The Organic-PLUS project has the overall aim of providing high quality, trans-disciplinary, scientifically informed decision support to help all actors in the organic sector, including national and regional policy makers, to reach the next level of the EU’s organic success story. By doing so organic food systems can be more true to organic principles but equally to the EU Bioeconomy agenda. Organic-PLUS objectives are to: 1) identify and valorise contentious inputs currently used in European agriculture 2) provide specific technical solutions to minimise or phase-out their use 3) provide environmental, social and economic assessments of phase-out scenarios 4) disseminate and broker knowledge, ideas and results to maximise impact. We use a trans-disciplinary research approach; the consortium includes 11 universities and 15 multi-actors from 9 EU and 3 associated countries. We combine scientists from many academic disciplines with advisors, farmers and other stakeholders in participatory research design. Organic-PLUS has three large ‘topical’ workpackages called PLANT (researching alternatives to copper and mineral oils), LIVESTOCK (researching alternatives to synthetic vitamins, antibiotics and novel animal bedding) and SOIL (researching alternatives to peat, animal-derived fertilisers and plastic mulch). The topical work is supported by IMPACT (researching consumer conceptions of contentious inputs and disseminating knowledge together with stakeholders) and by MODEL (using sustainability assessment methodology to deliver phasing-out scenarios). The LEAD workpackage is also responsible for managing the International Scientific and the European Industry advisory boards ensuring impact to industry and policy development. The results of the project are disseminated through peer-reviewed and farmer-facing publications, social media, on-farm events and international conferences and we will also ensure impact through citizen juries and engagement with policy makers.

With the Farm-to-Fork Strategy (F2F), the EU has set targets of reaching at least 25% of the EU’s agricultural land under organic farming and significantly increasing organic aquaculture by 2030. The overall objective of OrganicTargets4EU project is to support the achievement of these targets. Based on an assessment of key drivers and lock-ins affecting the development of the organic sector, the project will set-up a multi-actor process to create possible scenarios for reaching the targets. The project is structured into two strands, which run from start to finish: •Production and Markets: the project will analyse where increases in organic farmland can be achieved, and the (socio-economic) impacts of these increases at the level of primary production, value chains and markets. The project will also provide evidence on the mechanisms that can drive demand for organic food and the impact of changing diets and food waste reduction on mitigating the reduced yields from organic production. •Knowledge and Innovation: the project will work towards an innovation ecosystem fit for achieving the F2F targets, recognising that the scale of the expansion envisaged will require a transformational approach. It will identify knowledge gaps and opportunities to strengthen advisory services. It will build capacity, and stimulate exchange of scientific and practice-oriented knowledge. Building on the CORE Organic network, it will increase and coordinate R&I investment for organic. OrganicTargets4EU will facilitate a multi-actor policy dialogue to assess the feasibility of the organic F2F targets and develop policy recommendations for the CAP, EU organic regulation, EU and national organic action plans, Horizon Europe, and horizontal legislation on inputs and public procurement. The policy recommendations will cover short-term options (up to 2027), the next policy reform from 2028 onwards, and a horizon scanning post 2030 for the whole next multi-annual financial framework to 2034.

The aim of the project is to create a framework under which critical stakeholders will cooperate to evaluate and promote currently available fossil-energy-free strategies and technologies (FEFTS) in EU agriculture to diminish in the short term and eliminate in the long run fossil fuels use in any farming process from cradle to farm gate, while maintaining yield and quality of the end-product. Such a framework will contribute in closing the gap between the available FEFTS either commercial or from applicable research results with the everyday EU agricultural practices by promoting effective exchange of novel ideas and information between research, industry, extension and the farming community so that existing research and commercial solutions can be widely communicated, while capturing grassroots level needs and innovative ideas from the farming and related industry communities. Financing opportunities for de-fossilizing EU agriculture will be investigated and highlighted. The specific objectives are to: -cons

Climate Farm Demo is a unique pan-European network of Pilot Demo Farmers (PDFs) covering 28 countries and all pedo-climatic areas. Its overall aim it to accelerate the adoption of Climate Smart Farming (CSF) practices and solutions by farmers and all actors of the Climate Smart Agriculture Knowledge & Innovation Systems with a view of adapting agricultural production systems to climate change and of achieving a carbon neutral agricultural sector by 2050, thereby meeting the targets of the EU Climate strategy. To reach this objective, the project adopts a Multi-Actor approach by connecting 1500 Pilot Demo Farmers and their Climate Farm Advisors (CFAs) at European and national levels to increase knowledge exchange & cross-fertilisation in their respective AKIS. The CFA’s will support the PDF’s in implementing Adaptation and Mitigation Measures suggested by contextualised guidelines and will assess & monitor their environmental performance thanks to harmonized methodologies & tools. Technical and social innovations covering a broad range of thematic areas will be demonstrated to the wider farming community across six annual demo-campaigns (4500 demo-events) supporting interactive and peer to peer learning. New and innovative CSF solutions will be co-created in 10 Living Labs spread across Europe and lessons learned from multi-actor innovation will be shared and scaled. A set of public and private rewarding mechanisms will be identified, proposed and demonstrated to the AKIS actors, thus incentivising the uptake of CSF solutions while ensuring sustainable business models. Strategic and operational cooperation will be organised with projects, flagship initiatives and policy-makers at European and national levels in order to share knowledge, organize coordinated actions, and produce policy briefs. Finally, to accelerate the wide spreading and uptake of results, an ambitious dissemination, exploitation and communication strategy will be deployed at EU and national levels

The overall objective of Re-Livestock is to evaluate and mobilize the adoption of innovative practices applied cross-scale (animal, herd, farm, sector and region) to reduce GHG emissions from livestock farming systems and increase their capacity to dealing with potential climate change impacts. To reach our aim, Re-Livestock have brought together the excellence scientific expertise in Europe and Australia and across disciplines, including co-innovation, animal feeding, breeding, welfare, farm management, environmental and socio-economic assessment and policy analysis, to develop novel and scientifically supported integrated approaches specific for different dairy, beef and pig systems and geographic regions in the context of climate change. Strong collaboration with industry stakeholders to identify the innovations and to co-design the validation will ensure relevance and maximise the adoption of best practices. National groups of farmers (case studies) and ‘stakeholder forums’ together with a ‘European multi-actor platform’ will allow for an engaged co-design of transition pathways whilst ‘learning from innovation networks’ will allow for the testing and sharing of latest innovative solutions. A ‘community of practice’ will extend the multi-actor approach to a broad range of stakeholders.