Prima strategic Research and Innovation Agenda Version February 22, 2017 Foreword
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- Strategic Context Overview of the current situation in the Mediterranean area
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PRIMA Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda Version February 22, 2017
PRIMA Vision Sustainable innovation in agri-food systems and water provisions strengthens Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and supports inclusive well-being and socio-economic development in Euro-Mediterranean societies To pursue such a vision, PRIMA promotes research and innovation across 3 pillars:
While specific areas of intervention and activities are suggested under each of these pillars, PRIMA will encourage research and innovation actions addressing the entire agri-food value chain in order to promote a sustainable use of the natural resources and market-competitive agriculture and food industry. This is a consequence, firstly, of the strong nexus between use of water and food productions. It also depends upon the need of innovation along the entire food value chain due to the deep social and environmental changes affecting the Mediterranean scenario. The PRIMA goal is to develop innovative solutions and promote their adoption for improving the efficiency and sustainability of food productions and water provision in order to support an inclusive well-being and socio-economic development in the Mediterranean Area within the framework of a reinforced Euro-Mediterranean co-operation. PRIMA relies on an ‘Open Innovation, Open Science and Open to the World’ approach, based on the active involvement of all components of the so-called Quadruple Helix (Universities and Research Centres, Small and Medium Enterprises -SMEs- and Large Industry, Government and Public Sector, and User Community and Lead Users), and the joint consideration of environmental, technical and socio-economic aspects. The Programme presents a long-term orientation, and aims at avoiding fragmentation and duplications in R&I activities in the fields of food systems and water resources in the Mediterranean. It will be implemented by a brand new and autonomous implementing structure, which will guarantee scientific, financial and management integration among initiatives in the field. At the same time, it takes advantage of experience, knowledge and feedback from previous European R&D programmes focused on the same topics. PRIMA recognizes the value of basic research to deal with Mediterranean challenges in terms of climate change, loss of biodiversity, exploitation of natural resources, urbanization. At the same time, the Programme will act as a catalyser for developing and demonstrating innovative, sustainable and economically feasible technologies and management models. The suggested sustainable innovations ought to be adopted by end-users and aimed at strengthening local agri-food systems. Novel and more efficient technologies, agronomical practices, as well as knowledge about the attributes that regulate the soil-ecosystem services are required, valorising biodiversity and biotechnologies for the production of improved and climate-proof plants and animals. New basic knowledge about plant and animal physiology and ecology is also needed, together with better understanding of the physical and biogeochemical processes currently limiting water availability and quality and food security, as well as of how to improve the management of land and available freshwater resources to prevent or recover pollution, erosion and ecosystem depletion. The historical, nutritional, and charming flavour of the Mediterranean diet needs to be preserved and reinforced. The healthy value of the Mediterranean diet relies on Mediterranean food diversity, consisting of a broad repertoire of raw materials, as the result of many different genotype/environment combinations, and of a heterogeneous processing industry. In this regard, innovation must valorise typical productions of high nutritional and economic value, through labelling and traceability technologies. PRIMA considers innovation relevant not only to better promote nutritional values of the traditional Mediterranean food products but also to develop new products and business models able to respond to the rapidly changing market preferences and new challenges of climate change. The most important feature of PRIMA is the participation of Countries from the three Continents around the Mediterranean rim according to principles of equal footing, mutual interest, shared benefits and co-funding. This will allow PRIMA to strengthen cooperation among researchers and peoples of the Mediterranean. Shared governance will contribute to the promotion of food security, a more sustainable use of natural resources and new business opportunities in the agri-food sector based on local values, supporting the development of the area and job creation, particularly for younger citizens. Because its multiple dimensions, the implementation and the outcome of PRIMA will be monitored making reference to the Agenda 2030 framework and Sustainable Development Goals. In short, Research and Innovation within PRIMA will be useful both to define technical and organisational solutions, and to promote wellbeing, economic growth and knowledge flows across the Mediterranean shores. For these reasons, PRIMA could give a contribution also to deal with root causes of migration and to reinforce social stability of the area.
