EU food system monitoring in context of spatial sciences

The European Green Deal aims to help the EU become climate neutral and resource-efficient, ensuring economic growth within the planetary boundaries. It recognises the need for systemic changes in the key economic sectors, including those related to food. To measure progress, a monitoring system is needed that ensures systemic approach, including environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability in a cost efficient way. It is logical to reuse existing indicators, by assessing their relevance and completeness in terms of various sustainability aspects. However, integrating elements heterogeneous system involves resolving their interoperability. In practice, more than 300 indicators have been screened, documented according to a harmonised metadata schema and anchored to a food system model. The model includes the components of the food supply chain (primary production, food processing, distribution and consumption) and the three sustainability dimensions decomposed in 12 thematic areas and 37 indicator domains. This work has revealed important knowledge gaps. Earth observation data and other spatial information are essential to fill these gaps and provide meaningful analysis of food system sustainability in space and time.