The ami@netfood project launches the validation process for the Strategic Research Agenda for ICT in the agri-food sector and rural development

How can ICT contribute to Europe’s world-wide leadership in agriculture and the food industry in the production of safe and high quality products? Can consumer involvement in the agri-food value chain be increased through ICT? In what areas can ICT based collaboration between EU citizens be expanded? What opportunities are unfolding for the European ICT industry in the agri-food sector and rural development? How can Europe trigger investment in ICT and telecommunications in rural areas and what new business models are needed for this? Can rural Europe become a more attractive place to live, invest and work by building on knowledge and innovation to drive growth?

Ami@netfood - an IST project supported by the European Commission - has introduced a strategic research agenda (SRA) to address these six key challenges and identify the ICT research needs of rural development and the agri-food sector. This SRA is being developed as a key tool for European policy makers for elaborating long term strategies in these domains.

On the basis of these challenges the Strategic Research Agenda outlines four research and technology programmes and proposes a number of specific objectives for each:

RTD 1: ICT applications for the complete traceability of agri-food products and services throughout a networked value chain
RTD 2: Collaborative environments in agrifood and rural areas
RTD 3: ICT as key enabler to support innovation and development in rural areas creating value for citizens and businesses
RTD 4: Innovative ICT applications in rural areas using broadband infrastructure

To validate and refine the SRA the ami@netfood project has launched a series of activities - including workshops and interviews - to gather input from relevant stakeholders and the wider ami@netfood constituency. Further information about these activities, the full version of the Strategic Research Agenda, as well as the validation form are available on the project website: http://www.ami-netfood.com/

About ami@netfood
Ami@netfood is a specific support action project supported by the European Commission under the Information Society Technologies programme that aims to build a long term shared vision on ICT technologies in a networked agri-food sector.

Sources:
The ami@netfood website: http://www.ami-netfood.com/
Strategic Research Agenda - Full version
Strategic Research Agenda - Summary