The FAO and the JRC were given a joint mandate to develop a Guidance Note on monitoring the sustainability of the bioeconomy under the auspices of the International Bioeconomy Forum (IBF). It was published on the occasion of the IBF plenary meeting on 29-30 November. The document outlines ten steps that countries and macro-regions can take to monitor the sustainability of the bioeconomy.
In any geographical context, the bioeconomy encompasses the primary production sectors (crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture) and the ecosystems that supply the primary materials and services to these sectors. It also comprises secondary production sectors, such as food manufacturing and processing industries, and tertiary (service) sectors, such as research and innovation, the retail sector, the food service industry, and waste management.
The exact composition of the bioeconomy depends on each country or macro-region. It consists of complex social, economic, and environmental systems. The direct and indirect impacts of the bioeconomy are not always foreseeable and trade-offs may exist. A reliable, holistic, and timely monitoring system is essential to adapt the governance bioeconomies. Monitoring systems allow decision makers to assess the performance and progress towards specific strategic objectives that reflect an overall vision.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) launched an important new guidance note for policymakers in countries and macro-regions. The Guidance note on monitoring the sustainability of bioeconomy at a country or macro-regional level describes in easy-to-follow steps how countries and macro-regions, such as the European Union, can monitor sustainability of their bioeconomy strategies and policies.
Further information
- EU Bioeconomy monitoring System
- JC paper: Development of a bioeconomy monitoring framework for the European Union: An integrative and collaborative approach.
- JRC report: Building a monitoring system for the EU Bioeconomy
- FAO's work for a sustainable and circular bioeconomy
- FAO publication: Aspirational principles and criteria for a sustainable bioeconomy
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Details
- Publication date
- 3 December 2021