Agro-economic-environmental modelling in the context of the Green Deal and sustainable food systems : the iMAP view

The Integrated Modelling Platform for Agro-economic Commodity and Policy Analysis (iMAP) provides in-house policy support to the European Commission by assessing a wide range of policies and topics related to sustainable food systems (SFS). Substantially supported by DG AGRI, iMAP is constantly further developed to meet evolving policy needs. Although many developments are ongoing, this report outlines iMAP's enhanced analytical capacity to capture the multidimensional aspects of SFS and assess policy impacts. Considerable progress has been made in capturing production and environmental aspects of policies and strategies, particularly those related to the European Green Deal (EGD). Significant developments have been achieved in integrating biophysical models, other sector-specific models, and satellite imagery data into iMAP's analytical framework. However, comprehensive modelling of environmental aspects of farming practices remains challenging due to the complex interplay of biological and agronomic factors, coupled with data limitations. Limited data on specific aspects of consumer behaviour also remains a constraint for comprehensive assessments. The report shows that iMAP, along with interdisciplinary collaboration and tool integration, provides a suitable framework for assessing EGD-related policies. However, the report also highlights general uncertainties, scientific knowledge gaps, and data constraints that limit a full assessment of all aspects of the transition towards more SFS.