Krijn J. Poppe

Information and Communication Technology as a Driver for Change in Agri-food Chains

Agri-food chains will be changed in the coming years by Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Technological trends and economic analysis suggest that ICT will be a major driver for innovation. Satellites and sensors make precision agriculture possible. More and more data are being generated in agriculture and the rest of the food chain, which helps to steer production processes with greater precision. However, there is a low level of integration of these data between actors in the food chain. By improving this ‘interoperability’ of data, processes in the food chain can be optimised and new business models developed. Data-intensive food chains have the potential to alleviate many of the current sustainability and food safety issues and contribute to human health. The economic and policy effects of such developments still need to be explored. At first sight it could lead to more closely integrated supply chains that make the farmer act as a franchise taker with limited freedom. But the opposite could also be true, with more transparency and easier options for direct sales via consumer food webs, using smart solutions for the ‘last mile’ delivery. New issues like a trade-off between transparency and privacy or pricing data might well arise.

Concepts and procedures for mapping food and health research infrastructure: New insights from the EuroDISH project

AbstractBackground Recent initiatives in Europe have encouraged the formalisation of research infrastructure to unify fragmented facilities, resources and services; and to facilitate world-class research of complex public health challenges, such as those related to non-communicable disease. How this can be achieved in the area of food and health has, to date, been unclear. Scope and approach This commentary paper presents examples of the types of food and health research facilities, resources and services available in Europe. Insights are provided on the challenge of identifying and classifying research infrastructure. In addition, suggestions are made for the future direction of food and health research infrastructure in Europe. These views are informed by the EuroDISH project, which mapped research infrastructure in four areas of food and health research: Determinants of dietary behaviour; Intake of foods/nutrients; Status and functional markers of nutritional health; Health and disease risk of foods/nutrients. Key findings and conclusion There is no objective measure to identify or classify research infrastructure. It is therefore, difficult to operationalise this term. EuroDISH demonstrated specific challenges with identifying the degree an organisation, project, network or national infrastructure could be considered a research infrastructure; and establishing the boundary of a research infrastructure (integral hard or soft facilities/resources/services). Nevertheless, there are opportunities to create dedicated food and health research infrastructures in Europe. These would need to be flexible and adaptable to keep pace with an ever-changing research environment and bring together the multi-disciplinary needs of the food and health research community.

Do Policy Measures Impact the Position and Performance of Farmers' Cooperatives in the EU?

The European Commission wants to create a favourable policy environment for supporting the establishment and development of farmers cooperatives and other producer organizations. This paper – for the first time – presents the results of an effectiveness measurement of the existing support measures for farmers cooperatives throughout the EU (in eight agricultural sectors). More in particular, it is investigated whether the cooperatives market share is positively or negatively influenced by policy measures. The study identifies general trends, strengths, and weaknesses among the policy measures applied in the EU and the cooperatives performance.

Agricultural Research and Innovation Systems in Transition

summary n nAgricultural Research and Innovation Systems in Transition n n n nAgricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) are in transition in many countries from a linear, top-down approach towards more flexible and interactive arrangements. This transition to a system more responsive to changing demands seeks to improve the adoption of innovation in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the agri-food sector. This article focuses on the research and innovation components of the AKIS to analyse the main developments of recent years and their drivers. It concludes that the diversity of institutional arrangements and priorities is likely to persist as they are path dependent and respond to different socio-economic contexts. This article suggests how national governments could foster innovation in the agri-food sector by considering a whole range of policies and improving their coherence. One suggestion is that the European Union play a role in coordinating (basic) science and research infrastructure, manage spillovers between EU regions, as well as promoting market-based instruments, support capacity-building and international exchange of staff, provide information using modern Information and Communication Technologies and guidelines for the evaluation of AKIS, and create a forum to exchange experiences. n n n nLes systemes de connaissances et d’innovation agricoles (SCIA) sont en transition dans de nombreux pays, passant d’une approche descendante a des relations plus flexibles et interactives au sein du systeme. Cette transition vers un systeme repondant mieux aux changements de la demande cherche a ameliorer le taux de diffusion de l’innovation afin de renforcer la competitivite du secteur agricole et agroalimentaire. Cet article se concentre sur les composantes recherche et innovation du SCIA pour analyser les principales evolutions de ces dernieres annees et leurs causes. Il conclut que la diversite des arrangements institutionnels et des priorites va probablement persister car ils sont fonction du passe et repondent a des differences de contexte socio-economique. Cet article suggere comment les pouvoirs publics nationaux pourraient renforcer l’innovation dans le secteur agroalimentaire en considerant toute une gamme de politiques et en ameliorant leur coherence. L’une des suggestion est que l’Union europeenne joue un role dans la coordination de la science fondamentale et de l’infrastructure de recherche, gere les effets transfrontieres entre regions europeennes, tout en encourageant les instruments fondes sur le marche, soutienne le renforcement des capacites et les echanges internationaux de personnel, fournisse des informations a l’aide de technologies de l’information et de la communication modernes, et des cadres d’evaluation des SCIA, et creent des forums d’echange des experiences. n n n nLandwirtschaftliche Wissens- und Innovationssysteme befinden sich in vielen Landern im Ubergang von einem linearen Top-down-Ansatz hin zu flexibleren und interaktiveren Losungen. Dieser Ubergang hin zu einem System, das sensibler auf die sich andernde Nachfrage reagiert, strebt eine verbesserte Innovationsadoption an, um die Wettbewerbsfahigkeit in der Agrar- und Ernahrungswirtschaft zu erhohen. Dieser Beitrag konzentriert sich auf die Forschungs- und Innovationsaspekte landwirtschaftlicher Wissens- und Innovationssysteme, um die wichtigsten Entwicklungen der letzten Jahre und deren Einflussfaktoren zu analysieren. Wir kommen zu dem Schluss, dass die Vielfalt an institutionellen Losungen und Prioritaten wahrscheinlich bestehen bleibt, da diese pfadabhangig sind und auf unterschiedliche soziookonomische Kontexte reagieren. Dieser Beitrag enthalt Vorschlage, wie die einzelnen Regierungen Innovation in der Agrar- und Ernahrungswirtschaft durch die sorgfaltige Prufung einer ganzen Reihe von Politikmasnahmen und der Verbesserung ihrer Koharenz fordern konnten. Einer der Vorschlage sieht vor, dass die Europaische Union bei der Koordination der (Grundlagen-) Wissenschaft und der Forschungsinfrastruktur eine Funktion ubernimmt, die Spillover Effekte steuert, marktwirtschaftliche Instrumente fordert, Vermogensbildung und Mitarbeitertausch unterstutzt, mittels aktueller Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik Informationen zur Verfugung stellt und Richtlinien an die Hand gibt zur Evaluation von landwirtschaftlichen Wissens- und Innovationssystemen sowie ein Forum fur den Erfahrungsaustausch schafft.

