The bioeconomy has developed a great deal and may have a large impact on our agri-food systems. The Liebniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) will hold its online forum (June 7-9) to discuss the impact of the agricultural and food systems once it transitions towards a bioeconomy. BioMonitor project coordinator Justus Wesseler will be participating at the IAMO Forum in its panel discussion entitled “From extracting to creating value in the bioeconomy”.
A lot has happened this century as countries shifted their attention towards greener options such as the bioeconomy. We saw a breakthrough in biotechnologies as well as the emergence of new bio-based trends, markets and value chains. As one would expect, “change” is not always very welcoming. Many questioned the bioeconomy’s impact in society and in the planet as this might jeopardize the present-day agri-food systems. How will we be able to develop a bio-based economy while making sure that our communities are well-fed and keeping the planet healthy?
The aim of the IAMO Forum is to initiate a discussion on the symbiotic relationship between agricultural food systems and the bioeconomy. Some topics include policy and regulatory matters to be faced by innovations in agri-food systems, the trade-offs between sustainable development goals in the bioeconomy, and the place of the agricultural sector in a circular bioeconomy.
BioMonitor project coordinator Justus Wesseler from Wageningen University will be joining a panel discussion, which looks at the values we can extract and create in the bioeconomy.
“One of the interesting results we observe are the strong up- and downward linkages of the bioeconomy with other sectors of our economy,” says Justus Wesseler. “In particular after the financial crisis, the German non-food bioeconomy sector shows a strong growth. This illustrates, the bioeconomy has a lot to offer not only for agriculture, forestry, fishery and the food sector, but for other parts of our economy as well.”
He will be joined by Reginar Birner from the University of Hohenheim, and Martin Langer from BRAIN Biotech AG. This will take place on June 9 (9:30 to 11:30 CEST).
Click here to see the full program.
Cover photo by Akin on Unsplash
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