EU4Advice

Programme: Horizone Europe

Multi-actor collaboration dynamics and capacity building network inside and between AKIS to foster the upscaling of SFSCs across Europe

(01/10/2022-30/09/2027) Budget: 3.809.059,25 €

“A project to generate resilient farmbased livelihood in rural, peri-urban and urban areas”

“And support socioeconomic and environmental sustainable and healthy farming methods”

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SHORT CHAINS EMPOWER PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS

Short food supply chains (SFSC) are a mean for both producers and consumers to gain better positions in the value chain, improving trust, transparency, food quality and asafety. The EU-funded EU4Advice project aims to bolster SFSC-related advisory services to chain actors, to help them make their practices more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, connecting SFSC-advisors from the 27 member States in a common network, integrating SFSC-related advisory services, tools and contents into national Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS), and improving AKIS governance.

EU4Advice will also create spaces to test on the field innovative methodologies, contents and novel governance models through a network of four living labs, collaborating and involving various actors including advisors, researchers, policy-makers, farmers and consumers.

EU4Advice works to settle the foundations and structures required to ensure effective capacity building of SFSC actors through fluent knowledge transfer through the application of the interactive innovation model.

EU4Advice aims to boost the role of advisors as catalysers of the knowledge flow from research to practice, through the creation of an EU network of advisors with knowledge and expertise on SFSC issues, and the implementation of measures towards the effective integration of SFSC advisors into national AKIS.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Identify and characterize SFSC advisors across Europe
Connect SFSC-advisors from the 27 MSs in a European network
Improve the understanding of the main issues and challenges of European AKIS
Integrate SFSC advisors and contents into national AKIS
Interact with relevant national/regional/local policy-makers
Replicate and disseminate innovations on SFSC

Expected impacts

Innovative governance models enabling sustainability and resilience notably to achieve better informed decision- making processes, societal engagement and innovation

More informed and engaged stakeholders and end users including primary producers and consumers thanks to effective platforms such as Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS)

Strengthened EU and international science-policy interfaces to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

EU4ADVICE = AKIS + MULTIACTOR NETWORK

EU4Advice works to create a network of SFSC advisors, policy-makers, researchers and farmers, working together towards the effective organizational set-up of the AKIS.

EU4Advice deals with the most important goals from the Farm2Fork Strategy, as it is intended to promote the most sustainable and empowering SFSC models, which constitute a promising and emerging sustainable alternative to globalized food systems, with strong potential to empower both producers and consumers while, at the same time, reducing the environmental footprint and enhancing the competitiveness of the agri-food system.

COREnet – Twin project

CoreNET is the EU4Advice twin project.

Covering 27 Member States, both project work in continous coordination. since they have been funded under the topic: HORIZON-CL6-2021-GOVERNANCE-01-27 – Developing EU advisory networks on consumer-producer chains

CoreNET proposes to respond to a fragmented knowledge landscape, coupled with a lack of clarity as to essential skills and competencies in all phases from farm to fork. The project aims at supporting the systematic development of more effective Short Food Supply Chains advising, based on bringing together public, private and civic advisors through IT-enabled peer-to-peer learning and mutual support.

Complementarity of both projects will contribute to a strong and effective EU SFSC ecosystem.

CONSORTIUM

20 partners from 11 EU countries and 1 EU-associated country (Norway), and 1 associated partner from a non-EU country (UK). It includes two umbrella organisations representing the 27 EU members (COPA representing European farmers and agri-cooperatives from 26 EU countries (but Bulgary) and IFA representing the food sector in 57 countries all over the world)