Overview of the current situation in the Mediterranean area Mediterranean countries share a number of characteristics related to geographical and physical features, which make productivity of agricultural, forest and natural ecosystems vulnerable to climate change. Today, these areas are characterized by the presence of large arid and semi-arid zones, where severe to moderate water scarcity and soil degradation processes are accompanied by increasing problems of salinity and thermal stress, as well as by novel stress agents such as anthropic pollution. These agro-ecosystems have also been the result of long-lasting cultural and commercial influences, which have shaped the landscape of agriculture and environment across all countries of the Mediterranean region. Many of the problems that the agriculture of these countries are facing today are therefore common, and need to be addressed collectively. The population of Mediterranean countries has been steadily increasing over the last 50 years. It doubled from 250 million in 1960 to 513 million in 2015 mostly due to the demographic growth in countries of the Southern rim of the Mediterranean basin. This increasing trend will continue in the future: in 2025, the total population of the region is estimated to be around 600 million people (UN, World Population Prospects) with 2/3 of the population living in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean shores. While the ageing population issue is becoming a cause of increasing concern in the North of the Mediterranean, in the South creating jobs and new job opportunities for the young people is today the main societal challenge. It has been estimated, in fact, that over the next two decades 30 to 40 million new jobs will have to be created just to maintain the current rate of employment in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries (SEMCs) (World Bank, 2012). The increase of population has mainly occurred in urban areas and in particular along the coasts, both in the Northern and in the Southern shore of the Mediterranean. Increasing urbanization along the shores increases civil water needs, in competition with agriculture. However, in SEMCs, rural population is still increasing, suggesting that the development of rural activities is a key issue to fight poverty. The Mediterranean climate is characterised by infrequent rainfall (less than 100 days a year) that is unevenly distributed over time (long periods of summer drought) and sometimes quite sparse (about 300 to 500 mm per year in some semi-arid regions). Most climate change scenarios for the region call for decreased rainfalls and higher temperatures. IPCC forecasts for the Mediterranean area indicate a yearly temperature increase between 2 and 4°C and a decrease in rainfall between 4 and 30% by 2050. In the most pessimistic scenario, a significant decrease of more than 50% of water resources is predicted for Morocco, Algeria, Middle East and South of Spain (IPCC, 5th assessment 2013), while the frequency of extreme flood and drought events has already increased (IPCC). The impact of climate change on the precipitations concerns the whole Mediterranean area. With food insecurity back in the world headlines, agriculture has once again become a crucial concern in international strategies. Everywhere in the world, food and water security are fundamental challenges. On a global scale, managing scarcity will be the main challenge for food and water supply in the 2030 perspective. Demand for food is expected to be 50% higher in 2030 than in 2008. The Mediterranean area magnifies these challenges. Indeed, the Mediterranean area presents, among the others, alarming demographic trends, strong socio-economic disparities (between generations, between coastal areas and hinterlands, including different access to work), highly vulnerable market stocks for the food commodities prices, lack of investments in agriculture and in rural territories, insufficient of misused natural resources (water, soils) and inefficient logistics systems and agri-food chains. Furthermore, the market opportunities of products coherent with the Mediterranean diet are not fully exploited, and this happens when the role of sustainable diets for the wellbeing of people is becoming more and more relevant in all countries. It is now widely recognised that this complex situation is at the basis of migratory flows, as is likely to increase migration in the coming decades. The current situation of social and political turbulence in the Mediterranean basin invites us to reflect upon the challenges facing economies in EU’s bordering countries and the potential leverage for sustainable development in the region. An improvement of living conditions is among the main demands of Mediterranean citizens, facing a multidimensional insecurity that plunges them in a highly vulnerable situation on a daily basis. The access to food and water is a determinant and interconnected challenge in this area and securing food and water availability is of crucial - political, social, economic - importance in the region. At the same time, innovative food systems can contribute to deal with social and environmental issues and promote sustainable development and economic growth. Water scarcity and over exploitation of water resources According to Plan Bleu 2010 report, 180 million persons are considered as water poor since they rely on less than 1000 m3/capita/year, while the UN alerts that the threshold is 1700 m3/capita/year. Plan Bleu forecasts that 80 millions of Mediterranean citizens could be in a shortage situation (less than 500 m3/inhabitant/year) by 2025. Water scarcity in the region arises from the pressure to meet the increasing food and domestic water needs, exacerbated by extreme climate variability. Increased cost of energy production coupled with water scarcity, misuse of irrigation water, deteriorated water quality and overexploitation of resources often result in deficit in food production. Consequently, it negatively affects economic conditions and produces various types of conflicts, ranging from social domestic conflicts to sectorial ones (from agriculture and aquaculture to urban areas, industry and tourism) and trans-boundary conflicts. According to the 2015 Global Risks Report of the World Economic Forum, water