PATH2DEA Hosts EU Policy Roundtable and Co-Creation Workshop Agroecology Supported by Digital Tools

The Horizon Europe project PATH2DEA held a EU Policy Roundtable and Co-Creation Workshop on May 15th, convening over 60 stakeholders to engage in dynamic dialogue on digitalization and agroecology. The event brought together policymakers, researchers, and representatives from civil society to identify barriers and co-develop actionable policy recommendations for a just and effective digital transition in agriculture.

The morning roundtable featured high-level speakers including Evangelia Mourmoura (DG AGRI), Doris Marquardt (DG CNECT), Eduardo Cuoco (IFOAM Organics Europe), and Valentin Friedl (European Coordination Via Campesina). Their insights underscored the complexity of digital transformation in agriculture, highlighting both opportunities and risks.

Stefan Pfeiffer, PATH2DEA project coordinator, initiated the event with a presentation on agroecology as a key enabler of food system transformation, followed by an overview of the PATH2DEA project's objectives and findings.

Key points from the discussion with the panelists included:
• The urgent need for bottom-up digitalization strategies, tailored to farmers' realities.
• Persistent barriers such as high technology costs, poor connectivity, and lack of trust in digital systems.
• The importance of interoperability and open-source standards to avoid data monopolies and promote equitable innovation.

Speakers emphasized that farmers must be active participants in the design and use of digital tools, ensuring solutions are context-specific, transparent, and empower decision-making rather than replace it. Concerns were also raised about greenwashing and the energy footprint of digital technologies.

In the afternoon, participants collaborated in co-creation sessions, engaging in group discussions to prioritize barriers and co-develop practical, timeline-aware policy recommendations. These outputs will directly inform PATH2DEA's final policy recommendations and research and innovation roadmap, previewed for the end of the year.