addressed in a multidisciplinary project, the program leadership will produce a brief outline for a project.  

The section Topics below gives a summarised overview of the type of topics that have been suggested. The section Initiatives gives a summary of submitted initiatives and of initiatives under preparation or consideration.

The list below is a summary of topics that consortium members and other organisations suggested to be addressed in multidisciplinary research and education projects.
The topics have been grouped as: 1) Cross cutting topics 2) Production, 3) Processing and Distribution, 4) Consumption and 5) Post consumption.

The list below is intended to give a flavour of the type of suggested topics and to serve as a source of inspiration for the projects to be developed under the program. The list below does not pretend to be comprehensive or fixed. Suggestions for additions, updates and/or fine tuning of the tables are warmly welcome.

1. Cross cutting topics  
   1. General, e.g.:  Long term trends in food production and population dynamics; Comparative impact of various systems; Energy and natural resources use; Economic and trade aspects; Socio-economic aspects;
   2. Governance
   3. Research and Innovation
       
2. Production  
   1. Strengthening current farming practices, e.g. Agro-ecology; Integrated Pest Management; Digitalisation in agriculture; Precision farming; Agro-forestry; Robotics in agriculture and food production; Phototonics in agriculture and food production; Utilising Plant-microbe partnerships; Improving Soil quality; Restoration agriculture; Carbon Farming; Sustainable Intensification
   2. Improving seed/ planting material, e.g.: Seed security and diversity; Long term trends in crop improvements;  Improving agronomic characteristics of plants; Improving food quality characteristics of plants; Improving processing characteristics in plants; New breeding techniques
   3. Agriculture on marginal soils, e.g :  Breeding crops for saline soils; Beneficial plant-microbe interactions;
   4. Urban and peri-urban agriculture, e.g.: City Region Food Systems; Indoor-Vertical farming
   5. Floating farms     
   6. Production through Fermentation processes, e.g.: Fermentation to contribute to climate neutral economy;  Fermentation to address EU protein deficiency; Cellular agriculture
   7. Animal breeding
   8. Improving fisheries and aquaculture, e.g.: Comparative carbon footprint farmed fish and seafood; Safeguarding aquatic genetic resources; Sustainable fishery through new technological approaches; Strengthening sustainable aqua-culture; Digitalisation in agriculture and fisheries
       
3. Processing and distribution
   1. Improving food-handling and processing, e.g.: Improving food curing; Improving food preparation techniques; Sustainable seafood handling and processing
   2. Shortening supply chains and improving distribution logistics
   3. Alternative distribution systems; weekly markets; web services; Local retailers; Reverse logistics; Farmgate sales
       
4. Consumption
   1. Long term trends in food consumption
   2. Food chain safety
   3. Improving current consumption patterns
   4. Reducing over-consumption of protein and calories
   5. Alternatives for current meat consumption - insects, weeds, and commercial fishing bycatch
   6. Cultured meat
       
5. Post consumption
   1. Reducing food waste
   2. Improving waste treatment
   3. Reverse logistics

Initiatives under consideration

PhD-Plus

The proposed initiative will support the preparation and execution of PhD research projects aimed at strengthening sustainability characteristics of crop plants, whereby the Life Sciences research aimed at increasing the ‘technological readiness level’ (TRL), is complemented by a proactive, multidisciplinary ‘foresight’ component that addressesthe ‘product readiness level’, the ‘consumer readiness level’, and the ‘value-chain readiness level’.

Sustainability Governance

The initiative aims to develop a curriculum that offers multidisciplinary education and training on governance aspects relevant to sustainability, such as:  understanding the underlying science, developing data driven strategies, implementing strategies in an evidence-based way, consistent with international obligations, and governance of innovation under the motto ‘maximising benefits while minimizing potential risks’. 

The VUB program conducts outreach in multiple ways, such as:

• Organizing Debate events
• Participating in other fora
• Participating in events organised by others

Past events

• 15 December 2021: BrIAS-VUB program webinar “Long term, evidence-based governance for protein diversification”. 
  
  The environmental and health impacts of current production and consumption of food demand transformational changes of our food systems. Such transformational changes require long term, evidence-based food governance. This debate event explored options and tools for long term, evidence-based food governance, illustrated by the stated EU policy – as for example announced in the F2F strategy - to move towards a diversification of protein production sources and methods. Moderator: Dr. Frits Heinrich, FOST, VUB. 
  • Program
  • Presentation Prof. dr. em. Frank Deconinck, VUB
  • Presentation Prof. Piet van der Meer, VUB
  • Presentation Dr. Sabine van Miert, Thomas More 
  • Presentation Dr. Amin Shavandi, ULB
    
     
• 18 January 2021: UNICA – VUB Webinar “Applying Open Science in Research Projects”

  Description: The European Commission website refers to Open Science as “a transition in how research is performed and how knowledge is shared”.  The debate event provided further background on Open Science, and the related concepts of Open Data and Open Scholarship, and discussed to what extent these concepts can make science more efficient, reliable, and responsive to societal challenges. A webinar outline in discussion with universities and academia organisations such as UNICA, as well as relevant departments of the European Commission. (Link).

