Partnerships

Accelerating Farming Systems Transitions*

Accelerating Farming Systems Transitions*

Partnership website: https://scar-europe.org/

The partnership aims to structure and support a network of living labs and research infrastructures accelerating the transition towards agroecology throughout Europe. It will provide spaces for long-term, site-specific, multi-stakeholder and real-life experimentation, and deliver ready-to adopt practices that support farmers in understanding and implementing agroecological practices at the scale needed for positive economic, environmental and social impacts.

By 2030, the ecosystem around agroecology will be better connected at EU level, knowledge of agroecological processes will boost uptake of agroecology by farmers and the environment and the social performance of farming will be improved.

Final partnership proposal (March 2022)

Contact

Commission services: Paola EulalioSusana Gaona Saez

Partners: SCAR Strategic Working Group on Agroecology (SCAR-AE) - Nicolas TinoisBenjamin SanchezTorsten Rodel Berg

* Calls with opening dates in 2023-2024

What are partnerships?

Partnerships group the EC and private and/or public partners, to coordinate and streamline the research & innovation initiatives and funding in some selected key domains.

How to use partnerships?

  • orientation
    Partnerships publish strategic documents, e.g. outlining the main research and innovation challenges or key focus points.
  • networking
    Partnerships often organise events, such as info days, brokerage events, etc. Meet potential partners and learn about the nuances that are not visible in the official documents.
  • ecosystem analysis
    Partnerships typically have an advisory board, and publish impact studies of previous actions. These are good sources of information to uncover the main R&D&I players in the domain.
  • steering the agenda
    Partnerships collaborate with the EC on outlining the strategy and the future funding opportunities in their domain, based on input from industry, academia, and other stakeholders.

Testimonial

image of RUSTICA - Converting organic residues into bio-based fertiliser products

RUSTICA - Converting organic residues into bio-based fertiliser products

The RUSTICA project obtained funding under Horizon 2020, more in particular under the topic ‘Closing nutrient cycles’.  RUSTICA focuses on demonstration and implementation of circular bio-based nutrient valorisation chains, focusing on waste from the fruit and vegetable agro-food system. The project kicked off in 2021 and will run until 2024. It will use a strong multi-actor approach to co-create both socio-economic and technological knowledge in four case study regions in Europe and one in Colombia. The Flanders-based company DRANCO is one of the project partners and acts as technical project manager for the entire project. DRANCO participates in the project to develop its own technologies, to network and to help make the transition to a more circular based economy.