Commission Recommendation

of 28 April 2010

on the research joint programming initiative on "Agriculture, food security and climate change"

(2010/253/EU)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 181 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The sectors of agriculture and forestry are highly exposed to climate change since they directly depend on climatic conditions while emissions from agriculture in the Union account for 14 % of global greenhouse gas emissions.

(2) Climate change is one of the main challenges to agriculture in feeding the world’s population, which is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050.

(3) Global demand for food is expected to have increased by 50 % by 2030 and to have doubled by 2050, in a time when demand for biomass for non-food purposes is predicted to grow strongly.

(4) Agriculture and forestry face strongly increasing non-food demand for biomass, driven by mitigation efforts in other sectors and by the need to switch to a low-carbon economy.

(5) Global stocks of some staple foods have declined, and peaks in food prices, such as those seen during 2008, may become more frequent if rising demand cannot be consistently matched by supply.

(6) Climate change can affect crop yields, livestock management and the location of production, and can have important consequences for farm income, land use and rural economies in certain parts of the Union.

(7) The agricultural sector of tropical and sub-tropical countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is extremely vulnerable to climate change and any major food crisis in those regions would have an impact on Europe.

(8) Concerted actions are needed to prevent that those combined risks lead to irreversible damage and to achieve a sustainable food supply under changing climate conditions.

(9) This joint programming initiative is also relevant to the development of the common agricultural policy.

(10) At its meeting on 3 December 2009, the Competitiveness Council recognised "Agriculture, food security and climate change" as an area where joint programming would provide a major added value to the current, fragmented research efforts by Member States. It therefore adopted conclusions recognising the need to launch a joint programming initiative on the subject and inviting the Commission to contribute to the preparation of that initiative. The Council also reaffirmed that joint programming is a process led by Member States, with the Commission acting as a facilitator.

(11) Joint programming in research in the area of agriculture, food security and climate change would encourage the pooling of skills, knowledge and resources, with a view to advancing research to address the challenge of food security and the threat brought by climate change, global population growth, and food and non-food demand.

(12) In order to achieve the goals set by this Recommendation, Member States should cooperate with the Commission in exploring possible Commission initiatives to assist Member States in developing and implementing the strategic research agenda. Member States should also cooperate with the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research to ensure that the joint programming activities are coordinated with the wider agricultural research agenda.

(13) In order for the Commission to be able to report to the European Parliament and to the Council, Member States should report regularly to the Commission on the progress made on this joint programming initiative,

HAS ADOPTED THIS RECOMMENDATION:

1. Member States are encouraged to develop a common vision on how cooperation and coordination in the field of research at Union level can address the challenge of food security and the threat of climate change, global population growth, and food and non-food demand.

2. Member States are encouraged to develop a common strategic research agenda establishing medium to long-term research needs and objectives in the area of food security through adaptation to, and mitigation of the effects of, climate change in agriculture. The strategic research agenda should contain an implementation plan establishing priorities and timelines and specifying the actions, instruments and resources required for the implementation of the strategic research agenda.

3. Member States are encouraged to include the following actions, as part of the strategic research agenda and of the implementation plan:

(a) identifying and exchanging information on relevant national programmes and research activities;

(b) reinforcing joint foresight exercises and technology assessment capacities, in order to ensure that emerging and new threats are constantly monitored and regularly reported;

(c) exchanging information, resources, best practices, methodologies and guidelines;

(d) identifying areas or research activities that would benefit from coordination or joint calls for proposals or pooling of resources;

(e) defining the procedures for research to be undertaken jointly in the areas referred to in point (d);

(f) sharing, where appropriate, existing research infrastructures or developing new facilities;

(g) exporting and disseminating knowledge, innovation and interdisciplinary approaches to other parts of Europe and worldwide and ensuring the effective use of research outputs to enhance European competitiveness and policy making;

(h) encouraging better collaboration between the public and private sectors, together with open innovation between different business sectors;

(i) considering the changing needs of consumers and those of the agri-food industry in the Union when setting the objectives for related programmes.

4. Member States are encouraged to set up a common management structure in the field of agriculture, food security and climate change, with a mandate to establish common conditions, rules and procedures for cooperation and coordination and to monitor the implementation of the strategic research agenda.

5. Member States are encouraged to jointly implement the strategic research agenda, including via their national research programmes or other national research activities.

6. Member States are encouraged to cooperate with the Commission with a view to exploring possible Commission initiatives to assist Member States in developing and implementing the strategic research agenda, and with a view to coordinating joint programmes with other Union initiatives in this field.

7. Member States are encouraged to cooperate with the Commission in looking into possible forms of engaging the farming community and other stakeholders in the application of the results obtained and in considering how best to integrate the joint programming initiative into the development of the common agricultural policy.

8. Member States are encouraged to cooperate with the Commission in using all the relevant innovation policy instruments to facilitate transforming research results into products and services, and in particular making all forms of innovation accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises, including farmers.

9. Member States are encouraged to cooperate with the Commission in looking into possible forms of consultation and cooperation on this subject with appropriate bodies or groups at international level.

10. Member States are encouraged to cooperate with the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research to ensure that joint programming activities are coordinated with the wider agricultural research agenda.

11. Member States are encouraged to report regularly to the Commission on the progress made on this joint programming initiative.

Done at Brussels, 28 April 2010.

For the Commission

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

Member of the Commission

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