Sytra

Transition of food systems

All publications and events for sector Dairy sector

Past event

March 25th 2025

Namur

Transition pathways

Farming in transition for more sustainable food systems

What are the major issues currently facing agriculture and our food supply? The “Farming in transition for more sustainable food systems” lecture series will take stock of these issues.

Transition pathways

Cereals sector Protein crops Eggs sector Dairy sector Beef meat sector Pig meat sector Poultry meat sector Meadows and pasture

Protein transition Organic farming Conservation agriculture

Policy recommendations

Speakers

Philippe Baret Océane Duluins Diana Borniotto Julie Van Damme

Publication of April 22nd 2025

Transition pathways

Contextualizing PARCEL-Wallonie Simulations: Perspectives, Tensions, and Case Studies

This report presents the simulations carried out for the Walloon Region using PARCEL-Wallonie and discusses the tensions related to their implementation. It also illustrates the practical use of the tool through three case studies conducted with actors in Wallonia.

Transition pathways

Vegetable sector Fruit sector Cereals sector Protein crops Potato sector Beetroot sector Eggs sector Dairy sector Beef meat sector Pig meat sector Poultry meat sector Meadows and pasture

Environmental footprint

Authors

Quentin Vandersteen Caroline Amrom

Past event

June 5th 2024

Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve

Transition pathways

Seminar on the Paradoxes of the Protein Transition

You are warmly welcome to attend a seminar I will be giving on June 5th from 12 to 13 p.m. (Belgian time zone). The seminar will tackle the paradoxes of the protein transition, defined as the dietary shift from animal to alternative protein sources.

Transition pathways

Protein crops Dairy sector Beef meat sector Pig meat sector Poultry meat sector

Speakers

Océane Duluins

Past event

January 10th 2023

Oxford

Production systems

LEAP Conference (Oxford) : Sytra’s presentations on the bovine sector

On 25 January 2023, Sytra will give two presentations at the LEAP conference : (1) Economic implications of a protein transition: evidence from Walloon beef and dairy farms; (2) Accounting for diversity while assessing sustainability: insisghts from the Walloon bovine sectors.

Production systems

Dairy sector Beef meat sector

Protein transition

Economic performance

Speakers

Océane Duluins Anton Riera

Publication of October 22nd 2024

Transition pathways

Toward a resilient food supply of Brussels Capital region: possible scenarios based on a barriers analysis and an explorative prospective approach

Brussels Food 2050 (BruFo2050), is an explorative prospective research project that gathers two teams: Sytra from UCLouvain and Sfere, from KULeuven. This three-years long project aims at diving into the analysis and understanding of the Brussels food supply system.

Transition pathways Food value chains

Vegetable sector Cereals sector Potato sector Dairy sector Beef meat sector

Sustainability indicators

Prospective scenarios Lock-in Policy recommendations Participatory approach

Authors

Caroline Amrom Hannelore Deschaepmeester

Publication of April 16th 2024

Transition pathways

Can we achieve the protein transition without tackling the livestock transition?

The protein transition emphasizes dietary shifts from animal to alternative proteins but often neglects the need for a transformative livestock transition.

Transition pathways

Protein crops Eggs sector Dairy sector Beef meat sector Pig meat sector Poultry meat sector

Authors

Océane Duluins Philippe Baret

Past event

March 20th 2019

Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve

Transition pathways

Towards a low-pesticides agriculture in Wallonia? Presentation of a diversity of scenarios

What are the main modes of production today in Wallonia? How are the sectors organized? Which scenarios can we envisage, and with what consequences in terms of production and use of pesticides?

Transition pathways

Cereals sector Potato sector Dairy sector Beef meat sector

Participatory approach

Wallonia Belgium

Speakers

Philippe Baret Clémentine Antier

Publication of May 8th 2024

Transition pathways

Scenarios and case studies for a sustainable transition of the Belgian food system

Study for WWF Belgium proposing two scenarios for the future of the Belgian food system

Transition pathways

Vegetable sector Fruit sector Cereals sector Protein crops Potato sector Beetroot sector Eggs sector Dairy sector Beef meat sector Pig meat sector Poultry meat sector Meadows and pasture

Protein transition Sustainability indicators Crop diversification Organic farming

Prospective scenarios

Authors

Quentin Vandersteen Anton Riera Noé Vandevoorde Philippe Baret Louis Tessier

Publication of April 15th 2023

Research article

Production systems

Accounting for diversity while assessing sustainability: insights from the Walloon bovine sectors

A scientific paper on the importance of accounting for the diversity of farms when assessing sustainability. We take the opportunity to discuss the dilemmas of sustainability assessments and show that economic and environmental performances can go hand in hand. Open-access link below.

Production systems

Dairy sector Beef meat sector

Sustainability indicators

Environmental footprint

Authors

Anton Riera Océane Duluins Philippe Baret Monica Schuster

Publication of February 16th 2023

Food value chains

Stronger together, but how? Lessons from the Walloon dairy history on the strategic relevance of cooperative models

Oral presentation made at the ICA-CCR 2022 European Research Conference (linked to a published paper)

Food value chains

Authors

Véronique De Herde

Publication of April 5th 2022

Research article

Transition pathways

The economic implications of a protein transition

The protein transition, defined as the rebalancing between animal and alternative proteins in diets, is presented as a solution to mitigate the harmful effects of cattle production on the environment. We discuss the implications of such a transition on current livestock farms.

Transition pathways

Dairy sector Beef meat sector Meadows and pasture

Protein transition

Economic performance Environmental footprint

Wallonia Belgium Europe

Authors

Océane Duluins Anton Riera Philippe Baret Monica Schuster; Goedele Van den Broeck

Publication of August 12th 2022

Research article

Food value chains

Lock-ins to transition pathways anchored in contextualized cooperative dynamics : insights from the historical trajectories of the Walloon dairy cooperatives

A historical study on lock-ins to diversification pathways of dairy cooperatives. By considering cooperatives as social-ecological systems, we uncovered contextualized blocking mechanisms against inter-cooperative agreements

Food value chains

Authors

Véronique De Herde Philippe Baret Yves Segers, Kevin Maréchal