Agrifood

Valereco

VALERECO is a new project funded under the Horizon Europe Program. The project brings together a diverse consortium of 15 partners from 11 countries and officially commenced with a successful Kick-Off meeting in Athens, Greece. 

During the kick-off meeting on 17 and 18 June 2024, a public launching event was hosted to present and raise issues related to the project’s goal, such as productive, climate-neutral, environment-friendly, and resilient farming systems. 

VALERECO aims to highlight legumes' often overlooked benefits and encourage their integration into cropping systems, supporting environmental sustainability in agricultural productivity. 

The primary objective is to promote understanding and adoption of legume crops in agriculture by quantifying and enhancing the environmental and economic value of the Ecosystem Services (ES) offered by legume crops. The project will promote farmers' and agricultural advisers' knowledge and capacity to include eight major and four minor legume crops in their cropping schemes while raising awareness of the positive ecological and economic impact.

As Prof. Ilias Travlos, the project coordinator, states that “in the era of biodiversity loss, climate change and food safety at risk and given the present spotlight on legumes on EU research and policy, our ambition is to valorize legumes and their ecosystem services and to suggest and evaluate realistic and sustainable ways of legumes’ inclusion into diverse cropping systems”.

Why Legume Ecosystem Services are important? 

Incorporating legumes into cropping systems offers significant benefits, including improved soil health, enhanced biodiversity, and reduced need for synthetic fertilizers. However, many farmers often underestimate or are unaware of these benefits.

VALERECO will deliver and measure the important ES provided by legumes in different cropping systems. This includes major crops used for food or feed, as well as subsidiary crops like cover crops or living mulch. The project will assess three major pulses (soybean, pea, chickpea), five major forages (vetch, clover, white clover, red clover, lucerne), one minor forage (sulla), and three minor grain legumes (lupins, faba bean, lentil). These can be both annual and perennial and may be grown alone or in combination with other crops.

VALERECO adopts a comprehensive approach, summarized as Identify - Valorize - Disseminate legume Ecosystem Services (ES) to provide the knowledge, resources, and innovative solutions required for effective legume cultivation. This approach involves: 

•  Identification: Conducting thorough analyses of existing ecosystem services and exploring ways to integrate legumes into the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). 
•  Valorization: Establishing nine (9) Living Labs (LLs) across six (6) European countries to promote legume adoption through behavioural design strategies, participatory trials, and the demonstration of technical and economic solutions. 
•  Dissemination: Creating a Digital Legume Information Hub (DLIH), a Decision Support System (DSS), and an E-learning platform to enhance knowledge transfer and support decision-making for farmers and advisors. 

VALERECO engages multiple stakeholders, including farmers, agricultural advisors, researchers, industry stakeholders, policy makers, and consumers, in co-creation activities and demonstration events to showcase the potential of legumes-based diversified farming systems in VALERECO LLs. In addition, it will provide policy recommendations and work closely with national and international projects, networks, and organizations to ensure that the capacity-building material reaches a wide audience and can be scaled up.

Partners:

• Agricultural University of Athens
• Burgundy School of Business
• Delphy
• University of Coimbra
• Foodscale Hub
• Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops
• Leibniz University Hannover
• Stichting Wageningen Research
• Instituto Navarro de Tecnologias e Infraestructuras groalimentarias
• AgriFood Lithuania DIH
• University of Florence
• University of Pisa
• AgFutura Technologies
• Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
• Helvetas

Project website: https://valereco.eu/

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IPMorama

The overall objective of the IPMorama project is to deliver a more sustainable food production system. It will be a major driver to reduce pesticide usage in conventional agricultural systems, and to enable the viable expansion of organic systems to one quarter of all agricultural production in the EU. This will be achieved by development of a “practice ecosystem” that supports the breeding, deployment and uptake of varieties that are designed to underpin Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches for important diseases/pests in wheat, potatoes and grain legume species (soybean, white lupin and pea) in Europe.

IPMorama is intentionally rooted in the starting point of current mainstream and emerging practices for variety-based disease and pest control, on the basis that the lead-time to effective impact will be minimised by building on this foundation. Farm-2-Fork timescales for pesticide reduction (targeting 2030) are ambitious, and even more so for the concept of using varietal resistance as a key component, since most breeding systems have a combined selection and product development cycle of over ten years. Thus, whilst we envisage many valuable approaches for varietal contribution to IPM in the future (e.g., greater compatibility with the soil microbiome and companion species), the “first wave” of effective strategies needs to be heavily rooted in the current system. The IPMorama approach seeks to initiate this first wave for its target crop/pests, and act as a model for other similar crop/pest systems in which similar starting points exist.

