How can agricultural and food systems be made more resilient in the face of the climate crisis, geopolitical conflicts, supply chain risks, and growing pressure to innovate? The Tagesspiegel Background Conference on Agriculture & Food, taking place on July 7, 2026, in Berlin, will address this question.

Under the theme “Healthy and Secure Supply? Agriculture, Politics, and Trade Under Stress” representatives from politics, academia, business, associations, NGOs, and trade will come together to discuss current challenges and potential solutions for agricultural and food policy in Germany and Europe.

The focus will be on topics such as geopolitics and trade, climate and biodiversity, resilient value chains, precautionary measures and crisis resilience, technological innovations, and the transformation of food systems.
The funding initiative «Agricultural Systems of the Future» will also be represented at the conference. As part of the workshop “Food Sovereignty Through Alternative Proteins? Challenges and Solutions in the Value Chain Network” stakeholders from politics, research, civil society, and business will engage in dialogue. The workshop aims to identify concrete solutions and existing barriers within the protein value chain network and to jointly develop strategies for overcoming these barriers.
To kick off the workshop, insights from research, politics, associations, and business will provide perspectives along the value chain. Subsequently, key issues will be explored in depth at interactive thematic tables—ranging from production and cultivation through processing and infrastructure to market dynamics, demand, acceptance, regulation, funding, and governance. The focus is on determining which alternative protein sources, production and processing concepts, as well as marketing and acceptance strategies, can contribute to food sovereignty.

In addition, the CUBES Circle and food4future consortia will present immersive applications in the exhibition area that bring complex agrifood systems to life digitally. Under the title “Virtual Realities for Real Transformation,” visitors can experience food4future’s “Future Food” VR experience. At CUBES Circle, visitors can use virtual reality to step into the role of a farmer and manage a circular system in which fish, tomatoes, and insects are produced together.
We look forward to exchanging ideas with experts and interested parties, as well as to engaging in exciting discussions about the future of resilient agricultural and food systems.

Further information here.