Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• farmers are able to transition to diversified, resilient and innovative cropping systems, increasing their sustainability, competitiveness and promoting biodiversity conservation as well as climate adaptation and mitigation;
• profitability of farming is boosted through the adoption of diversified cropping systems and the development of local value chains as well as through the valorisation of crops by-products;
• awareness and knowledge/data exchange among actors on the benefits of diversified cropping systems for farmers and for downstream value chains across Europe is increased.

Scope:

Crop diversification supports farmers resilience to external shocks, be it economic, climatic, or market related. By reducing dependency on a single farmed crop, farmers can strengthen their competitiveness in an ever-changing agricultural landscape. The temporal and spatial diversification of crops through e.g. rotation and associations, are drivers for low-input, resource-efficient farming systems that can fulfil the need to produce food, feed, industrial products (e.g. bioenergy, biomaterials, biochemicals) and other ecosystems services. These diversified and low-input farming systems will emerge if clear benefits to farmers and society are demonstrated and if the downstream value chains are properly organized.

Proposals should: 

• develop, test and showcase innovative solutions as well as business and cooperation models with a focus on activities addressing the challenges to support farmers in diversifying their crop production, enhancing profitability, resilience and sustainability;
• assess the viability and impact of the practical implementation of the proposed innovations on the overall sustainability of farmers activities and businesses (economic, social and environmental). The climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection and restoration potential of the proposed innovations should be analysed;
• describe an exploitation pathway tailor-made for the developed innovations through the different necessary steps (e.g. market research, regulatory approvals and licensing, IP management etc.) in order to accelerate exploitation of the results;
• provide support to farmers to transition to crop diversification, addressing the specific challenges of the sector and designing strategies to overcome them. Create diverse practice-oriented dissemination materials, such as audiovisuals, brochures, presentations, that showcase innovations in a creative way, incorporating artistic elements for engaging storytelling.

Activities must fall under the concept of the multi-actor approach and allow for adequate involvement of SMEs, technology developers, farmers and consumers. The involvement of farmers SMEs is crucial and should be fostered through targeted calls and financial support to third parties, particularly for SMEs developing and testing the proposed innovative solutions. Proposals should address various farming systems/approaches, one of which should be organic farming.