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4growth

The objective of 4Growth is to understand where, how and to what extent digital and data technologies in agriculture and forestry are being adopted. It will do so by collecting a wide range of ground truth data via distributed observatories across Europe and identifying key factors or constraints for uptake. 4Growth will showcase the uptake through the “4Growth Visualisation Platform” that will combine powerful storytelling with advanced visualisation of market data. This will contribute to a deeper knowledge of what influences market adoption, which in turn will allow 4Growth to develop robust forecasts to guide policymaking and increase further uptake.

Approach

• Observatories: One of the core elements of the 4Growth approach is the collection of “ground truth” data via distributed observatories. 4Growth will gather and analyse data via 7 observatories across Europe.
• State-of-the-art analysis: 4Growth will carry out a comprehensive state-of-the art analysis to understand the level of development and implementation of digital technologies in the agriculture and forestry sectors, primarily focusing on Europe.
• Market Forecasting and Foresight: Through an analysis of technological, economic, societal, regulatory, and nature-related indicators, the Market Monitoring and Forecasting Tool will enable decision makers to monitor digital agriculture and forestry markets as well as forecast the future uptake of various digital technologies.
• 4Growth Visualisation Platform: 4Growth will showcase the uptake through the “4Growth Visualisation Platform” that will combine powerful storytelling with advanced visualisation of market data

Partners:

• Agricultural University of Athens
• AgriFood Lithuania DIH
• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• CTIFL
• Evenflow
• Foodscale Hub
• Future Impacts
• ILVO
• INTIA
• LE Europe
• Vizzuality
• VTT
• Wageningen University & Research

Project website: https://4growth-project.eu/

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BioSolFarm

Given the amount of biomass and the land consumption, agriculture has a great potential to contribute to the transition to green energy. By exploring integration of innovative technological solutions with economically profitable models this project contributes to meeting the PO2 and the SO2 increased use of green technologies to lower the pollution discharges to the Baltic Sea, not only from the utilization of the fossil fuels but also from the mineral fertilizer.

The total area of agricultural land in the region is 37 Mha with an average fertilizer consumption of 177 kg/ha that could be replaced with the digestate from anaerobic digestion (AD). Integrative solutions will also contribute to circular bio economy and more efficient economy, either by utilization of biomass for e.g. biogas production, or by installation of solar cells. Biogas and solar energy are complementary energy sources since biogas is produced also when the sun is not shining. A decentralized energy system and improved energy storage at farm level will result in increased safety in energy supply and food production, which today are challenges for animal farms. A special challenge is that many farms are not big enough to face the requirements of AD technology, but with the solutions developed in the regular project, farmers will be able to implement new business models based on best practices, exchange knowledge, cooperate and built networks to jointly face environmental, economic and energy supply challenges

Partners:

• Gdansk University of Technology
• AgriFood Lithuania DIH
• Environmental Technology Network Mecklenburg-Vorpommern enviMV
• Rietavas tourism and business information center
• Pomeranian Agricultural Advisory Center
• Lithuanian Food Exporters Association (Litmea)
• University of Rostock

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Stella

STELLA aims to develop a holistic digital system (STELLA PSS) to aid in the early warning and detection of regulated pests together with a response strategy by using modern sensing technology and Artificial Intelligence.
The STELLA PSS will be tested over three years at field, farm and regional levels across 6 Use Case Pilots (UCPs) covering arable, orchard and vineyard crops as well as large, difficult to reach areas (forests). STELLA focuses on eight (8) different RNQP and quarantine diseases transmitted in a variety of ways, that expand across 4 European countries with different climate and geological characteristics and New Zealand. STELLA will perform capacity-building activities in order to equip farmers, agronomists, and stakeholders with the necessary skills to use the STELLA system and encourage them to adopt eco-friendly crop protection methods.

Policy recommendations generated through the STELLA PSS findings, will be targeted to policy makers and decision makers aiming to support the European Commission’s goals of reducing pesticide use, managing priority plant pest outbreaks and promoting digitalisation of EU agriculture and forestry. A networking strategy will be developed to exchange ideas, leverage existing knowledge and enable links with relevant organisations, citizens, networks, projects, and initiatives.

Partners:

• Geoponiko Panepistimion Athinon
• Universita Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore
• Eigen Vermogen Van Het Instituutvoor Landbouw- En Visserijonderzoek
• Universitaet Fuer Bodenkultur Wien
• Green & Digital
• Foodscale Hub Greece
• Association De Coordination Technique Agricole - Les Instituts Techniques Agricoles
• Horta SRL
• Pessl Instruments Gmbh
• Green Supply Chain DIH
• Agrifood Lithuania DIH
• Edencore Technologies
• Institut Francais De La Vigne Et Du Vin
• Lincoln Agritech Limited

Project website: https://stella-pss.eu/

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SOS-Food

In the current environmental emergency, the food system has to become more productive, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient. SOSFood will therefore use data-exploitation and AI-based technologies to provide a holistic and comprehensive image of the EU food system and develop tailored predictive tools to support well-informed decisions of all stakeholders of the food chain, with a multi-factorial, multi-actor and multi-scale approach, thanks to its multidisciplinary consortium of experts, from private and public sectors, academia research and food system representative (consumers, producers and industries). Although several initiatives have been taken in the same line, none has fully succeeded at considering the global picture of the system or delivering a reliable and accessible message to the target audience.

