Coronavirus: Online special issue of the ENEA magazine on Agri-food-and infectious diseases

Bellanova , the  agri-food chain at the center of our economic and social agenda

The terrible Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the strategic role of the agri-food chain and the need for it to be at the center of the economic and social agenda, both at the national and European level, as stated by the Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Teresa Bellanova and reported in a leading article in the latest issue of the magazine ENEA Energia Ambiente e Innovazione, 'Cultivating sustainability - The great challenges for agriculture and the transformation of agri-food systems', available on the ENEA website.

"This emergency has shown the importance of supplying healthy and safe food to all. It is a vital supply chain, to be developed in its key environmental, social and economic sustainability aspects -  in order to have a leading role in the greener path shaped by the European Union ", Bellanova said.

"Research, innovation, technology transfer to the production system and knowledge sharing can make an essential contribution to strengthening safety, sustainability and competitiveness of these supply chains",  ENEA President Federico Testa said.

To date, agriculture is the first manufacturing sector of the country with a turnover of over 140 billion euro in 2019, while the Italian food industry is second in Europe in terms of number of companies, fifth for added value, with a growth in employment from 360 thousand to 385 thousand employees between 2016 and 2019.

In a special dossier of the magazine dedicated to Covid-19, the interconnections among health, the environment, food safety, impacts on supply chains, critical issues and strategies to overcome the crisis, FAO Deputy Director General Maria Helena Semedo pointed out that the emergency "is worsening the complex and interconnected challenges of the food and agriculture sectors, highlighting the importance of economically sustainable, socially inclusive, environmentally friendly food systems capable of guaranteeing security of supplies and adequate nutritional levels for all ”.

"This crisis has highlighted the need for a solid system for the production and distribution of food, which has increasingly become an indispensable good for the survival of the individual and the solidity of communities", pointed out Luigi Cortellessa, commander of the Carabinieri corps for agri-food protection.

Furthermore, the scientific community has had an increasingly important role in relation to the worrying closer relationship between food systems and the rise in emerging infectious diseases epidemics: "There is clear evidence of the increase in outbreaks of diseases such as swine and avian influenza, HIV or Ebola, associated with human relations with wild animals and their natural habitats, with increasing risks for health and global economic stability ", Massimo Iannetta, head of the ENEA Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, said.

The pandemic, however, is just one of the issues tackled in the magazine, which wants to address the challenges involved in the transformation of agri-food systems in the perspective of "providing quantity and quality to all, respecting the common well-being and the environment", having as an indispensable reference the objectives of the United Nations, the environment, sustainability and circularity.

The magazine features an in-depth analysis of the policies by the protagonists of the sector, including the presidents of important associations such as Massimiliano Giansanti for Confagricoltura, Riccardo Palmisano of Assobiotec, Ettore Prandini of Coldiretti, Dino Scanavino of CIA, Luigi Scordamaglia of the Cluster Agrifood, Ivano Vacondio for Federalimentare and subjects operating in strategic sectors such as the fight against waste and consumer protection: the presidents of the Food Bank Giovanni Bruno and the Consumer Union Massimiliano Dona. The analysis of the European and international scenario is entrusted to the Deputy Director General of DG AGRI of the European Commission María Angeles Benítez Salas, the General Secretary Copa-Cogeca Pekka Pesonen and Daniele Rossi, President of Copa-Cogeca - Research and Innovation Group. An in-depth on the Mediterranean by Angelo Riccaboni, Riccardo Pulselli and Simone Cresti.

Finally, the section 'Focus' focuses on research with innovative solutions, approaches and technologies on issues related to agro-food systems such as: biotechnology, energy, climate change, the environment, technological innovation, phytosanitary management of agri-food production, soil quality, pesticides and contaminants, food safety, food quality and health, circular bioeconomy, 'bioactive' plants for the pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals sector, solutions and technologies for the fight against waste and the role of the e-citizen science for the transformation of agri-food systems.

The issue of the EAI magazine is available: https://www.eai.enea.it/

The video by Massimo Iannetta, head of the Biotechnology and Agro-industry Division, on the contents of the Energy Environment and Innovation magazine, is available at: https://youtu.be/rFZwldr87hk