Fairer, healthier, and more sustainable? Three contested sociotechnical imaginaries for transforming the European agri-food system

Aziz Omar; Martin Hvarregaard Thorsøe

doi:10.1177/25148486251381335

Fairer, healthier, and more sustainable? Three contested sociotechnical imaginaries for transforming the European agri-food system

Aziz Omar^*
, Martin Hvarregaard Thorsøe

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Institut for Agroøkologi - Jordbrugssystemer og Bæredygtighed

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Abstract

The European Commission's Farm to Fork Strategy aims to transform the European Union's agrifood system to address sustainability, health, and equity challenges. Central to this transformation is Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation funding program, which mobilizes public and private investment in agri-food technologies. Drawing on a Sociotechnical Imaginary (STI) framework, this paper analyses 26 Horizon Europe Calls (2021–2024) to examine how visions for EU agrifood systems are co-produced, legitimized, and contested. We identify three dominant imaginaries: (1) nature-based solutions as pathways to sustainability; (2) alternative proteins as key to promoting health; and (3) smart technologies as enablers of fairness and inclusion. While these imaginaries claim to advance sustainability, health, and equity goals, our analysis reveals that they predominantly reflect the interests of powerful institutional and corporate actors. These technocentric visions facilitate the commodification of nature, promote surveillance-based data extraction models, and consolidate control over agrifood systems in the hands of a few dominant players. We further demonstrate how these dominant imaginaries marginalize alternative visions advocated by food sovereignty movements, farmer organizations, and watchdog groups such as IPES-Food, ETC Group, La Via Campesina and European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC). These alternative imaginaries emphasize agroecology, local knowledge systems, and participatory governance, yet remain largely excluded from EU funding priorities and policy frameworks. We argue for the urgent need to embed participatory technology assessment and data sovereignty principles within EU agrifood research and innovation governance. Such measures are critical to democratizing decision-making, preventing technology lock-in, and ensuring more equitable and sustainable food system transformations in Europe.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space
Antal sider	31
ISSN	2514-8486
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/25148486251381335
Status	E-pub / Early view - 2025

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abstract = "The European Commission's Farm to Fork Strategy aims to transform the European Union's agrifood system to address sustainability, health, and equity challenges. Central to this transformation is Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation funding program, which mobilizes public and private investment in agri-food technologies. Drawing on a Sociotechnical Imaginary (STI) framework, this paper analyses 26 Horizon Europe Calls (2021–2024) to examine how visions for EU agrifood systems are co-produced, legitimized, and contested. We identify three dominant imaginaries: (1) nature-based solutions as pathways to sustainability; (2) alternative proteins as key to promoting health; and (3) smart technologies as enablers of fairness and inclusion. While these imaginaries claim to advance sustainability, health, and equity goals, our analysis reveals that they predominantly reflect the interests of powerful institutional and corporate actors. These technocentric visions facilitate the commodification of nature, promote surveillance-based data extraction models, and consolidate control over agrifood systems in the hands of a few dominant players. We further demonstrate how these dominant imaginaries marginalize alternative visions advocated by food sovereignty movements, farmer organizations, and watchdog groups such as IPES-Food, ETC Group, La Via Campesina and European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC). These alternative imaginaries emphasize agroecology, local knowledge systems, and participatory governance, yet remain largely excluded from EU funding priorities and policy frameworks. We argue for the urgent need to embed participatory technology assessment and data sovereignty principles within EU agrifood research and innovation governance. Such measures are critical to democratizing decision-making, preventing technology lock-in, and ensuring more equitable and sustainable food system transformations in Europe.",

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journal = "Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space",

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T1 - Fairer, healthier, and more sustainable? Three contested sociotechnical imaginaries for transforming the European agri-food system

AU - Omar, Aziz

AU - Thorsøe, Martin Hvarregaard

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - The European Commission's Farm to Fork Strategy aims to transform the European Union's agrifood system to address sustainability, health, and equity challenges. Central to this transformation is Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation funding program, which mobilizes public and private investment in agri-food technologies. Drawing on a Sociotechnical Imaginary (STI) framework, this paper analyses 26 Horizon Europe Calls (2021–2024) to examine how visions for EU agrifood systems are co-produced, legitimized, and contested. We identify three dominant imaginaries: (1) nature-based solutions as pathways to sustainability; (2) alternative proteins as key to promoting health; and (3) smart technologies as enablers of fairness and inclusion. While these imaginaries claim to advance sustainability, health, and equity goals, our analysis reveals that they predominantly reflect the interests of powerful institutional and corporate actors. These technocentric visions facilitate the commodification of nature, promote surveillance-based data extraction models, and consolidate control over agrifood systems in the hands of a few dominant players. We further demonstrate how these dominant imaginaries marginalize alternative visions advocated by food sovereignty movements, farmer organizations, and watchdog groups such as IPES-Food, ETC Group, La Via Campesina and European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC). These alternative imaginaries emphasize agroecology, local knowledge systems, and participatory governance, yet remain largely excluded from EU funding priorities and policy frameworks. We argue for the urgent need to embed participatory technology assessment and data sovereignty principles within EU agrifood research and innovation governance. Such measures are critical to democratizing decision-making, preventing technology lock-in, and ensuring more equitable and sustainable food system transformations in Europe.

AB - The European Commission's Farm to Fork Strategy aims to transform the European Union's agrifood system to address sustainability, health, and equity challenges. Central to this transformation is Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation funding program, which mobilizes public and private investment in agri-food technologies. Drawing on a Sociotechnical Imaginary (STI) framework, this paper analyses 26 Horizon Europe Calls (2021–2024) to examine how visions for EU agrifood systems are co-produced, legitimized, and contested. We identify three dominant imaginaries: (1) nature-based solutions as pathways to sustainability; (2) alternative proteins as key to promoting health; and (3) smart technologies as enablers of fairness and inclusion. While these imaginaries claim to advance sustainability, health, and equity goals, our analysis reveals that they predominantly reflect the interests of powerful institutional and corporate actors. These technocentric visions facilitate the commodification of nature, promote surveillance-based data extraction models, and consolidate control over agrifood systems in the hands of a few dominant players. We further demonstrate how these dominant imaginaries marginalize alternative visions advocated by food sovereignty movements, farmer organizations, and watchdog groups such as IPES-Food, ETC Group, La Via Campesina and European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC). These alternative imaginaries emphasize agroecology, local knowledge systems, and participatory governance, yet remain largely excluded from EU funding priorities and policy frameworks. We argue for the urgent need to embed participatory technology assessment and data sovereignty principles within EU agrifood research and innovation governance. Such measures are critical to democratizing decision-making, preventing technology lock-in, and ensuring more equitable and sustainable food system transformations in Europe.

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KW - alternative proteins

KW - farm to fork strategy

KW - horizon Europe

KW - power

KW - smart technologies

KW - social justice

KW - Sociotechnical imaginaries

KW - technological vigilance

KW - ‘nature-based’ solutions

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DO - 10.1177/25148486251381335

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:105019537325

SN - 2514-8486

JO - Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space

JF - Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space

ER -

Fairer, healthier, and more sustainable? Three contested sociotechnical imaginaries for transforming the European agri-food system

Abstract

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