The CCRI has been part of a consortium tasked with identifying sustainable practices and policies in agricultural, fisheries and food sectors across Europe. SUFISA – Sustainable finance for sustainable agriculture and fisheries (Horizon 2020. Call H2020-SFS-2014-2. Topic SFS-19-2014) – aimed to identify practices and policies that support the sustainability of primary producers in a context of complex policy requirements, market imperfections and globalisation. The project, which began in May 2015, will come to an end in April 2019, and has collected data from 22 regions across Europe. Case studies included, arable, aquaculture, dairy, fisheries, fruit, meat, olives and wine.
The CCRI team has played a pivotal role in the project – leading Work Package 2 ‘Case study analysis’.
Professor Damian Maye and Drs James Kirwan, Mauro Vigani, Dilshaad Bundhoo, Rob Berry, Amr Khafagy, Evgenia (Nenia) Micha and Hannah Chiswell have worked on the project.
The Consortium
Coordinated by Professor Erik Mathijs of the Catholic University Leuven, Belgium, SUFISA involved a consortium of 13 partners from the following countries:
- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium).
- University of Pisa (Italy)
- University of Gloucestershire, CCRI (UK)
- Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (France)
- Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna (Italy)
- University of Hasselt (Belgium)
- Nodibinajums Baltic Studies Centre (Latvia)
- University of Evora (Portugal)
- Aarhus University (Denmark)
- Agricultural University of Athens (Greece)
- Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (Germany)
- Jagiellonian University (Poland)
- University of Belgrade (Serbia)
Project Abstract
A sound functioning of the European food system is central to the delivery of food and nutrition security for all Europeans. However, this system faces many economic, environmental and social challenges, as well as opportunities, following a range of socio-economic and technological developments that are not equally distributed throughout the EU. Future policymaking that aims to develop healthy and resilient food systems needs to take into account this differentiation and diversity of approaches, which necessitate foresight activities that take into account both the development of important driving forces as well as the social and spatial diversity involved.
Primary production - that is agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture - forms the foundation of the food system. Its structure and performance is influenced by various conditions shaped by both the public and the private sectors. As economic agents, primary producers aim to generate a sufficient amount of income, but their financial conditions are highly dependent on both public and private actors, such as government regulators (including the EU’s agricultural and fisheries policies), the financial sector, suppliers, the food industry, retailers, etc. In other words, the web of policy requirements as well as input and output market imperfections greatly shape farmers’ and fishermen’s livelihoods. Knowledge on the conditions of primary producers and the driving forces influencing these conditions exists, but in a fragmented way: not all primary producers and regions are covered, not all driving forces have been investigated, cross-linkages between them have been insufficiently analysed, and future opportunities are not well integrated, etc.
The purpose of SUFISA is to identify sustainable practices and policies in the agricultural, fish and food sectors that support the sustainability of primary producers in a context of multi-dimensional policy requirements, market uncertainties and globalisation.
Work Package 2
A key aim of SUFISA has been to give voice to primary producers and those connected to the supply chain.
As well as leading the Work Package, at the UK level, we have focussed on two cases in the UK: dairy in Somerset and fisheries in Cornwall. A combination of methods, including focus groups, interviews and a survey of 200 producers (in the dairy case only) were used to understand the key market and regulatory conditions, and the strategies and arrangements that primary producers are utilising to manage difficulties and risks.
Using this combination of methods, the CCRI gained a unique insight into the market conditions faced by primary producers. In the dairy case for example, price volatility emerged as a key issue, with farmers concerned about the unpredictability of the global market. Our results highlight the differing supply chain arrangements and mechanisms that are allowing farmers to deal with these pressures.
The results of our work are available as a full report, extended summaries and as part of policy briefs:
Dairy policy brief Dairy summary report Inshore fisheries policy brief Inshore fisheries summary report UK Case Study full report
Although our findings relate specifically to dairy farming and inshore fisheries in Somerset and Cornwall, respectively, they are likely to resonate in other areas of the UK. Our findings come at a crucial time in relation to the ongoing Brexit negotiations. We have therefore produced two policy briefing documents, designed to draw attention to the main issues that have arisen from the research that are likely to have policy implications for the future viability of both important sectors.