Events under consideration

• The impacts of food processing and fermentation on SDGs.
  
  Description: Food processing has been considered both as an important factor in contributing to sustainable food systems (e.g. by extending the ‘shelf life’ of products), and as a cause of health impacts.  The proposed debate event will discuss the potential health, environmental, economic and food security impacts of various forms of food processing and fermentation.
  
   
• The impact of food and biomass systems on the development of pandemics.
  
  Description: Practices such as ‘wet markets’, deforestation, irrigation dams, and intensive animal husbandry can result in an increase of such so called zoonotic diseases. As the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity stated at the occasion of World Health Day: “The lessons learned from COVID 19 and other epidemics tell us that we need  to fundamentally transform our collective relationship with the natural world to prevent, insofar as possible, future pandemic outbreaks”.  The proposed debate event will discuss this multifaceted challenge.
  
   
• EU Protein diversification         
  
  Description: The EU has had a protein deficiency for decades, for which it needs to import large amounts of proteins (e.g. soy) from outside the EU. Over the years there have been attempts to find alternative protein sources (e.g. growing lupines, process technology using micro-organisms). The proposed debate will discuss the various proposed alternative from various perspectives, such as self-sufficiency, agronomic, environmental and political impacts.
  
   
• Effect of changes in agricultural practices on nutritional profiles.
  
  Description: Changes in agricultural practices and alterations to our crops from the early 20th century onwards have also profoundly changed the nutritional profiles of our food (as analyses of herbarium and archaeological specimens in one of the FOST projects indicates) – this longer term trend should be included in the debate.
  
   
• Intellectual property in food and farm law – Transparency v. innovation.
  
  Description: IPRs range from the seed planted to the food consumed. “Patents on life” is a highly controversial topic as well as plant breeders’ rights, the handling of trade secrets and geographical indications. Data protection in food law has a whole different meaning than otherwise perceived. Unresolved is the question as to who owns and is able to exploit “big data” gathered on farmland and increasingly digitalised agricultural operations. Related to food and farm, IPRs become subject to passionate, but often ill-informed debate. Europe is challenged to find a suitable approach balancing inventors’ interests and citizens expectations.
  
   
• Farmland in the TFEU – National wealth or market commodity?
  
  Description: The real estate corollary to IPRs in the agro-food chain is ownership of farmland, investment in land and restrictions imposed by the regulator. Arable land and healthy soil is a much sought after commodity and increasingly subject to concentration and speculation. The ECJ/CJEU was on several occasions requested to reconcile the Treaty with national law. UNIDROIT is looking into the law of the farmland.
  
   
• Food private law
  
  Description: Unfair trading practices and contractual relationship in the food chain have recently become subject to EU legislation but food private law ranges much further and includes private standards, certification and audits establishing de facto global rules. So far, legal doctrine has not sufficiently looked into the complex legal structures thereby created and how it impacts back on food public law.
  
   
• Sustainable food  2023
  
  Description: Features for the legislative framework for sustainable food systems the European Commission wants to present 2023
  
   
• Peer review: What is it and what is it not?
  
   
• Data driven and Evidence based policy making and implementation.  
  
  Description: Evidence based policy making: what does it mean in practice. The ‘weight of evidence’ approach.
  
   
• Food safety
  
  Description: To ensure quality, food is subject to continuous monitoring in order to verify the quality of the food, to identify and control outbreak or ensure the freedom of choice of the consumer. Transversal/multidisciplinary approaches crossing all sectors (one health) is necessary for an efficient approaches as well the use of new tools like high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics .
  
   
• Food related Chronic diseases 
  
  Description: Chronic diseases (cancer, diabetes, obesity,  allergy, asthma…) are increasingly prevalent in developing nations. Searching the factors influencing  these diseases in link with alimentation, pathogen infection or environmental exposure , genetics and epigenetic as well biomarkers of exposures is crucial. Transversal/multidisciplinary approaches crossing all sectors (one health) is necessary for an efficient approaches as well the use of new tools like high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics is necessary for an efficient approaches.

Representatives of the VUB program participate in various fora related to sustainable food and biomass systems:

• The European Food Forum
• CBD Action Agenda
• The Sustainable Agriculture & Innovation Expert Committee of Reimagine Europa

The VUB program on sustainable food and biomass systems has conducted outreach through participation in events organised by others, such as:

