Policy Insights - Strengthening sustainable food systems

2023 is the year when the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy aims to confirm policy proposals for establishing an EU legislative framework covering sustainable food systems. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) plays many instrumental roles in supporting Member States’ transition to sustainable food systems. Networking CAP know-how in such fields offers useful added value opportunities to help determine how the CAP can be better used for its core purpose of safeguarding EU food supplies.

Food sustainability affects us all and the success of the flagship Farm to Fork initiative for sustainable food systems is influenced by a host of EU policy perspectives supporting agricultural production, environmental protection, and the population’s general well-being.

The EU CAP Network is an increasingly active channel in the domain of food sustainability, helping Member States to advance through the CAP Strategic Plans. This article offers an overview of the multitude of EU CAP networking activities that is building Member States’ capacity for using CAP funding, including innovation focus groups, evaluation support, and thematic groups. It then focuses on organic agriculture and agro-ecology, small farms and better market transparency, among the key topics in focus in the EU CAP Network's recent and upcoming work.