crises are listed as the number one risk that could undermine economic growth, impacting several countries or industries within the next 10 years. In the future, geopolitical tensions over access to strategic water resources could become more systemically impactful, and water shortage coupled with poverty and societal instability could weaken intra-state cohesion. Due to its limited availability and the high connections with food systems and societal and economic challenges, addressing sustainable water management is vital in the region. In fact, many countries in the Mediterranean are overexploiting and intensively using their scarce water resources, resulting in a fall in water table and river levels, and emptying of falls, reservoirs and wetlands. These countries are therefore headed towards a serious national water crisis. For instance, Egypt, Israel, Malta, Jordan and Syria extract more than their total renewable water resources, raising serious environmental concerns and issues regarding water resources sustainability. Within this context of high pressure on water resources, agriculture remains, by far, the largest water-consuming sector in the Mediterranean (70% of the total water consumed). The competition for water use between agriculture, drinking water and other uses, such as tourism-related activities, is more and more severe. Water used for irrigation represents 60% of the total water quantities used for human-related activities in the Mediterranean area, and this percentage extends to more than 80% of total water use in Morocco, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey (FAO, 2015). At the same time, water is crucial for Mediterranean agriculture, as it ensures higher and stable productivity, as well as production diversity and it has a major role in securing food production and reducing poverty in the region. The demand for water is continuously increasing in response to population growth. The situation is aggravated by the increasing frequency of droughts, a consequence largely attributable to climate change. Therefore, the competition for water among different sectors of society (agriculture, urban and industry) will continue to grow, particularly during summer periods when supply is scarce and demand is high. Water scarcity and the simultaneous overexploitation of water resources result in additional environmental and agriculture threats, such as the risk of soil salinization and desertification. The consequences of these two related processes have in addition a long-lasting risk, as it is extremely complex to regenerate degraded soil and water surface and underground water affected by salinization. Agriculture as a condition for food security and rural development Mediterranean agriculture is globally less and less able to provide sufficient amount of good quality, healthy food for its inhabitants. This is particularly crucial for the Southern shores, where the demographic trend is continuing at a high level. The total agricultural deficits of SEMCs increased from an average of 13 billion USD in 1980-2007 to an average of 48 billion USD in 2008-2013. Several Euro-Mediterranean countries and territories are also relying more and more on international markets to respond to basic food needs for their citizens. Although the Mediterranean area concentrates only 7% of the world’s population, it stands for 25% of the world’s cereal imports (WTO, 2015). Except for France, Morocco, Spain and Turkey, most Mediterranean countries and territories are importing cereals and the total amount of them doubled between 1980 and 2000. Imports can certainly compensate for a lack of production, but at the cost of high dependency on the international market and the social risks that have been already evidenced by the recent food crises, due to the price of food commodities in the world market. The fact that the Mediterranean region and, particularly, the Southern shore relies on imports for a large share of its food consumption is a major concern for policymakers, who view this as a threat to national food security and a source of political vulnerability. Simultaneously, in the Mediterranean area agriculture is an important economic sector in terms of its capacity to generate employment and income for a large part of the population. As an example, in the Euro-Mediterranean countries, the role of agriculture to the economies has been renewed by the economic crisis of the last 10 years (i.e. in Greece), whereas in most of the SEMCs it is already providing employment for 20 to 30% of the population (e.g. Morocco, Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia). In the SEMCs, the cities are not able to absorb the growing demand for employment. Agricultural development can therefore contribute to maintain rural populations and to avoid migration. In all the Mediterranean countries, agricultural policies have led, in the last decades, to a remarkable increase of agricultural production to cover food demand. However, this increase was not sufficient and imports have exploded. Although food self-sufficiency cannot be considered today as a realistic objective, achieving a greater food security is a major issue for economic, social and political stability. This implies that agricultural and food production should continue to increase. Nevertheless, in the past the increase in agricultural production has often been achieved through intensification based on irrigation, use of chemical inputs and breeds and varieties developed in Northern countries. The modernisation of production techniques has not sufficiently taken into account the specificities of Mediterranean natural ecosystems and climate, thus limiting the production efficiency. This trend has also led to overexploitation and degradation of the natural resources: water, soil, natural vegetation and to the loss of biodiversity. This situation is not sustainable for the future years. Climate change, which affects dramatically the Mediterranean area and exacerbates this situation, calls for a drastic modification of the agricultural production development, modification that, however, should take into consideration the characteristics of localized agri-food systems. Localized agri-food systems, composed by SMEs and linked by their characteristics and operational ways to a specific