Support for evidence-based EU agri-food policies post-2027
© ACT4CAP27 Consortium
Introduction
In the evolving landscape of the European Green Deal, existing quantitative modelling tools face a monumental challenge in comprehensively addressing all components of the policy.
The ACT4CAP27 project adopts a comprehensive food system approach, focusing on building analytical capacity for the quantitative assessment of the impacts of upcoming agri-food policies on the economic, social (including health), environmental, and climate sustainability of food systems.
Overview
ACT4CAP27 is a Horizon Europe research project aiming to enhance analytical capabilities, tools, and collaborative technical infrastructure within the policy modelling community, to provide support for evidence-based EU agri-food policies post-2027.
This project applies a food system approach that ensures analytical capacity is built up to support the quantitative assessment of impacts of future agri-food policies on economic, social (including health), environmental and climate sustainability of food systems. By identifying synergies, trade offs, and linkages it supports the effectiveness and efficiency of regulatory pathways in the face of ongoing shocks and disruptions across Europe and the world.
© ACT4CAP27 Consortium
Objectives
1. Designing & operationalize a conceptual data and modelling framework
2. Better understand the determinants and indicators for an improved EU food system performance and ASSESSING policy impact.
3. Developing an enhanced modular MODELLING Toolbox to quantify the transition to a sustainable EU food system and its contribution to societal goals.
4. Safeguarding the uptake and update of the integrated and modular toolbox and community building.
5.PLATFORM for stakeholder interaction and dialogues – at different stages of the project
ACT4CAP27 Project Team
Stichting Wageningen Research (Netherlands) is the coordinator of the project consortium.
The consortium consists of the following partners:
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Austria)
- The Thünen Institute (Germany)
- EuroCARE (Germany)
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden)
- Technical University of Madrid (Spain)
- Wageningen (Netherlands)
- Polissia National University
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom)
- Roma Tre University (Italy)
- Ecorys (Belgium)
IIASA Project Team
IIASA's Contribution
IIASA is the the leader of WP4 on ACT4CAP27 data and model portal. IASA develops the ACT4CAP27 Portal to ensure effective exploration and dissemination of the project results to the target stakeholders within and outside the consortium.
In addition, IIASA leads Task 2.2 (Environmental assessment modules), to develop several stand-alone data and analysis modules, building on food system indicators, that can be connected to the economic models to assess environmental sustainability assessment on food-system activities.
The Water Security group are developing a water quality module to assess water pollution related to nitrogen fertilizer application from both synthetic and organic sources at the spatially explicit level by linking economic models via downscaling techniques to SWAT, a water quality model, to assess impacts of agriculture on water use, scarcity, and water quality.
IIASA models being used in this project
News
Annual Report 2025: Advancing Global Partnerships Highlights
24 July 2025