With the COVID-19 crisis, the possibility of having a disruption in the supply chain has emerged as a major concern (UN 2020). In 2021, the obstruction of the Suez Canal by the Evergreen gave international trade a cold sweat. In 2022, the war in Ukraine has been causing dangerous tensions in food markets and food insecurity.

Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-022-01211-1

With the COVID-19 crisis, the possibility of having a disruption in the supply chain has emerged as a major concern (UN 2020). In 2021, the obstruction of the Suez Canal by the Evergreen gave international trade a cold sweat. In 2022, the war in Ukraine has been causing dangerous tensions in food markets and food insecurity.

Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-022-01211-1

AI algorithms optimize irrigation practices by analysing data on soil moisture levels, weather forecasts, and plant water requirements. This data-driven approach ensures efficient water usage, reducing water waste and improving crop health. AI can also automate irrigation systems, adjusting water delivery based on real-time conditions, and reducing manual labour requirements.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427122000791

CSA is designed to increase agricultural productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions sustainably by Carbon sequestration. It can be both a natural or an artificial process that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, mitigating its warming effect. CSA practices for example in India range from conservation agriculture and agroforestry to efficient water management and crop diversification.

Source: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/6/1990

Ammonia Market Size is estimated to USD 126.48 Billion by 2030. Around 70% of the ammonia produced industrially is used to make fertilisers in various forms and composition, such as urea and diammonium phosphate. Ammonia in pure form is also applied directly into the soil.

Source: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/ammonia-market

Farming in Europe has been transformed over the last 70 years by policies, technologies and practices that sought to
guarantee a stable supply of affordable food. But success has come at the cost of mounting environmental degradation.
The EU CORDIS Results Pack highlights 11 EU-funded research projects that demonstrate the potential of more
sustainable alternatives. A holistic approach that supports sustainable agricultural production while maintaining robust
stewardship of the environment, agroecology works with nature and ecosystem services, increasing the resilience and
diversity of farms, and that holds the potential to drive a full transformation of farming and food systems. Agroecology
has implications for a span of agricultural practices, from breeds and varieties used, to soil management practices and
crop diversification strategies, integration in value chains, and business models that can sustain locally adapted
practices and provide greater market opportunities for farmers and consumers. Examples of farming practices
implementing agroecological principles are organic farming, agroforestry and mixed farming.
Agroecology has the potential to become a fundamental tool for the EU in its effort to promote a sustainable farming sector
that respects planetary boundaries and is able to respond to the changing needs of society both in terms of sustainable and
healthy diets and with regard to the environmental and climate issues related to primary production. Research and
innovation in this area is opening up new opportunities in farming systems, making it possible to use ecosystem services to
benefit sustainable and resilient land use systems without jeopardising profitability of the farming activity. Agroecology has
been identified as a practice that can be supported through the eco-schemes under the first pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It has also been singled out as one of the sustainable farming practices
that can help achieve the targets of the EU Green Deal and its related Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies. Under
Horizon 2020, the EU has funded several research projects dedicated to advancing agroecological research. These
projects are contributing to an increased understanding of the practical implementation of ecological and low-input
farming practices, along with their environmental, climate and social benefits."
Source: https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/430692-agroecology-transitioning-toward-sustainable-climate-and-ecosystem-friendly-farming-and-food

Fertilisers play a fundamental role in food security. Their production and cost are largely dependent on the availability
of natural gas, and following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world faces a fertiliser crisis that is driving up food prices.
This Results Pack on Fertilisers highlights 13 EU-funded research projects that can help alleviate the pressures placed on
farmers and consumers, through the innovative synthesis, use and recapture of fertilisers and improved nutrient
management. While humans have been practising agriculture for more than 10,000 years, it was revolutionised a
century ago by the innovation of synthetic chemical fertilisers.
Today, those transformative inputs are under threat, demanding a new agricultural revolution. By creating healthy soils
rich in organic matter and biodiversity, optimising the efficiency of fertiliser use and enhancing the recovery of
nutrients from nutrient-rich side streams such as from manure, food waste or sewage sludge, European farmers can
produce healthier crops and higher yields while reducing impact and increasing resilience to climate change.
In addition, crop-livestock integration, more environmentally friendly methods of fertiliser production (including the
use of green hydrogen), crop diversification and agroecological plant breeds are helping to reduce the EU’s dependency
on mineral and fossil fertilisers. Market-based solutions are also crucial to a more sustainable agricultural system.
Source: https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/443142-innovative-research-for-sustainable-fertiliser-production-and-nutrient-management

