Cittadinanzattiva – Active Citizenship Network’s Mariano Votta and Bianca Ferraiolo explore how consumer insights will impact the future of organic farming
On 29th and 30th April, Cittadinanzattiva – Active Citizenship Network (ACN) will host an EU workshop in Rome, Italy entitled “Meeting consumer needs in organic farming: a qualitative assessment”.
Policy background and goals
The event, held within the framework of the Organic Farming Innovations Network Europe (OH-FINE) project, will bring together members of the consortium, independent experts, representatives of national private and consumer organizations from several European countries, as well as leaders of the EU’s umbrella consumer association, the European Consumers Union (ECU), to discuss the practical integration of end-user needs into organic supply chains.
The European Union’s Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy set an ambitious goal for 25% of the EU’s farmland to be organically farmed by 2030. To achieve this, current growth rates would need to double. But this transition is more than just a technical hurdle for farmers. It is a social and economic evolution that also depends on market confidence and consumer behavior.
Role of the OH-FINE project
This is where the OH-FINE project steps in. OH-FINE spans 48 months and involves a diverse consortium of partners from across Europe, aiming to empower farmers and smallholders. But the company recognizes an important truth. In other words, innovations in this space are useless if they don’t resonate on grocery store shelves.
The EU workshop in Rome, organized by the Cittadinanzattiva Active Citizenship Network (ACN), the only Italian partner of the OH-FINE consortium, focuses on a “qualitative assessment” of consumer needs. Quantitative data tells you what people buy, while qualitative research explains why.
Over two days, representatives of consumer associations and consortium members from more than 10 European countries will hold a structured dialogue on “invisible” barriers and new opportunities for organic consumption.
This workshop will also consider how to recognize the role of consumer associations as intermediaries between the laboratory and the kitchen table. By involving these organizations, OH-FINE ensures dialogue between experts, farmers and citizens, ensuring that tools developed for farmers also appeal to citizens who will ultimately support organic ecosystems.
Looking to 2030
Looking ahead to 2030, the OH-FINE project serves as a reminder that the Green Deal is a social contract. By fostering direct dialogue between the scientific community, agricultural producer and consumer representatives, as during the Rome Conference, the OH-FINE project aims to create a more resilient organic sector that is economically viable for smallholder farmers and responsive to the public interest.
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