Hence, SOSFood will result in a consolidated food data space focused on sustainability and health and decision-making tools adapted to each level of the chain (a predictive dashboard displaying data and predictions for industries, and a mobile app for consumers comprising an eco-healthy fingerprint visualization plot, a greening indicator of industries, reformulated European recipes promoting healthy, local and seasonal ingredients and general recommendations), following these steps:

• Creating a multi-actor network gathering social, political, legal, economic, technological, food, health, environmental and climatic data, promoting transparency and data-sharing;
• Mapping the food system scenario with a multidimensional strategy, exploiting the interoperability of data with advanced impact analysis and innovative AI-technologies;
• Co-designing solutions i.e., decision-making tools fitting the context and priorities of each user, validated through field case studies to ensure viability and representativeness.

Partners:

• Universidade de Vigo
• Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
• Stichting Radboud Universiteit
• Universita Degli Studi di Ferrara
• Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
• Universidade Nova de Lisaboa
• Asociación DIH Datalife - HUB de innovación dixital Datalife
• Agrifood Lithuania DIH
• Smart Agro HUB anonymi etairia
• Softeam
• JIBE company BV
• Contactica SL
• Ignacio de las Cuevas SA
• Vikonda grupė, UAB
• YIOTIS anonimos emporiki & viomixaniki etaireia
• Communaute Europeenne des Cooperatives de Consommateurs
• Axencia galega de desenvolvemento rural

Project website: https://www.sosfood-project.eu/

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Sixfold

SIXFOLD unites partners from the ‘Smart Sensors 4 Agri-food’ Partnership, and its network of Living Labs with a clear aim, Stimulating innovation experiments in food processing live demonstrators.

The twin transition stands at the heart of the Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy. The agri-food sector plays a critical role in the realisation of these ambitions. The nature of deep tech innovation also shows the need for a transition via responsible regulatory frameworks. Living Labs are looking for more experimentation by engaging societal stakeholders and addressing innovation barriers experienced by agri food companies. SIXFOLD aims to facilitate implementation of deep tech within the agri-food sector, by building a robust network of Living Labs across the EU. This network will support a dynamic and regionally embedded ecosystem thriving with deep tech innovations relevant for the agri-food industry such as AI and machine learning, robots and co-bots, biotech, etc. throughout the food system. The timing is critical for agri-food companies to experiment with innovative technologies and collaboration with deep tech innovators.

SIXFOLD builds on an existing framework. Nevertheless, a careful assessment of the current state of play through interviews and study visits is made after which assessed barriers to innovation is tackled by a tailor made co-creation process. This ensures maximum participation of external experts, regulators, and broader societal actors on regional and European levels and in turn generates a more complete and validated Action Plan adapted to real-world needs. The network of Living Labs will in this way facilitate collaborative knowledge exchange by actively engaging stakeholders from various regions and ensuring inclusivity and diversity in participation. Amongst other objectives, the updated Operational Handbook of the network of Living Labs will form the basis of a successful transition towards sustainable food systems across Europe.

Partners:

• Agrifood Capital BV
• Seinajoen Ammattikorkeakoulu OY
• Agrifood Lithuania DIH
• Flanders' Food
• Fundacion Instituto Tecnologico De Galicia
• Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe

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Rurbanive

RURBANIVE will establish a novel Rural-Urban innovation framework, supported by technical and social innovations to enhance territorial governance and existing policy tools.

A community store of Rural-Urban Enablers realised through Rural-Urban immersiveness will promote experimentation and innovation focused on building up the well-being economies of rural and urban areas. In addition, a Community of Practice Suite will challenge the current status quo by putting rural citizens at the centre of policy.

Together, they will enable rural-urban interactions through enhanced social connectivity, cooperation, and instant realisation. Participatory processes will support dialogue and cooperation and enable stakeholders to assess and evaluate processes and future scenarios that contribute further to the development of synergies and recommendations.

Partners:

• Institute of Communication and Computer Systems
• Agricultural University of Athens
• Fundación CARTIF
• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
• Foodscale Hub
• European Association for Innovation in Local Development
• Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
• Alchemia-Nova Research and Innovation
• AgriFood Lithuania DIH
• IMERYS
• The Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness
• Trikala Municipality
• Kėdainiai District Municipality
• South Aegean Region
• Innovation Campus Lemgo
• Partnership for Rural Europe
• BioBASE

Project website: rurbanive-project.eu

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