{"id":9226,"date":"2025-12-15T14:09:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T07:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/?p=9226"},"modified":"2026-05-11T14:12:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T07:12:42","slug":"life-future-proofing-europes-agri-food-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/life-future-proofing-europes-agri-food-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"LIFE: future-proofing Europe\u2019s agri-food industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Europe\u2019s multi-billion euro agri-food sector supports more than 30 million jobs in farming, processing, transport and retail. A recent LIFE platform meeting showcased innovative solutions to future-proof one of our most important industries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecl-media-container ecl-media-container--custom-ratio ecl-u-mb-s ecl-u-type-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-ecl-media-container=\"true\" data-ecl-auto-init=\"MediaContainer\" data-ecl-auto-initialized=\"true\">\n<figure class=\"ecl-media-container__figure\">\n<div class=\"ecl-media-container__media\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9231\" src=\"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LIFE-PLATFORM-MEETING-ON-AGRIFOOD-1.png\" width=\"991\" height=\"557\" alt=\"\u00a9 LIFE23-CCA-IT-IMAGE LIFE. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LIFE-PLATFORM-MEETING-ON-AGRIFOOD-1.png 991w, https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LIFE-PLATFORM-MEETING-ON-AGRIFOOD-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LIFE-PLATFORM-MEETING-ON-AGRIFOOD-1-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 991px\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"ecl-media-container__caption\">\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a9 LIFE23-CCA-IT-IMAGE LIFE. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ecl\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">With agri-food exports of more than \u00a0EUR 235 billion in 2024, and imports topping EUR 171 billion, the\u00a0<u>agri-food sector is one of Europe\u2019s biggest and most important industries<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>. So how to ensure an innovative, resilient, sustainable and competitive agri-food sector in the future?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The recent 2-day LIFE Platform Meeting in Bologna, Italy, on future-proofing the agri-food sector brought together some 85 participants from 15 countries representing 45 LIFE and other projects. Co-organised by CINEA and DG Climate Action, and hosted by<span class=\"ecl-link__label\">\u00a0IMAGE LIFE<\/span><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>, the meeting saw agronomists, farmers, farming associations, researchers, non-profits, public authorities, companies and consultancies exchange knowledge and insights in support of the\u00a0<u>EU Vision for Agriculture and Food<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u2018The EU Agrifood Vision was built not for the farmers, but with the farmers,\u2019 DG Agriculture and Rural Development\u2019s economist Barth\u00e9lemy Lanos told the meeting. \u2018It will ensure that Europe\u2019s agrifood systems remain attractive, competitive, resilient, fair and sustainable.\u2019<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ecl-link__label\">IMAGE LIFE<\/span><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>\u00a0aims to do exactly that by creating a sustainable future for Italy\u2019s famous Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The project laid on field visits to 2 sites piloting climate-resilient cheese production: the Ozzano experimental barn where different animal feeds made from sorghum, millet, wheat and sunflowers are tested, and the Bio Sant\u2019Anna dairy company which specialises in organic, low-emission Parmigiano Reggiano.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a hard-hitting keynote speech from 2025 LIFE Awards winner\u00a0<span class=\"ecl-link__label\">LIFE DESERT ADAPT<\/span><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>, project manager Simona Castaldi warned that climate change is happening, and it\u2019s happening now. \u2018It is not possible to keep the situation as it is,\u2019 she said. \u2018The only sustainable way forward is to protect and nurture the environment and its mosaic of functionalities: economic, environmental and social.\u2019 LIFE DESERT ADAPT, she added, represented the \u2018true essence\u2019 of the LIFE Programme: \u2018real engagement, real-scale results and a Europe shaped by the people who take part in it.\u2019<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Castaldi\u2019s plea for an inclusive, democratic approach was echoed by Jacopo Goracci of\u00a0<span class=\"ecl-link__label\">Slow Food<\/span>. \u2018Mixed, diversified and biodiverse farming systems, linked with local communities, are the basis for food security,\u2019 he said. \u2018This is the way to obtain socially just food, which will also maintain population on marginal land.\u2019<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Panel discussions focused on strengthening resilience in the agri-food sector, positioning the agri-food sector in the\u00a0<u>EU competitiveness compass<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>, and scaling close-to-nature solutions and ecosystem services. Among those contributing were\u00a0<u>LIFE Co-Clima<\/u>,\u00a0<span class=\"ecl-link__label\">LIFE ACLIMA<\/span><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>,\u00a0<u>LIFE Olivares Vivos +<\/u>,\u00a0<u>LIFE MARONESA<\/u>,\u00a0<u>TERRAFORMING-LIFE<\/u>,\u00a0<u>LIFE Responsible Sourcing<\/u>,\u00a0<span class=\"ecl-link__label\">LIFE All4Biodiversity<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<u>LIFE BIODIVFr<\/u>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Building on these discussions, 3 workshops gave participants a chance to dive deeper into\u00a0\u00a0 sustainable agricultural practices for climate resilience; agri-tech innovations for sustainable competitiveness; and stakeholder engagement for more sustainable food systems. The workshops featured presentations by LIFE Olivares Vivos +,\u00a0<span class=\"ecl-link__label\">LIFE CLIMATE SMART CHEFS<\/span>,\u00a0<u>FoodChoices4LIFE<\/u>\u00a0and\u00a0<span class=\"ecl-link__label\">Agroecology Europe<\/span>. As Gianmarco Italia from DG Climate Action put it, \u2018LIFE plays a strategic role by supporting priority actions for climate mitigation and adaptation, helping farmers and rural communities respond to accelerating environmental pressures.\u2019<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">LIFE projects working in the agri-food sector support the\u00a0<u>EU Vision for Agriculture and Food<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>,\u00a0\u00a0<u>EU Sustainable Competitiveness Strategy<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>,\u00a0<u>Common Agricultural Policy\u00a0<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>(CAP),\u00a0<u>Green Deal<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>,\u00a0<u>2050 long-term climate strategy<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>\u00a0and the\u00a0<u>Farm to Fork strategy<\/u><button class=\"wt-unselected wt-laco wt-laco--button wt-offprint\" title=\"Search for available translations\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"laco-modal\"><\/button>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Europe\u2019s multi-billion euro agri-food sector supports more than 30 million jobs in farming, processing, transport and retail. A recent LIFE platform meeting showcased innovative solutions to future-proof one of our most important industries. \u00a9 LIFE23-CCA-IT-IMAGE LIFE. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions. With agri-food exports of more than \u00a0EUR 235 billion [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-market-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hcmcfoodex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}