Unlocking challenges and opportunities presented by COVID-19 pandemic for cross-cutting disruption in agri-food and green deal innovations: Quo Vadis?

COVID-19 pandemic is on a trajectory to cause catastrophic global upheaval with the potential to alter geopolitical and socio-economic norms. Many countries are frantically responding with staggering financial stimulus recovery initiatives. This opinion-paper reviews challenges, opportunities, and p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment Vol. 748; p. 141362
Main Authors: Rowan, Neil J., Galanakis, Charis M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.12.2020
The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V
Subjects:
Agri-food
Agriculture
Betacoronavirus
business enterprises
carbon
climate
Climate change
Conservation of Natural Resources
Coronavirus Infections
COVID-19
COVID-19 infection
Disruptive technologies
employment
environment
Food
Food Supply
Green innovation
Humans
Pandemics
peatlands
Pneumonia, Viral
politics
Review
SARS-CoV-2
socioeconomics
supply chain
Sustainability
sustainable agriculture
COVID-19
Agri-food
Climate change
Disruptive technologies
Sustainability
Green innovation
ISSN:0048-9697, 1879-1026, 1879-1026
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:COVID-19 pandemic is on a trajectory to cause catastrophic global upheaval with the potential to alter geopolitical and socio-economic norms. Many countries are frantically responding with staggering financial stimulus recovery initiatives. This opinion-paper reviews challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions for the post-COVID-19 era that focuses on intensive sustaining of agri-food supply chain in tandem with meeting the high demand for new green deal innovation. For example, the development of wet peatland innovation, known as Paludiculture, can intensively sustain and blend agri-food and green innovations that will help support COVID-19 pandemic transitioning. The future looks bright for the creation of new sustainability multi-actor innovation hubs that will support, connect, and enable businesses to recover and pivot beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The nexus between first ‘Green Deal’ initiative supporting 64 selected European Startups and SMEs (European Innovation Council) and 43 Irish Disruptive Technology projects are addressed in the context of cross-cutting developments and relevance to COVID-19. Candidate areas for future consideration will focus on climate action, digitization, manufacturing, and sustainable food production, security, and waste mitigation. Recommendations are also provided to facilitate community transitioning, training, enterprise, and employment to low carbon economy. [Display omitted] •COVID-19 pandemic presents opportunities for sustainable agri-food production and to accelerate green innovation.•Sensible yet ambitious technical-economical recovery plans are urgently needed when countries reopen.•COVID-19 may create disruptive technologies that cross-cuts agri-food, ICT, health, and environment.•Multi-agency converging innovation hubs have the potential to accelerate socio-economic recovery.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141362