Project description
Developing an 'energy smart' agri-food system
To feed a growing world population, the global food system needs to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. A shift to an 'energy smart' model will safeguard the agri-food system, which is currently impacted by the high and fluctuating prices of fossil fuels and the risk that fossil fuels may not be available in the future. The EU-funded AgroFossilFree project will bring together key stakeholders to evaluate and promote currently available fossil energy-free technologies and strategies (FEFTS) in EU agriculture. The goal is to close the gap between the available FEFTS, either commercial or from applicable research results, and everyday EU agricultural practices. The results will assist in the creation of policy recommendations and the promotion of viable strategies and technologies.
Objective
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:
-consider and evaluate the current status in EU agriculture regarding energy use and assess existing needs and interests for the future farm energy profile
-identify and register currently available and directly applicable FEFTS, spanning from applied research results to market solutions and investigate available financing tools for de-fossilizing activities
-create an online platform containing all available FEFTS to be assessed and provide a Decision Support Toolkit to provide proposed interventions based on user inputs as well as links for those interventions financing
-collaborate with all relative stakeholders in thematic groups using interactive physical and online methodologies to produce community-based ideas for FEFTS integration in agricultural systems in a regional and EU-basis
-Create policy recommendations and communicate them to increase visibility and promote the proposed strategies and technologies in real agricultural activities in the near future.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme
- H2020-EU.3.2.1.1. - Increasing production efficiency and coping with climate change, while ensuring sustainability and resilience
- H2020-EU.3.2.1.2. - Providing ecosystems services and public goods
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
57001 Thermi Thessaloniki
Greece