The European Commission has adopted a new strategic approach to research and innovation for agriculture, forestry, rural areas and food systems, made of two connected frameworks: AgRI 2040 for agriculture, forestry and rural areas, and Food 2040 for food systems including fisheries and aquaculture. Both are meant to guide EU research funding under Horizon Europe 2028–2034 and the relevant parts of the European Competitiveness Fund.

The strategy reaches from early research through deployment and market adoption, with more emphasis on users' needs and on bringing researchers, businesses and end users together to test solutions in real conditions — a route the Commission says can also help start-ups and small firms get innovations closer to market. It supports the Vision for Agriculture and Food and the life-sciences strategy and complements the EU bioeconomy strategy.

Research and innovation can change how Europe farms, said agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen — crops that withstand drought and extreme heat, faster detection of plant disease, more sustainable crop protection and digital tools for water — provided the ideas leave the laboratory, are adapted to local conditions and are scaled up. Research commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva said too many European breakthroughs still struggle to reach consumers and markets.

Euroseeds, the European seed industry body, welcomed the explicit recognition of plant breeding within AgRI 2040's cropping-systems area, saying investment in breeding, biotechnology and genetic resources is critical to resilient, resource-efficient varieties. Yasmine Ambrogio, its research policy manager, said the political commitment must now be matched by ambitious and sustained funding for plant breeding and seed innovation under FP10 and the Competitiveness Fund.

AgRI 2040 has eight preliminary areas of action and Food 2040 six — among them healthy and sustainable diets, resource efficiency, consumer empowerment and aquatic food — under six shared priorities, with governance, technology, territories and communities as common enablers. Stakeholder consultations had asked for stronger links between research, deployment and uptake and closer alignment with users. The next milestone is the EU AgRI 2040 conference in Brussels on 24–25 September, opened by Hansen and Zaharieva.

Source: Seed World Europe