The agricultural and food systems are a complex structure of actors and value-added chains which are influenced by socio-economic framework conditions and natural environment circumstances. Under these framework conditions, how can the agricultural trade become more sustainable? Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, one of the partners in the project MATS (Making Agricultural Trade Sustainable), has conducted a road-mapping process for sustainable agricultural trade as of 2035 and integrated very different ideas and expert opinions from Europe, Africa and South America in a common model as well as 34 measures for implementation in the shape of a roadmap.

Dr. Anna Kirstgen from Fraunhofer ISI emphasizes: “It was a real challenge to make the sometimes very different perspectives from Europe, South America and Africa equally visible.” Her colleague Dr. Ewa Dönitz adds: “This complexity of different perspectives and interests is at the same time the strength of the roadmap. We hope to have given concrete help for political decision-makers and agricultural companies.”

More involvement of local actors and more awareness for consumers.

1. Inclusive cooperation: In order to involve all local actors – in addition to traders also indigenous people, particularly women and small farmers – in decisions, the existence of networks and initiatives to exchange knowledge and developments are essential. Political measures should initiate, promote and support such cooperations.
2. Local trade: Programs for knowledge exchange and for training can contribute to setting up local and sustainable trade. This also includes certifications for fair standards. It is crucial for all measures whether they can be flexibly adapted to the area – whether local, regional, continental or global. Only then an effective and nuanced policy is possible, which looks at the food system in all its complexities on all levels.
3. Impacts of trade agreements: As international trade agreements have an influence on local markets as well as the environment and the poverty level on the ground, local politics have to assess the impact and set priorities. They must align their measures together with those affected in such a way that economy and ecology as well as social factors are balanced.
4. Standards for sustainability: In the value chains high standards have to be implemented so that for example there are fair water management and fair salaries along the entire food production chain. Here it is also important to find a compromise between the economic interests of the agricultural trade and   food security as well as ecological sustainability.    
5. In dialog with wholesalers and consumers: More possibilities for exchange are needed, for example forums and workshops, only in dialog with all actors an awareness for fair prices, humane working conditions and ecological sustainability can be created – and this awareness facilitates the approval for investments which are necessary for a sustainable agricultural trade. This includes an ecological reconstruction of agriculture and prices which correspond to the value of the food and the work. Not least information campaigns and understandable labels help to reinforce the awareness of consumers for fair agricultural trade.

The project leader Dr. Ariane Voglhuber-Slavinsky of Frauenhofer ISI says: “Our moderated dialogs have shown that a clearly formulated objective can be based on different objectives. Especially in future projects with many stakeholders it is a challenge to jointly develop solutions from different perspectives. We have also seen this in the project MATS, however, it was worth it. Only the dialog with all actors can succeed in implementing sustainable agricultural trade.”

The project’s results are summarized in the brochure “Moving Towards Sustainable Agricultural Trade” which Frauenhofer introduces at the MATS closing conference. The project was funded within the program horizon 2020 by the European Union.