SYSTEMIC project partners Final Seminar
Food is a system and a complex issue: all challenges are interrelated. The need for a project like SYSTEMIC comes from the fact that the supply of agricultural products and seafood is significantly impacted by climate change. The contemporary challenge is to provide sufficient, nutritious food for all while minimizing environmental harm.
SYSTEMIC has a joint vision for the development of an integrated food system for continuous improvement in sustainability at production, consumption, nutrition, and public health.
Below are the objectives and main results of the different WPs summarized.
WP1: Resource use, current knowledge and future trends
The main task of this WP was to identify gaps and needs about input data for preparing climate change scenarios. Main outputs were the modelling of databases on crop models and climate, and the elaboration of a white paper.
This white paper begins with an introduction that explores past climate data and future scenarios. It discusses the availability and accessibility of climate data, highlighting main sources of information through Open Science and the integration of cross-sectoral data. The paper also addresses the challenges of dealing with climate data uncertainty. It analyzes climate trends in Europe, focusing on air temperature variability and the trends of agrometeorological and hydrological droughts. Finally, it identifies existing data gaps and emphasizes the need for further data to bridge these gaps.
WP2: Sustainable and value-added food production
WP2 dealt mainly with crop production optimization, biodiversity and plant breeding. It provides data on novel protein sources, alternative food options, and the bioavailability of micronutrients in the context of climate change. Reports with scientific basis proposing healthy diets based on bioactive-rich foods were developed.
WP3: Nutrition
The main goal of WP3 is understanding how climate change could impact food composition and how new technologies used to fight against climate change can affect food composition. For this purpose an evaluation of nutrient risks in current diets, identifying target populations and key food sources was carried out, as well as an investigation of novel foods' potential to address future nutrient deficiencies through a literature review.
About SYSTEMIC
The SYSTEMIC project was funded as a result of the joint call "Knowledge Hub on Food and Nutrition Security 2019" (KH on FNS) launched by HDHL JPI, FACCE JPI and OCEANS JPI with the aim of fostering transnational and multidisciplinary collaboration and networking in order to accelerate, further characterize and to manage the impact of climate change on nutritional make-up of food, and to propose adaptive strategies/ measures to ensure food and nutrition security. The project ran from 2020 untill 2024.
WP4: Consumer behaviour
Consumers with their specific choices can influence the entire food supply chain, acting as drivers of change. WP4 prepared a list of food intake datasets and studies that could potentially be conjointly analysed. A report on actual food sources and nutrient intake in EU population to quantify the impact in terms of nutritional coverage and variety of diets was done.
WP5: Public Health and Environmental Impact
WP5 main tasks were to review food and nutrition policy measures across Europe to support the identification of future food scenarios, to describe and quantify the relevant health effects and environmental impacts associated to different scenarios.
WP6: Dissemination and capacity building
The project made significant contributions to the scientific community and capacity building. It produced 75 peer-reviewed articles, and presented findings at 34 conferences. Additionally, 15 events with stakeholders and 7 invited presentations by coordinators helped share the SYSTEMIC idea. Outputs available on the Systemic website.
In capacity building, the involvement of PhD students fostered expertise in food and nutrition security. Lectures were also conducted for master's and PhD students on the impact of climate change on food sustainability.
Recommendations for the future
The SYSTEMIC project has outlined key recommendations for future research on Food, Nutrition and Security (FNS).
- New partners and project continuity
- FNS is dynamic and requires ongoing research with new partners, professions, institutions, and countries to broaden the scope.
- Diversity and improved funding sources
- Seek grants, sponsorships, and collaborations. Increase stakeholder funding, highlight the project's importance, and encourage resource sharing.
- Improved data sharing practices
- Standardize data protocols to enhance accessibility and ensure compliance with EU data protection legislation.
- Strengthened policy engagement
- Promote collaboration between researchers and policymakers for effective policy development and implementation.
- Capacity building
- Support efforts to empower locals in addressing FNS challenges and enhancing grassroots resilience.