Europe’s agricultural landscape still shapes the continent far more than many people realise. This opening Perspective explores how land, technology, science and demographic change are transforming one of Europe’s largest and most essential systems: its food landscape.
Europe’s Food System
Understanding the systems that feed a continent
Food is one of the few subjects that touches every part of society. It connects agriculture, science, technology, industry, trade, health, culture and public policy. Yet these fields are often discussed separately, even though they increasingly shape one another.
As Europe faces new challenges—from climate change and demographic shifts to artificial intelligence and geopolitical uncertainty—understanding how its food system works has become more important than ever.
Europe’s Food System explores the organisations, technologies, institutions and ideas that shape the way Europe produces, distributes and thinks about food. Rather than focusing on individual developments, the series examines how different parts of the food system interact and what they reveal about Europe’s future.
Europe’s food system extends far beyond the farm. Agriculture increasingly connects biology with energy, chemistry, technology, logistics, research and finance — creating a complex European system behind the ordinary food we encounter every day.
Europe’s food future increasingly depends on science. Through Wageningen University & Research, this Perspective explores how biology, technology, data and applied research are converging — and why universities are becoming an integral part of Europe’s food system.
Europe does not have one agricultural landscape. From northern grasslands and continental cereal plains to Mediterranean vineyards and olive groves, climate, soil, water and geography continue to determine what Europe grows — and where it grows.
About the series
The series is organised into several phases, each exploring a different dimension of Europe’s food system. Together they examine how science, innovation, industry, policy and society increasingly converge around one of Europe’s most essential systems.
Each phase consists of a collection of in-depth Perspectives that build towards a broader understanding of how Europe’s food system continues to evolve.
Credit
Illustration by Altair Media. Created to accompany the series Europe’s Food System, exploring the scientific, technological and societal dimensions of Europe’s evolving food landscape.
Caption
Europe’s Food System examines how agriculture, science, technology and industry increasingly converge to shape the future of food across Europe. A new Altair Media series exploring one of the continent’s most essential systems.