territory, play in fact a very relevant role in the Mediterranean area. They are based on strong links between local resources, food and territory, and have the capability both to valorise local specific resources (included biodiversity and cultural identities) and to achieve their reproduction and renewal. In this regard, origin products, whose identities and specific characteristics are linked to a delimitated territory, are part of territorial capital and represent a very important asset for Mediterranean agriculture that can also be exploited as a basis for territorial diversification (rural tourism, provision of services). Origin products play a fundamental role in all Mediterranean countries that have set-up legal frameworks and institutions for the protection and valorisation of geographical indications. Fisheries and aquaculture are also major sources of food and employment in the Mediterranean. However, they are facing multiple threats. The rapid growth of aquaculture is preoccupying, as it can be a source of conflicts of use and pollution. The fishing industry is facing several difficulties, such as competition for the use of maritime space, reduced stocks of certain species, as well as the deterioration of coastal ecosystems caused by the anthropic pressure and the impacts of climate change. Rethinking food systems to provide healthy food to the Mediterranean Increases in imports and trade balance deficits at the national level are accompanied by an increase in poverty at individual level and social instability in the Mediterranean basin, especially in rural arid and semi-arid areas, with the latter being the most vulnerable regions, exposed to multiple challenges. Within this context, the Mediterranean diet is considered as one of the most effective sustainable diets and a valuable example of healthy nutrition. Despite this well-known fact, the Mediterranean area shows a massive emergence of diet- and lifestyle-related chronic diseases. This is due to changes in lifestyles, urbanisation and development of food chains based on imported raw materials that have led to a change in food diets. Overweight and obesity are dramatically increasing both in Northern and in SEMCs. Data for people aged 15 years and older show high levels of overweight and obesity in most of the countries. In Egypt, levels of overweight are up to 74-86% in women and 69-77% in men (WHO). In the light of such evidence, the Mediterranean food systems, including food policies, food industries and the way they address consumers’ needs, should evolve in order to contribute to promote a healthier diet. Facing the urban demand, the traditional food sector has great difficulties in gaining access to commercial channels and to compete in terms of business organisation, logistics and costs with the agro-industrial sector. The current business models of the SMEs are not currently able to adapt to changes in demand and economic context. Small, low-cost entities produce a high proportion of staple foods (milk, meat, fruits and vegetables and processed products), often with unique qualities derived from local tradition. Yet, most of these small companies operate in an informal setting, with recurrent food safety-problems. An intense urban population growth asks for the organization of supply chains, which in many cases prove to be inefficient: the distribution of margins between producers, intermediaries and distributors and agents is often unbalanced against farmers and low innovation and lack of marketing and communication skills make difficult for SMEs to satisfy the requirements of consumers. This latter, added to unreliable safety standards, make local products uncompetitive with respect to imported products. In such a context, supporting competitive and innovative businesses (both at single-firm and collective level) and efficient marketing chains able to promote local products while adapting to consumption models in line with changing lifestyles (through, among the others, convenient formulations and packaging solutions), is a major issue for sustainable development in the Mediterranean area. Hence, food industry research faces a threefold challenge: technological innovation in the enhancement and valorization of traditional products, nutritional and health quality of processed foods, and competitiveness of local products vis-à-vis imports. PRIMA in relation with the Sustainable Development Goals The objectives of PRIMA are well in line Agenda 2030, launched by the United Nations in September 2015. Among the 17 SDGs, 3 specific goals, dedicated to food security (#2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture), sustainable management of water (#6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all), as well as sustainable use of land (#15 Sustainable land use, forest and other terrestrial ecosystems), are of particular interest for PRIMA programme. Because of the strong connections between food systems and water efficiency and the multiple dimensions of issues related to food and water, the PRIMA initiative could also generate a positive effect on other SDGs, such as:
Interactions with other European initiatives on Water Resources and Food systems PRIMA will complement different joint programming initiatives launched at the European level. The challenges addressed in JPI FACCE and JPI Water are particularly relevant to those to be addressed in PRIMA. In this case, PRIMA will complement the actions of JPIs, by considering the Mediterranean specificities that are not covered deeply in these ones. Regarding the FACCE JPI, the issues of climate changes to farming systems, resilience of food value chains and land and water management are of primary relevance in the Mediterranean Area. The issues of drought, water scarcity and the importance of the water used in agriculture, which are some characteristics of the Mediterranean Area, will be addressed in PRIMA, in complementarity with the Water JPI and in extension with the actions undertaken in the ERA-nets ERANETMED and ARIMNet that are currently setting the foundations for a longer-term initiative within the EU-Med region. PRIMA will also complement, by focusing on the Mediterranean Area, other EU actions focused on Water and Agriculture, namely:
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