Beyond the Apple of Discord: Changing our Agri Culture

As can be seen from the ongoing CAP negotiations, agriculture has always been seen as the apple of EU discord. This has become even more pronounced as the SDGs and European priorities have shifted putting the EU Green Deal at the centre of the political agenda and calling for a rethinking of how we approach agriculture, sustainability and innovation. The ambition of the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy will require close collaboration between sustainability and innovation to develop a new pathway forward that goes beyond the current stalemate. However, public discourse and the narratives framing these issues remain relics of a past environment and inhibit any movement in this direction. The narratives are presented as members of two antagonistic groups referred to for convenience as “precaution focused” versus “innovation-focused”.

Re-Imagine Europa (RIE) launched a Task Force on Sustainable Agriculture and Innovation to create a forum for real dialogue between different viewpoints on the topic. In particular, the aim is to better understand the emotions and values behind different perspectives and to see if, with ambitious climate goals as a clear priority, it is possible to find positive pathways forward. RIE presents two related reports, looking at what we can learn from existing narratives and the ramifications for policy.

Beyond the Apple of Discord: Existing Narratives and Ways Forward

White Paper on the Regulation of Genome Editing in Agriculture

Speakers

Prof. Louise Fresco

President of the Wageningen University & Research Executive Board and Vice Chair of the Scientific Group of the UN Food Systems Summit

Janusz Wojciechowski

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development

Maria do Céu Antunes

Portuguese Minister of Agriculture (tbc)

Norbert Lins

MEP, Chair, Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, European Parliament

Urs Niggli

President of agroecology.science

Erika Widegren

Chief Executive, Re-Imagine Europa

Peter Kearns

Special Advisor to Re-Imagine Europa - Re-Imagine Planet Task Force; former Principal Administrator, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Steering Committee)

Prof. Andrzej Nowak

Professor of psychology at the University of Warsaw, Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities and Florida Atlantic University - Chief Narrative Scientist - Re-Imagine Europa