AgriSPIN: creating SPace for INnovation The project name reflects the overall aim of this project: to strengthen support systems in creating space for innovating farmers. Innovative farmers are everywhere, but their environment determines the rate of success. The project aims to create more space for innovations, through amplifying good examples of innovation support systems and through multi-actor learning about ways to stimulate innovation and remove obstacles. The main target group is intermediates who connect initiators to other actors for involving them in creating innovations, such as farmers, knowledge workers, actors in the value chain, administrators, civil society groups, etc.. 11 European project partners are playing this intermediate role in their regional AKIS. 4 scientific partners complete the team. Each regional partner will host a Cross Visit. The visiting team, composed of project partners, studies interesting cases of agricultural innovations. The scientists provide sound methodology for making these visits valuable. Throughout the project period partners support each other in an emerging professional innovation network. They inspire each other and initiate improvements in their own systems. The project also addresses the institutional environment, involving public managers, administrators and policy makers. Case studies and lessons learned are made available to a wider public. Attention will be given to cultural and historical particularities, requiring tailor made solutions for every region. The scientists explore lessons to be generalised and added to the scientific discourse on knowledge brokers. Once the approach of joint learning through Cross Visits has been well tested and the professional network is functional, the project is ready for collaboration with other partners such as thematic networks and operational groups under the EIP as well as other interested regions in joint learning about innovation support systems.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is based on a diversity of pest management measures (prevention, non-chemical control, best practices for optimizing pesticide efficiency, etc.). These are combined at the farm level to enable reduced reliance on pesticides, and therefore a decrease in the exposure of the environment and people to pesticides. Rare pioneer farmers throughout Europe are testing such IPM strategies and are succeeding in achieving good outcomes with low pesticide inputs. However the majority of European farmers still rely heavily on pesticides, with major environmental and societal impacts, because most of them have not adopted a comprehensive, farm-level and holistic IPM strategy so far. The objective of IPMWORKS is to promote the adoption of IPM strategies, based on a EU-wide network of farmers, who will both progress further in the adoption of IPM – through peer-to-peer learning and joint efforts – and demonstrate to other farmers that holistic IPM “works”; i.e. allows a low reliance on pesticides with better pest control, reduced costs and enhanced profitability. IPMWORKS will coordinate existing networks promoting IPM and launch new hubs of farms in regions or sectors where IPM pioneers are not yet engaged in a relevant network. Advisors coordinating hubs will have a major role in facilitating knowledge sharing, coaching farmers to find their own IPM solutions, and organising local demonstration activities. IPMWORKS will stimulate access to the ‘IPM Decisions’ platform and provide information on the IPM methods. It will collect data for comparing IPM strategies, and share results and dissemination material through channels widely used by farmers, broadcasting IPM success stories. It will organise training, and produce training material, targeting both farmers outside the network and advisory services, in order to prepare for the future dissemination of the peer-to-peer learning approach and the general adoption of IPM throughout the EU.

NEFERTITI is a unique project that establishes 10 interactive thematic networks and bring together 45 regional clusters (hubs) of demo-farmers and the involved actors (advisors, NGOs, industry, education, researchers and policy makers) in 17 countries. NEFERTITI focuses on creating added value from the exchange of knowledge, actors, farmers and technical content over the networks in order to boost innovation uptake, to improve peer to peer learning and network connectivity between farms actors across Europe, thus contributing to a more competitive, sustainable and climate-smart agriculture. NEFERTITI address 10 themes that have been chosen based on key concerns of the farming communities of the regional hubs in the project, covering together a balanced range of themes over three main agricultural sectors: animal production, arable farming and horticultural production. The themes have also been chosen regarding their innovation potential, their demonstration potential and the cross-fertilisation potential among the themes, the sectors and the actors. Themes are closely linked to the H2020 Thematic Networks and will connect with other organisational structures at grass root level, like EIP operational groups and study clubs that will confer to the project a key role of accelerator and empowerment of the dissemination and of the uptake of the practical-oriented knowledge delivered by all EIP related projects. A monitoring and learning program supports the systematic extraction of lessons learnt, lessons to be shared with wide audiences including AKIS actors and public authorities. A web based platform unlocks the experience, actors, demo details and the related content for wide spread sharing, enhanced by dedicated production of relevant material (including high-quality professional videos) in each language of the partners. NEFERTITI will engage a policy dialogue with EU Regions to match farmers and policy makers’ interests in view of the networks sustainability.