The agricultural and agri-food sectors are currently confronted with many challenges influencing all the stakeholders of the value chain: consumers, citizens, firms, farmers and policymakers behaviour. This follows various food crises in recent years, as well as an increasing awareness of environmental issues. This in turn involves public health issues, social issues, economic issues, international and local issues.

This evolution takes place in an industry where:

• At one end consumers are more and more demanding in terms of quality and safety of products, but at the same time in terms of prices;
• At the other end, highly specialized farms actively seek innovation and profitability.

As a consequence, the food industry has to deal with often contradictory requirements and has to innovate to square that circle.

While the need to change the model is unanimous, the modification of existing practices and the introduction of new farming systems and new forms of distribution are disrupting the existing productive patterns and thus are often blocked. Following questions need thus to be explored:

• Which are the technological, organizational and social innovations that should be carried on by incumbent firms?
• What public actions could foster these innovations, including the development of new agricultural and agri-food practices, new distribution channels, new processes, the development of a circular economy?

Exploring these different issues requires new developments and analytical frameworks.

Communication proposals are welcome for presentation in the round tables and for participation in an open debate. Topics debated include:

• New and sustainable modes of production and distribution (short supply chains)
• Agro-food supply chains and territorial development
• Agro-innovation in digital times
• Climate change, agro-innovation and food quality
• Sustainable innovation and corporate social responsibility
• Consumer food trends and food safety challenges
• Emerging food safety threats
• Health and nutritional claims in food labelling: a puzzle game
• Food fraud vulnerability: mitigation and control plans
• Food security: Contributions of a sustainable bioeconomy

Organizing committee : Fragiskos Gaitis (EFET) Irène Tsigarida (EFET) Fedoua Kasmi (ULCO RRI) Romain Debref (Univ Reims RRI)

Scientific committee: Sophie Reboud (Burgundy School of Business) Corinne Tanguy (Cesaer, AgroSup Dijon) – Coordination

Vasiliki Avramopoulou (EFET), Sophie Boutillier (Ulco, RRI) Romain Debref (Univ Reims, RRI), Guy Faure (Cirad, RRI), Dimitra Papadimitriou (EFET), Danai Papanastasiou (EFET), Delphine Gallaud (AgroSup Dijon, RRI), Danielle Galliano (Inra, Toulouse), Thierry Grard (ULCO), Blandine Laperche (ULCO, RRI), Simon Nadel (Univ Lille 1, RRI), Georgia Ouzounidou (ELGO, Demeter), Stavroula Skoulika (EFET), Ludovic Temple (Cirad Montpellier, RRI), Leila Temri (Supagro Montpellier, RRI), Jean Marc Touzard (Inra Montpellier, RRI), Ioannis Tsialtas (EFET), Dimitri Uzunidis (ULCO, RRI)

Important dates:

• Deadline for communication proposals (extended abstract one or two pages, including name(s) of the contributor(s), affiliation and contact information): 10th of December 2018 at rri@univ-littoral.fr
• Decision of the organization committee: 7^th of January 2019

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