Food system actor perspectives on future-proofing European food systems through plant breeding

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Breeding
• Sustainable Food Systems

Background:

• Crop improvement is vital for sustainable food systems.
• Realizing crop improvement potential requires integrating diverse stakeholder needs.
• A multi-stakeholder perspective is essential for future-proofing food systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a multi-stakeholder perspective on crop improvement's role in future-proofing the European food system.
• To identify shared priorities among agri-business, farm, consumer, and plant scientist stakeholders.
• To synthesize evidence on the impacts of priority crop improvement options.

Main Methods:

• Online survey and focus groups engaged agri-business, farm, consumer, and plant scientist stakeholders.
• Identified top priorities from each stakeholder group.
• Conducted a rapid evidence synthesis on the impacts of priority crop improvement options.

Main Results:

• Four shared priorities related to environmental sustainability goals (water, nitrogen, phosphorus efficiency, heat stress) were identified.
• Consensus emerged on considering alternatives to plant breeding, minimizing trade-offs, and addressing geographical variations.
• Evidence synthesis highlighted the need for research on downstream sustainability impacts.

Conclusions:

• Integrating diverse stakeholder priorities is key for effective crop improvement.
• Plant breeding innovation must align with environmental sustainability goals and address specific needs.
• Further research is required to identify concrete targets for plant breeding to enhance food system solutions.