What levers actually change food systems? We know more about the relationships between fungi and bacteria underground impacting food systems than we know about the relationships among human actors that can drive change in food systems. As part of a panel (with Susanne Padel & Kirstine Hartvig Mahler) on bringing together science and practice I shared what I think is missing in research on organic food & farming. This was part of the Organic Food Quality & Health conference in Copenhagen, covering about everything outside of specifically agricultural research: https://lnkd.in/d9usXr9b The key themes were great: ➡Impact of organic farming and processing for nutrient density ➡Organic Districts ➡Consumption, markets and value chains ➡Public procurement of organic food ➡Organic as part of transition to healthy diets ➡Organic policies ➡True Cost Accounting Speaking on behalf of IFOAM - Organics International, and sharing my own views, I shared what’s missing. Most importantly, research into the primary levers of food systems change—levers that actually makes things happen!: 💡 What critical elements make political ecosystems more positive towards organic policy? (What collaborations, alliances, approaches, stakeholder platforms…….) There is no research today that can explain why some nations develop broad organic policy frameworks, and others have none. 💡 What critical elements make market ecosystems work for organic success? There is no significant research today that can explain why organic market development has been so strong in countries like Denmark, and not in others. That’s a problem. 💡What critical elements make the farming ecosystem more positive towards organic farming? What motivates farmers to transition to organics? 💡 Finally, we have to go back 20 years to find much research on organic organizations. Yet organic associations are key catalysts in the above three ecosystems and levers of change. So why not study them? We need to document and spread best practices in all of these areas! We also need more research in: 💡 Nutrient density specific to organic. 💡 Organic entrepreneurship as a driver for organic food & farming, particularly among women & youth in the global south. 💡 Models for integration of outcomes metrics into organic certification as basis for company ESG reporting, including approaches combining practice-guarantees like organic as science-based proxies for outcomes. 💡 Models for true cost accounting elements to create more level playing fields in the market e.g. fees on pesticides & synthetic nitrogen, lower VAT. 💡 Research on effective strategies for market access for smallholder farmers, particularly in the global south (Participatory Guarantee Systems, grower group models, cooperatives). 💡 We also need greater coordination and capacity building in organic research globally and greater interaction with organic sector actors about research needs in efforts like TP Organics. Photo: Coop Danmark
Your insights on the need for research into the critical levers of food systems change are spot on! 🌱 I’m particularly intrigued by how political ecosystems can be shaped to support organic policy. What strategies have you seen that successfully foster these positive environments? On a different note, would you be interested in investing in real estate? Please feel free to send me a connection request if so!
Since the Capitalistic "Free Market" based food system hasn't been able to provide enough food for all people on this planet, things need to fundamentally change. It's clear that a failing system can't be improved by fiddling around with some tweaks here and there. We need to have more research into the implementation of a regenerative agricultural model, based on organic food production for everyone. Food should be a human right. Because privately held organisations have just not been good enough to deliver food to everyone on the planet, they clearly prove on a daily basis that taking care of the world population is absolutely not their forté. How much patience do we have to develop before the excuses for this will stop them from delivering.
Great summary. And I think it's also worth taking a clear-eyed assessment of where the opposition is coming from, how it is being funded, what makes it effective, and how to rebut it.
Great insights, Paul Holmbeck. Sorry I had to leave the conference a day ealier and missed the opportunity to meet you.
Organic districts..very interesting community adoption concept
Highly recommended
I really agree your suggestion! Let's make this happen.
Holmbeck EcoConsult * Organic policy & market strategies * IFOAM World Board Member * Climate & Food Security
1moIFOAM Organics Europe, Maria Gernert, Eduardo Cuoco, Cesare Zanasi, Jakob Sehested, Niels Halberg, Bram Moeskops, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Rodale Institute, Jeff Tkach, Ivana Trkulja, ICROFS - International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems, David Gould, Darko Znaor, Sonja Karoglan Todorovic, Raffaele Zanoli, Elena Panichi, John Thøgersen, Sinne Smed, Gabor Figeczky, Ravi R. Prasad, Andrés Felipe González, Faris Ahmed, Lauren Baker, Global Alliance for the Future of Food, Susanne Padel, Nic Lampkin, Agroecology Coalition, Oliver Oliveros, Fergus Sinclair, Global Alliance for the Future of Food, Lauren Baker, Ivo Degn, Philippe Birker