IURC China Webinar: Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-food System
Webinar
BACKGROUND
Both the EU and China are facing three major challenges in the agricultural sector. First, food security challenge: the EU is part of the global food system, whereas China has a daunting task to feed 22% of the world's population with 9% of the world's arable land. Second, environmental challenges such as soil degradation, water shortages, biodiversity loss and climate change. And third, high degree of urbanization: 75% of the Europe population lives in cities in and 64% in China, a proportion that is projected to 80% by 2050. These are some reasons why urban agriculture has become a subject of growing interest and a burgeoning sector. Despite the growing awareness worldwide of the potential of urban agriculture, it has yet to fully find its way into policy and practice in both the EU and China.
In Europe, the “Europe 2020” strategy laid the groundwork for smarter, more sustainable and inclusive growth. Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) focuses on classical agricultural production in rural areas, but also includes implicit chances for urban agriculture, including the development of short supply chains and local markets or the promotion of cooperation activities. The Green Deal with its Farm-to-Fork-Strategy aims to create sustainable food systems stressing the creation of a robust and resilient food system. In China, policy recommendations put urban-rural integrated development and rural revitalization forward, which implies the potential of urban agriculture in solving the issues of urban-rural discrepancy, e.g. the National Sustainable Agriculture Development Plan (2015-2030) which highlights the environmental challenges in the agricultural sector and promotes locally adapted agriculture and circular agriculture. The shorter-term „National Agriculture Green Development Plan“ (2021-2025) or the cross-cutting “14th Five-Year Plan for Circular Economy Development” (2021-2025) are just other examples of the promotion of a more sustainable, resource-efficient agriculture.
The webinar is organised as a part of the IURC China thematic cluster working sessions, aiming to share how cities and regions achieve transition towards green, circular and bio-economy and resilient agri-food systems, and discuss how EU-China cooperation can help them to reach the goals.
OBJECTIVES
Through deep multilateral discussion, this thematic webinar seeks to showcase challenges and solutions of developing robust and resilient agri-food systems, enhancing green, circular and bioeconomy in IURC pilot cities & regions and provide them with a networking opportunity to:
1. Share perspectives, policy initiatives, and best practices
2. Identify potential common projects and relevant stakeholders to address the transition to a green and circular economy.
Participants
This webinar will take place among：
1. stakeholders from IURC China pilot cities and regions in the thematic group of Sustainable urban agriculture and Agri-food systems;
2. invited participants from IURC global community.
Read the highlights from the event