• 12 May 2020, FAO North America and the University of Maryland webinar: “Synergies and Trade offs in Sustainable Agriculture”.
• 2 June 2020: MEP webinar AI in Farming: making the “Farm to Fork” agenda a global standard for sustainability?
• 5 June 2020: Joint WWF and OECD webinar “Nature-Based Solutions as a Force for a Green and Resilient Recovery”.
• 9 June 2020: EBCD Web-conference ''A circular bioeconomy: Providing solutions to the EU Green Recovery Plan''
• 24 June 2020: “Forest protection, biodiversity and artificial intelligence: what challenges ahead?”
• 2 July 2020: FAO Webinar FAO “Reducing Food Loss and Waste during COVID-19 and Beyond”
• 2 July 2020: webinar by the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development: “Initial reactions by key stakeholders to the Farm-to-Fork & EU Biodiversity Strategies”.
• 7 July 2020: webinar by the EP Intergroup “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development ''The tools to ensure the delivery of an ambitious green recovery plan''
• 10 July 2020: ICABR webinar “COVID-19 and the Bioeconomy”.
• 14 July 2020: FAO IFPRI webinar: “Transforming Food Systems for Affordable, Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All”
• 15 July 15 2020: ICABR webinar: Food, Energy and Essential Goods: A New Demand for National Security
• 22 July 2020: Agriculture & Progress Platform Webinar: “Plant Protection, Innovative Cultivation & Production, Sustainability: Challenges in Practice which Decision-Makers Need to Understand”.
• 23 July 2020: FAO webinar: "Critical Action for Nutrition Equity”.
• 29 July 2020: FAO and UNDP Digital Innovation Dialogue : Session 9 - FAO/UNDP Digital Solutions for Food and Agriculture. 
• 18 August 2020: IFPRI webinar “COVID-19: The role of the agriculture-ecosystem health interface”
• 27 Augustus 2020: Intergroup EBCD webinar “Food waste collections and the unintended consequences of plastic contamination to soil".
• 10 September 2020: CBD Webinar : "Building back better: protecting biodiversity, combating land degradation and mitigating climate change to reduce the risks of future pandemics, and the importance of a coherent approach"
• 22 – 24 September 2020: European Commission webinar: European Research and Innovation Days
• 24 – 25 September 2020: POLITICO Agriculture and Food Summit, Paris, France. (virtual)
• 30 September 2020: webinar by the EP Intergroup ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development’ "Integrating science into the EU Green Deal"
• 8 October 2020: The Club of Rome EU CHAPTER  Event ‘From Farm to Fork’
• 13 – 14 October 2020: Pufendorf Institute webinar: New genome editing technologies for medicine and agriculture – implications for society 
• 15 – 16 October 2020: EC webinar “The Farm to Fork 2020 conference”
• 15 October 2020: USDA webinar "Breeding for Sustainable Agriculture 101".
• 20 – 21 October 2020: Iowa State University webinar: Gene Edited Foods Gene Editing in Agriculture and Food: Social Concerns, Public Engagement and Governance 
• 26 October 2020: Forum for the Future of Agriculture webinar “Rewarding sustainability in the food system”.
• 10 November 2020: Euractiv webinar: “ Digital Farming: How can the EU turn ambitions into a reality?”.
• 13 November 2020: The Agriculture & Progress Platform webinar “Carbon Farming: How To Bring This Innovative Concept To Life? “
• 18 November 2020: Sustainable Agriculture Summit
• 19 November 2020: IUCN webinar "Cultivating Common Ground Between Agriculture and Conservation"
• 24 – 25 November 2020: EU project FIT4FOOD2030 Final Conference
• 9 December 2020: EFF webinar: " EU funding for research and innovation in the agri-food sector”.
• 14 January 2021: EFF Webinar debate "EU Farm to Fork Fireside chat on 2021 actions"
• 28 January 2021:GEO webinar “Farming from Space: Digital Innovation for Agriculture”
• 2 February 2021: IFPRI – ICARB webinar: “How can public food and agricultural research institutions be strengthened and rebuilt after the COVID-19 pandemic?”
• 23 January 2021: ELO-MEP webinar: "2021 Innovation Conference: Farm to Fork Strategy, what role for Agri-innovation? ".
• 10 February 2021: UNICA webinar "Interdisciplinary and intersectoral education in modern universities"
• 4 March 2021: Euractive webinar: ”What are the realities of the biodiversity and farm to fork strategies?”
• 17 March 2021: European Parliament Intergroup webinar on “Empowering the circular bioeconomy through the EU Green Deal
• 23 March 2021:CBD webinar Second Stakeholder Open Webinar on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
• 13 april 2021: webinar: fifth Science Policy Forum for Biodiversity and the eighth International Conference on Sustainability Science
• 26 April 2021: Nobel Prize Summit Our Planet, Our Future
• 4 May 2021: EP Intergroup event  on "Further improving farming sustainability via Integrated Pest Management: Challenges & opportunities ahead"
• 1 -2 February 2022: Online Info day on the 2022 AGRI Promotion Calls for proposals - Home (b2match.io)
• 3 February 2022: Horizon4 proteins event “Why (not) to eat? European consumers’ views on alternative proteins”
• 8 February 2022: Adelphi webinar: “Online discussion on alternative sources of protein”
• June 24 2022: EFF-EJD Event “Mirror measures: applying EU sustainability standards to imported agri-food products”
• June 29 – 2 July 2 2021: ICABR 25th annual conference: “The role of the bioeconomy in generating resilience and sustainable development”, Ravello, Italy.
• 12 – 13 July 2021: EU online dialogue on sustainable food systems
• 11 – 15 October 2021: Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), Kunming, China. (virtual)
• 29 September 2022, POLITICO’s annual “Future of Food and Farming Summit”. Webinar