It is the first session of the year 2022 and, for the time being, the final session of our series on the external perspectives of the EU's Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy – a major component of the EU's larger Green Deal transition to combat climate change. Professor Alan Matthews of European Agricultural Policy in the Department of Economics, School of Social Sciences and Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland is the speaker for this virtual Vijverberg Policy Dialogue. He has authored numerous publications on agricultural policy, international trade, and food security.

The final session of 2021, which took place on 30 November, was virtually organized by foodFIRST and ECDPM. This concerned the second policy dialogue in our series on the external effects of the EU’s Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy. Our first session discussed the impact study of the US Department of Agriculture, which analyzed the economic consequences of several proposed targets in the F2F strategy based on three strategy adoption scenarios, finding a reduction in global agriculture production, higher food prices, less trade, and increased global food insecurity by 2030, particularly in Africa. This session focused on the implications of greening Europe for Africa’s food systems, its food security and its smallholder farmers. Given the interconnectedness of the trade and food systems on both continents, we want to have a discussion about the (un)intended impacts for Africa and policy responses to any spillover effects of the F2F strategy. So as to promote this objective foodFIRST has teamed up with ECDPM.

On Friday 15 October, in celebration of this year's World Food Day, foodFIRST collaborated with the Netherlands Food Partnership to organize a hybrid event that managed to draw over one hundred food professionals to Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam, as well as many more online from across the globe – from Latin America to Sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia. Additionally, the programme, which was developed in close collaboration with Dr. Monk, inspired participants to propose concrete actions that would contribute to genuine transformational change, as well as to debate pressing issues that require immediate action.

On the 6th of July 2021, foodFIRST organised the first Vijverbergsessies (webinar) of its external perspective series, exploring the implications for global food security and international markets of the EU F2F strategy based on a comprehensive review conducted by the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the US Department of Agriculture. The study analysed the economic consequences of several of the proposed targets in the F2F strategy based on three adoption scenarios of the strategy, finding reduction in global agriculture production, higher prices, less trade, and more global food insecurity by 2030. The aim of this session was to further discuss the impacts of such economic measures on the Global South – specifically Africa – and the role of the EU and the Netherlands, as key a player in the agri-food sector, in absorbing the economic and agricultural consequences of the F2F strategy.

On Thursday, March 11, Socires/foodFIRST in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) organized a webinar to discuss EU-Africa relations with the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo. Close relations between the European Union and the states of Africa are of utmost importance for both sides and were hardly coincidentally one of the priorities of the German Council Presidency 2020. The webinar started with opening remarks from KAS President Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert who laid out the context of the importance of such a session. Ms Shada Islam from New Horizons Project moderated the afternoon.