Supporting EU farming through behavioural and economic analyses
Decision-makers are increasingly turning to research and innovation (R&I) to guide their agriculture-related policies such as supporting farm income, food security, generation renewal, green transition and revitalising rural areas. One key part of this research involves social sciences and humanities (SSH), which enable policymakers to better understand how people respond to different incentives or changes. Such an insight is especially valuable when implementing sustainable farming practices or increasing resilience against climate change. Through behavioural and economic analyses, these observations capture the socio-economic dimension of societal challenges. This factor plays a vital role in measuring the success and the effectiveness of a policy. In addition, SSH researchers develop and maintain appropriate analytical tools, such as economic models, which are used to design these policies and monitor their effects, while incorporating up-to-date data and new socio-economic approaches. One of the main challenges is to continuously improve the available tools and models with the most recent knowledge and methodological developments to ensure they can respond to current priorities. Under the Horizon 2020 programme, strategic steps were taken to improve analytical tools and models supporting policies and markets related to agriculture and food as well as international trade within a sustainability framework. This new CORDIS Results Pack focuses on important new evidence and recommendations for improving policies related to agriculture, and the new emerging research projects that are funded under Horizon Europe. These R&I activities integrating social sciences and humanities are essential for supporting the development and implementation of agriculture-related policies, as well as the sustainability, competitiveness and resilience of the agri-food sector. The five projects featured will be used in key ongoing processes and will be involved in achieving sustainable development goals, including doing the groundwork for the common agricultural policy - CAP(opens in new window). They also contribute to the EU Green Deal(opens in new window) and the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food(opens in new window). The Pack further illustrates advances in modelling for the Joint Research Centre’s integrated Modelling Platform for Agro-economic Commodity and Policy Analysis, or iMAP(opens in new window). By providing a toolbox of data and models with socio-economic analyses, evidence and recommendations, the Pack highlights the potential of this research area for supporting agricultural policies while helping achieve the EU’s ambitions on sustainability, competitiveness and resilience. Furthermore, data and models are key to improving our knowledge on the performance of the diverse farm business models, agri-food sector and rural areas. By encompassing social, economic and environmental dimensions, from local to global level, they help to identify critical trade-offs and collaborations that are valuable for decision-making. BATModel developed a modular platform to improve the modelling of agri-food trade policies. BESTMAP created a new modelling framework for EU rural policies to promote sustainability. MATS identified how agri-trade can grow sustainably, while TRADE4SD explored the relationship between trade and sustainable development. Finally, MIND STEP studied the impact of better integrating integrating farm-level decision-making in policy analysis.
