The overall objective of the VALUMICS project is to provide decision makers throughout food value chains with a comprehensive suite of approaches and tools that will enable them to evaluate the impact of strategic and operational policies, and enhance the resilience, integrity and sustainability of food value chains for European countries. The consortium driving this proposal has a core of 19 European partners from 14 countries, and two Asian partners. Given the complexity and diversity of food value chains, and the contexts within which they operate, the VALUMICS project offers a comprehensive and multi-dimensional scope that will go beyond the current state of art to provide new approaches and tools for stakeholders on several fronts. This includes new modelling approaches, consumer research, foresight analysis and synthesis into policy options, adding new perspectives for policy makers, both in government and within the food industry sector. The dynamics within the food systems will be modelled using a causal loop analysis framework, covering the interconnected value, supply, and decision chains. The causality dynamics framework for the VALUMICS project methodological approach will be implemented as a key driver of the project work through workshops involving stakeholders. The causal loop framework will be built with involvement of all participants in the project in order to construct a shared vision of the overall system. VALUMICS will challenge and go beyond previous research limitations and boundaries through a highly cross-functional project design that will provide a bridging analysis across the economic, environmental and social dimensions previously kept separate. This whole chain analysis perspective will deliver comparative assessments at the European level and beyond. The case studies will cover short supply chains, with local and national analysis, as well as reaching global food chains relevant for sustainable food and nutrition security in Europe.

Trade is a central factor in shaping not only global, but also regional and local development. Trade policy has an especially important part to play in achieving the SDGs. The premise for this proposal is that trade has the power to produce positive outcomes when the policies which define the rules of the game are framed and designed in a way to promote access to markets, fair prices and standards of living for farmers, as well as alleviating rural poverty and ensuring sustainable farming practices. Addressing the relation between trade and SDGs requires an integrated approach to policy-making and inclusive governance. The main objective of this project is to contribute to build new opportunities for fostering the positive sustainability impacts of trade supported by improved design and framing of trade policy at national, EU and global level, including WTO modernization, increased policy coherence at different domains including agricultural, energy, climate, environmental and nutritional policies. The SDGs agenda requires a holistic approach allowing the contextual evaluation of several dimensions at the same time by measuring co-benefits and trade-offs. For this reason, we propose an integrated and systemic approach that combines several quantitative models from different perspectives, and qualitative methods such as specific country/supply chain case studies, Lab-in-the Field experiments and a dynamic trade game considering the fact that SDGs are highly context-related. A wide consultation process involving stakeholders both in the EU and in the partner countries in all the project stages will ensure the transparency and balance of conclusions and policy recommendations. The proposal is directly connected to the work programme “Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy” through analysing how agricultural trade can contribute to meet global sustainability challenges and objectives.

Strength2Food is a 5-year, €6.9 million project to improve the effectiveness of EU food quality schemes (FQS), public sector food procurement (PSFP) and to stimulate Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC) through research, innovation and demonstration activities. Our 30-partner consortium representing 11 EU and 4 non-EU countries combines leading academic, communication, SME and stakeholder organisations to ensure a multi-actor approach. It will undertake case study-based quantitative research to measure economic, environmental and social impacts of FQS, PSFP and SFSC. The impact of PSFP policies on balanced nutrition in schools will also be assessed. Primary research will be complemented by advanced econometric analysis of existing datasets to determine impacts of FQS and SFSC participation on farm performance and survival, as well as understand price transmission and trade patterns. Consumer knowledge, confidence in, valuation and use of FQS labels and products will be assessed via cross-national survey, ethnographic and virtual supermarket-based research. Lessons from the research will be applied and verified in 6 pilot initiatives, focusing on less-developed and transition regions. These initiatives bring together academic and non-academic stakeholder partners in action research. The six pilot actions are: a school meals initiative to improve the nutritional outcomes and economic benefits for local agri-food producers; in-store trials (undertaken with a grocery retailer) to upscale sales of local produce; a scheme to stimulate a sustainable SFSC that adds value to the fishing community; and pilot actions to expand regional food labelling; increase sales of FQS products in non-traditional markers; and improve returns to local producers at food fairs and farmers’ markets (via a smartphone app). Project impact will be maximised through a knowledge exchange platform, hybrid forums, school educational resources, a Massive Open Online Course and practitioner recommendations.