This theme refers to the use of land for more than one purpose, for example, grazing of livestock, recreation and timber
production. The term may also apply to the use of associated bodies of water for recreational purposes, fishing and
water supply. Land is also more an investment object, less for farming. Land is more and more a construction site. We
see a shift in ownership of agricultural land in favour of large corporations, too.
Source: This theme refers to the use of land for more than one purpose, for example, grazing of livestock, recreation and timber
production. The term may also apply to the use of associated bodies of water for recreational purposes, fishing and
water supply. Land is also more an investment object, less for farming. Land is more and more a construction site. We
see a shift in ownership of agricultural land in favour of large corporations, too.
Source: https://www.publish.csiro.au/aj/AJ84027;

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/irspsd/11/3/11_1/_article;

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09654313.2019.159802

The world’s rivers are fundamental to social and natural well-being but profoundly affected by mega-damming and pollution.
In response, diverse new water justice movements (NWJMs) have emerged worldwide. These transdisciplinary coalitions
creatively transform local ideas for ‘enlivening rivers’ into global action and vice versa, with enormous potential for shaping equitable and nature-based water governance. However, their ideas are under-theorised, largely unnoticed
by natural and social sciences, and excluded from policymaking. The EU-funded RIVERHOOD project will study and
support evolving NWJMs fighting to revitalise rivers in all senses. The project's partners will investigate eight case
studies in Europe and South America to develop a new analytical framework to study NWJMs and 'riverhoods' and
foster knowledge co-creation and democratisation from the bottom up.
Source: https://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2023-06/H2020_factsheet-Food.pdf

Changing and diversifying our diets can be a way to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from food
production, address the challenges of changes in land use and biodiversity loss while providing sufficient, nutritious,
safe and affordable food to a fast-growing population. Excess red and processed meat consumption has significant
negative effects on human health, especially in Western diets. Many sources of proteins other than meat or milk (e.g.
alternative proteins) exist within the current assortment of food products (e.g. edible insects, cultured meat, fungi and
microalgae). First countries (e.g. UAE) demonstrate agreement of the population to increase the consumption of
alternative proteins. Mushroom threads can be used as a resource for many products and dishes. These dietary shifts
and new demand for alternative proteins affect what is and should be produced on a farm level.
Sources: Stella Schaller; Lino Zeddies; Ute Scheub; Sebastian Vollmar (2022): Zukunftsbilder 2045. München: oekom
verlag; https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230623105222891;
https://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2023-06/H2020_factsheet-Food.pdf;
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2021.100086;
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/751426/EPRS_BRI(2023)751426_EN.pdf;
doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100287; 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.01.041; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.11.012

The challenges that (finfish) aquaculture is facing have sparked interest in a gradual transition from open to (semi-)
closed aquaculture facilities. Most challenges affecting the aquaculture sector can be addressed by fully-closed systems
as there is a barrier between the cultivated organisms and the natural environment. These systems can either be land-
based or marine, as long as there is no continuous water exchange between the cultivation system and the natural
environment. Although requiring significant investments, the transition from open to closed aquaculture has been
demonstrated to be economically viable.
Sources: FOSTER automated search - topic modelling; fit4food2030.eu: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/774088

Permaculture strives to design sustainable agricultural systems and human habitats that mimic the patterns and
relationships found in natural ecosystems.
Source: FOSTER automated search - topic modelling; fit4food2030.eu: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/774088

Fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and
minerals (incl. trace elements) in a food, to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public
health benefit with minimal risk to health. Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is
improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology.
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Muhammad-Talha-Aslam-2/publication/349866115_Agronomic_Bio-
Fortification_of_Wheat_to_Combat_Zinc_Deficiency_in_Developing_Countries/links/606b7755458515614d3a31e4/Agr
onomic-Bio-Fortification-of-Wheat-to-Combat-Zinc-Deficiency-in-Developing-
Countries.pdf?_sg%5B0%5D=started_experiment_milestone&origin=journalDetail&_rtd=e30%3D

Indoor (urban) farming technologies involve agricultural production in (multi-storey) buildings. Systems such as
hydroponics or aquaponics grow plants in soilless nutrient solutions. New technologies such as LED lights make
production all year round possible and environmentally friendly. A further advantage of these growing systems is the
controlled conditions or the independence of access to soil.
Source:
http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/resources/files/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JST%20Vol.%2031%20(4)%20Jul.%202023/08
%20JST-3789-2022.pdf

