Over 20 people from stakeholder groups joined a dozen CEOS researchers on December 11, 2020 for the first CEOS Stakeholder Roundtable. The group discussed current efforts related to sustainable food and agriculture (SFA) and issues that need more work in the months and years ahead.
If you are interested in engaging with us on any of these topics or simply want to be part of the conversation, subscribe to the CEOS newsletter or connect with us, subject: SFA stakeholder.
Five CEOS researchers at UIUC working on different dimensions of the economics of sustainable food and agriculture presented lightning talks on topics ranging from reducing food waste to conservation tillage. After the lightning talks, the group split into breakout sessions to foster small-group discussions with emphasis on input from stakeholders about the work that needs to be done. Stakeholders came from nongovernmental organizations, public and private-owned businesses, and other institutions in and around Illinois.
The conversations revealed that stakeholders and CEOS researchers are engaged in a wide range of work on SFA. People working in multi-sectoral partnerships tackle a key set of critical challenges including reducing nutrient loss, cutting food waste, and helping agriculture cut net carbon emissions and be resilient to climate shocks. Work is underway to develop a range of mechanisms – from novel supply chains to new food labels and commodity products – to advance solutions to those challenges.
The group raised a number of challenging and important questions that need to be answered about SFA to advance the work listed above. There is still a need to quantify the relationships between agricultural practices and ecosystem services, use markets and farm-management strategies to monetize the value of those services to promote voluntary adoption, and find ways to incentivize practices that have positive net value to society but will not pay for themselves.
Looking a few years into the future, the group identified several “big questions” related to sustainable food and agricultural systems. Collaboration on these themes can pave a path to prosperity and health for consumers, producers, and the environment, including a future with profitably decarbonized agriculture or a landscape that is more profoundly diversified to improve flows of ecosystem services and mitigate a host of production and market risks.
The group proposed ways to continue engagement between CEOS researchers/students and stakeholders. Some examples include a research podcast, CEOS/stakeholder symposium, and direct research collaboration and projects. If you are interested in engaging with us on any of these topics or simply want to be part of the conversation, subscribe to the CEOS newsletter or connect with us, subject: SFA stakeholder.