For further information, visit the Sufisa website or follow Sufisa on Twitter @sufisa_eu
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme for research and innovation grant agreement no 635577
Project Updates and Activities
Damian Maye to present SUFISA findings to DG-Agri
Next week Damian Maye will travel to Brussels and present findings from the SUFISA project to DG Agri at the European Commission.
SUFISA – final policy conference
Damian Maye and Mauro Vigani will travel to Krakow in Poland next week as the SUFISA project reaches its conclusion with the final policy conference.
CCRI SUFISA team travel to Pisa
Damian Maye, Hannah Chiswell and Mauro Vigani will be in Pisa next week at a project writing retreat as part of the EU Horizon 2020 project, SUFISA
CCRI SUFISA team head to Belgium
Next week, Damian Maye, Mauro Vigani and Hannah Chiswell will be travelling to Belgium as part of the SUFISA project on a two-day trip that will involve a project team meeting in Leuven, followed by a stakeholder workshop in Brussels.
CCRI team publish SUFISA case study summaries
The UK SUFISA team are delighted to publish their case study findings: the dairy and inshore fisheries reports are available now.
CCRI Brexit paper accepted for publication in Space & Polity
Damian Maye, Hannah Chiswell, Mauro Vigani and James Kirwan have had a paper accepted for publication in Space and Polity, which looks at how Brexit is being discussed now in two key agricultural sectors, cereals and horticulture
CCRI research team at 13th IFSA Symposium in Crete
A CCRI team has been in Chania in Crete attending the 13th European Farming Systems Symposium (IFSA – European Group) Symposium, which has been looking at ‘Farming systems facing uncertainties and enhancing opportunities’
Brexit under discussion at the RGS-IBG Conference 2017.
Damian Maye, James Kirwan, Dilshaad Bundhoo and Hannah Chiswell are at the Annual International Conference of the RGS-IBG, where Brexit is very much at the forefront of the CCRI presentations.
ESRS 2017 Conference update
Some abstracts of the CCRI presentations are now available for the XXVIIth ESRS Conference, which took place in Krakow, Poland, from 24th to 27th July.
CCRI team visit Denmark for Sufisa project meeting
Drs Damian Maye, James Kirwan and Mauro Vigani were in Esbjerg, Denmark on the 4th-6th July for the fifth project meeting for the SUFISA [Sustainable finance for sustainable agriculture and fisheries] project.
CCRI SUFISA team at project meeting in Portugal
Damian Maye and Mauro Vigani are currently in Portugal, presenting an update on progress to date on Work Package 2 under the Horizon 2020 SUFISA project.
CCRI at the 2016 RGS-IBG Annual Conference
The CCRI was well represented at the 2016 RGS-IBG Annual Conference, this year’s theme being ‘nexus thinking’, an approach that aims to address the interdependencies, tensions and trade-offs between different environmental and social domains.
Damian Maye and James Kirwan and the forthcoming RGS-IBG conference
Damian Mayer and James Kirwan are once again very much involved in the annual RGS-IBG conference, where they are organising a session on food system sustainability and resilience and also co-presenting three research papers.
Call for papers – 2016 International Farming Systems Association Symposium
The 2016 International Farming Systems Association Symposium is now calling for papers for the workshop “Boundary spanning between agroecological and conventional production systems: implications for pathways towards more sustainable production”.
2nd Meeting of SUFISA to take place in Paris
Drs James Kirwan, Damian Maye and Mauro Vigani will be attending the second meeting of the SUFISA project in Paris on 15 – 16 December.
CCRI at the 2016 International Farming Systems Association Symposium
The CCRI is to be well represented at the 2016 International Farming Systems Association Symposium, with sessions linking to three EU funded projects on which the CCRI is currently a working partner – Glamur, SUFISA and VALERIE
European funding won by Gloucestershire researchers
The CCRI has been successful in consortia bids for two EU Horizon 2020 research projects which will bring over 850,000 Euros to the University over the next five years.