The food system is considered from field to fork promoting diversified crop varieties, animal breeds and end products,
considering a diversity of consumers, diets and needs according to diverse environmental, socioeconomic and cultural
contexts in Europe. Diversified food systems show different models, but all focus on sharing added value among
stakeholders within networks and regional organizations. They offer conditions to consumers to choose and enjoy a
broad range of locally adapted, tasteful, nutritional and healthy, as well as sustainably produced food. EU Project
DIVERSIFOOD offers reflections for embedding crop diversity and networking for high quality food systems.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030691922030035X

The assessment of the impacts of food production is gaining more and more attention. Especially, the legal frameworks,
e.g. in gene editing etc., underly strict regulation.
Source: www.nagoyaprotocol-hub.de

There is competition for water - AI/ IT services compete with agriculture. AI and IT services or electromobility and their
facilities need a lot of water. This is often forgotten. In some regions, AI or facilities compete for water. A study (Li et al.
2023) is examining this. We also know the discussions for the permission of Tesla in Brandenburg to build a huge
production facility for e-cars in a region that is scarce of water.
Sources: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.03271.pdf; https://www.tesla.com/giga-berlin

Asymmetry: often too many chemicals are used and we find pesticides, remainders of insecticides etc. in all food and
the environment. "Over the 40 years span from the early 1960s to the 2000s, global food production has doubled and
land use in agriculture has increased by around 10%. However, pesticide use in the same span has increased by more
than 15-fold. This means that on roughly the same size of land, we applied at least 15 times more pesticide to secure a
2-fold increase in food production made possible also by other factors such as the much higher use of nitrogen fertiliser
(almost 7-fold increase), increased irrigation (1.7-fold) and improved crop genetics. In fact, a number of experts have
already voiced against the myth that pesticides are necessary to feed the world. Another shocking fact is that crop
damage attributable to pests has slightly increased compared to 50 years ago despite pesticide use has skyrocketed.
This suggests that our crops are increasingly susceptible to pest attack and require more pesticide input per unit of crop
production due to our poor agroecosystem resilience management.
There is no feasible way to measure the precise damage pesticides have inflicted on human beings and the environment, let
alone make a fair comparison to the benefit (crop protection) they have given us. However, while one can argue that saving
even just one starving human life could be worth all the damage, it is important to realise that people at present and people
in the future are at odds to some extent, mediated by slow ecological processes. Therefore, it is important not to allow the
act of saving one life today to become nothing more than an excuse to maintain a status quo that has no future. ..." (citation:
https://medium.com/@marmotian/out-of-sight-a-nerve-wrecking-war-on-eyesores-0fa1f9b75596).
Source: https://medium.com/@marmotian/out-of-sight-a-nerve-wrecking-war-on-eyesores-0fa1f9b75596

The interest in insects as food and feed has been growing exponentially in the last years. The farming of insects has an
environmental impact which is lower than that of livestock species (they can be fed with biomass left from other
processes, need a much lower income of food per kilogram of bodyweight, need less space area per kilogram of protein
produced, see https://www.3keel.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Food_Futures_-report_0.pdf) and are easy to
breed. However, eating insects could bring a rise in allergies and legislation is lagging behind.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224419302511;
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2019.01.041;

Aquatic and blue foods aim to realise the full potential of sustainable aquatic foods - such as fish, shellfish, aquatic
plants and especially algae, captured or cultivated in freshwater or marine ecosystems - to help end malnutrition and
build nature-positive, equitable and resilient food systems. This is also an EU project with the same name, and in the
future, there will be more and new blue foods.
Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/food-security-commission-steps-support-global-action-transform-
food-systems-eight

Growing crops in vertically stacked layers or urban settings for efficient land use.
Sources:
https://books.google.de/books?hl=de&lr=&id=hEv9DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA157&dq=Vertical+farming+and+urban+agriculture&ots=9LnmKsr29d&sig=osBz1SLxuwaCze03Hey8EcLqIho#v=onepage&q=Vertical%20farming%20and%20urban%20agriculture&f=false;
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14620316.2022.2141666;
https://www.freshplaza.de/article/9589346/im-zuge-der-ernahrungswende-konnten-die-stadtischen-grossmarkte-in-den-
kommenden-jahren-wieder-an-bedeutung-gewinnen/