[Accepted Manuscript] Concepts and procedures for mapping food and health research infrastructure: New insights from the EuroDISH project

AbstractBackground Recent initiatives in Europe have encouraged the formalisation of research infrastructure to unify fragmented facilities, resources and services; and to facilitate world-class research of complex public health challenges, such as those related to non-communicable disease. How this can be achieved in the area of food and health has, to date, been unclear. Scope and approach This commentary paper presents examples of the types of food and health research facilities, resources and services available in Europe. Insights are provided on the challenge of identifying and classifying research infrastructure. In addition, suggestions are made for the future direction of food and health research infrastructure in Europe. These views are informed by the EuroDISH project, which mapped research infrastructure in four areas of food and health research: Determinants of dietary behaviour; Intake of foods/nutrients; Status and functional markers of nutritional health; Health and disease risk of foods/nutrients. Key findings and conclusion There is no objective measure to identify or classify research infrastructure. It is therefore, difficult to operationalise this term. EuroDISH demonstrated specific challenges with identifying the degree an organisation, project, network or national infrastructure could be considered a research infrastructure; and establishing the boundary of a research infrastructure (integral hard or soft facilities/resources/services). Nevertheless, there are opportunities to create dedicated food and health research infrastructures in Europe. These would need to be flexible and adaptable to keep pace with an ever-changing research environment and bring together the multi-disciplinary needs of the food and health research community.

Food Legislation and Competitiveness in the EU Food Industry

Realizing institutions and regulations that foster economic growth is an essential asset for contemporary economies. This book investigates practices and options for steering individual and firm behaviour that prevents unacceptable externalities and boosts public interests. These multi-dimensional interactions are investigated in three areas; innovativeness, especially in terms of IP rights; food safety requirements and the impact on EU-competitiveness; and economic stability, particularly within the banking industry. The book provides complementary views and offers clear and relevant conclusions.

Maatschappelijke opgaven voor de agrosector : perspectief op de ontwikkeling van de agrosector tot 2030

Dit rapport schetst de verwachte ontwikkeling van de Nederlandse agrosector en de onderliggendesubsectoren, uitgaande van bestaand beleid en bestaande beleidsvoornemens. Op basis van ditreferentiebeeld, maakt het rapport inzichtelijk of doelen op gebied van milieu en dierenwelzijn wordengehaald, of dat aanvullende maatregelen nodig zijn.---This report gives an overview of the expected developments of the Dutch agricultural sector and itsconstituent subsectors, based on existing policy and policy proposals. This overview clarifies whetherthe environmental and animal welfare policy goals will be achieved or whether extra measures arerequired.

Brexit and the Dutch Fishing Industry

Brexit has become a reality, and not only at the negotiation table in Brussels. In the fishing industry, Brexit has created uncertainty over access to fishing grounds and national allocations of EU Total Allowable Catches (TACs) by fish species. This uncertainty is already affecting investment decisions. Each EU Member State has its own Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which is a sea area defined in International Law that extends up to 200 nautical miles from the coast of the EU Member State. Within the EU, Member States have equal access to EU fishing grounds. Dutch fisheries are highly dependent on the UK EEZ, where (pelagic) trawlers in particular, targeting herring and mackerel, are highly active (Figure 1). The other types of trawlers (so called bottom trawlers) target species like plaice, sole and common shrimp. They fish mainly in the North Sea, partly in the UK EEZ although less so than the pelagic trawlers.