Research and innovation put at heart of CAP reforms

The agriculture of the future needs to be knowledge-based, not only producing more, but doing it in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way, says the Commission in its draft reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2013 onwards, published yesterday (11 October).

The Commission proposes to double the amount spent on agriculture R&D under CAP to €4.5 billion, to create “knowledge-based farming and competitive agriculture.” In addition, to funding more research, the Commission says it will also take steps to ensure research results are translated into practice by means of a new partnership for innovation. The funding will encourage the transfer of knowledge and advice and support research projects relevant to farmers, ensuring closer cooperation between the agricultural sector and the scientific community.

Currently, farmers do not have the means to apply new technologies, and training will be put in place to help them transpose research to practice.

Complementing this, the Commission also want to use CAP as the tool for building a more competitive and balanced food chain. Agriculture is at the base of the food chain, but it is highly fragmented and unstructured. To strengthen the position of farmers, the Commission proposes more support for producer organisations and to develop shorter chains between producers and consumers.

The proposal is further evidence of the political appeal these days of anything related to “innovation” – as a way to help the European economy recover and Europe’s competitiveness improve. The Commission has proposed, for instance, a 46 per cent increase in its broad authorisation for research and innovation funding in all sectors to €82 billion over its next seven-year budget cycle beginning in 2014.

Now, with food prices high and crop subsidies under political fire, the proposed boost in agricultural research appears to be a way for the Commission to associate farm spending with innovation – and thereby add another argument to defend its budget. And there’s a related, more human factor behind the announcement: Last year, José Manuel Silva Rodríguez, formerly Director General for Research at the Commission, changed jobs to become Director General for Agriculture – bringing with him a deep knowledge of EU research programmes.

Connecting farmers to researchers

Politics aside, Commission officials say they are trying with their proposal to fix an acute problem in agricultural research: difficulty in connecting farmers who need it with researchers who could provide it. The farm sector in Europe is highly fragmented and very conservative, with uneven interest in new methods or technologies. That’s a problem, officials say, because European farms will have to raise their productivity greatly in coming years if food prices are to remain stable despite rising demand from the developing world, and rising pressure to preserve the environment.

Thus, a key part of the proposed agricultural research budget is simply to connect more farms and universities – both within each country, and across borders. At present, officials say, while some universities have very active agricultural research programmes, their developments don’t often travel outside their own local farms – and even less frequently do they transfer to other EU countries. The Commission proposal is intended to fix that.

The Commission also wants CAP to become an explicit instrument in the fight against climate change, and in environmental protection. The draft says the special nature of each territory should be taken into account and agri-environmental initiatives at national, regional and local level encouraged. The Commission is proposing that the preservation and the restoration of ecosystems and the fight against climate change, together with the effective use of resources, should be two of the six priorities of rural development policy.

The industry group EuropaBio welcomed the European Commission’s support for science and innovation in agriculture and for the bio-based economy, but said it should be more specific about incentivising agricultural practices, sectors and technologies to ensure the CAP reform will contribute to the objectives of the EU 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The Commission says the overall aim of the draft policy is to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and permanence of agriculture throughout the EU, to provide healthy and high-quality source of food, preserve the environment and develop rural areas.

“The European Commission is proposing a new partnership between Europe and its farmers in order to meet the challenges of food security, sustainable use of natural resources and growth. The next decades will be crucial for laying the foundations of a strong agricultural sector that can cope with climate change and international competition,” said Dacian Cioloş, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development.

The reformed CAP will make it possible to promote innovation, strengthen both the economic and ecological competitiveness of the agricultural sector, combat climate change, and sustain employment and growth. It will thus make a decisive contribution to the Europe 2020 strategy, Ciolos claimed.