Optimizing quality, safety and costs of low input food

European citizens want agriculture to provide tasty, safe, affordable and nutritious food without damaging the environment. 'Low input' farming is environmentally friendly as it minimises or completely avoids the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers.

Analysis of consumer demands

One of the first investigations will ask consumers what they want from low input foods, and measure what they actually buy, to determine what producers need to do to satisfy consumer demand. Other researchers will compare 'low-input' and conventional products for qualities such as nutritional value, taste, shelf life, and processing characteristics. Also, assessments will be made of the risks related to reduced fertility, pathogens and toxins from fungi. The aim here is to understand how these benefits and hazards can be optimised and controlled throughout the chain.

Better techniques for producers

Based on the consumer demands, scientists will develop novel techniques to produce better products as cost-effectively as possible, and disseminate them to professionals in the food industry. Focus here will be on farm-based research in cereals, vegetables, dairy, poultry and pork production. For example, agronomists will test different management strategies for improvements in soil fertility, disease, weed and pest control to improve yields of high quality, organic plant foods. At the same time livestock experts will assess how improved husbandry methods and feeding regimes can improve the nutritional quality of organic milk and minimise parasites and bacterial infections in pig and dairy production.

The project involves 31 partners, including universities, research institutes and industrial companies. Five of the eight industrial partners are small to medium size enterprises (SME) and all eight are involved in the production, processing or quality assurance of organic food.

Annual congress

Each year of the project, a major congress will be held to present the results of this and other projects on organic and 'low input' agriculture to representatives of producers, processors, retailers, consumers and other user groups.

The first major congress will take place between the 6-9th January 2005 at Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyner, UK. The meeting will be jointly organised with the Soil Association, one of Europe’s major organic farming organisations.

In addition to the first results from the integrated project, major outputs from other R&D projects funded by the EU, national governments and industry will be presented. Details and further information can be found on the project website.

Further information

Project co-ordinator: Prof. C. Leifert, University of Newcastle, Nafferton Farm, Stocksfield, NE43 7XD, UK.
Tel. +44-1661-830222; e-mail: qlif@ncl.ac.uk

Academic co-ordinator: Dr Urs Niggli, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), CH-5070 Frick, CH.
Tel. +41-62-8657270; e-mail: qlif@fibl.ch