A New International Research Community on Agrifood Law and Food Systems Launches in Brussels

The International Joint Research Group on Agrifood Law and Food Systems was launched in Brussels on 15 October 2026. Agriventures took part in the founding discussions.

The International Joint Research Group on Agrifood Law and Food Systems (IJRG-ALFS) was officially launched on 15 October 2026 at Vrije Universiteit Brussel | It took place during the 5th Food Law, Policy & Diplomacy Conference, opened by an FAO keynote on the right to food | Agriventures contributed to the discussions, with Dilyana Kutsarova and Maria Hristova taking part in two of the three thematic sessions.

The questions facing food today rarely stay inside one discipline. Climate change, technology, trade, consumer protection, human rights and geopolitics all meet in the way food is produced, moved and governed. On 15 October 2026, a new international community was launched to work across exactly these intersections: the International Joint Research Group on Agrifood Law and Food Systems (IJRG-ALFS), established at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) during the 5th Food Law, Policy & Diplomacy Conference in Brussels.

🌍A new space for cross-border dialogue

The conference opened with a welcome from Wim Vandenbussche, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation at VUB, followed by the official launch of IJRG-ALFS by its Co-Directors, Kim Van der Borght and Jorge Freddy Milian Gómez. The opening keynote was delivered by Juan Echanove, Head of the Right to Food Unit at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), placing the right to food at the heart of the day and setting the tone for a discussion on how law, policy and diplomacy can help build more sustainable, resilient and inclusive food systems.

🔄Three sessions on the forces reshaping food

Across three thematic sessions, researchers and practitioners from universities, institutions and organisations in Europe and beyond explored the transformations now reshaping food systems. The first session looked at food systems in transition, from farming under climate change and the role of cooperatives to the governance of cultivated meat and territorial cooperation. The second turned to communities, participation and inclusive food systems, covering smallholder rights, short food supply chains and local food communities, green claims in the green transition, and food security in times of conflict. The third looked ahead to food futures, including food law in virtual spaces, food defence, carbon farming and nature credits, AI and data in agri-food, and disinformation in the sector.

🚀Agriventures in the conversation

Agriventures was glad to be part of this founding gathering, contributing to two of the three sessions. Dilyana Kutsarova took part in the session on communities, participation and inclusive food systems, a theme that sits close to our work on bringing farmers, startups and local stakeholders into the heart of innovation. Maria Hristova, Executive Director of Agriventures, contributed to the session on food futures, where topics such as carbon farming and nature credits, and AI and data in agri-food, map directly onto the verticals we work in every day.

Taking part in both the community and the technology strands reflects how we see the sector: inclusive participation and responsible innovation are two sides of the same challenge, and both are needed to shape a food system that is fair as well as advanced.

💡Why it matters

The idea behind IJRG-ALFS is one we share. As the organisers put it, the challenges facing contemporary food systems cannot be understood, or addressed, through a single discipline, institution or jurisdiction. Meeting them calls for sustained dialogue across law, policy, diplomacy and other fields, and for collaboration between researchers, practitioners and institutions across borders. For an organisation like Agriventures, which works at the intersection of policy, funding, innovation and field practice, this is a natural space to contribute to and learn from. Follow our group here

Check out our guides for funding opportunities

https://projects.agriventures.co/resources

Agriventures Connect 3.0 is coming on 20th of April 2027 in Sofia, Bulgaria

https://connect.agriventures.co/ 

The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation

As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation.

Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization.

By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.

Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.