Periodic Reporting for period 2 - AgroFossilFree (Strategies and technologies to achieve a European Fossil-energy-free agriculture)
Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2023-09-30
Global agriculture relies on fossil resources for covering most of its energy needs and supporting agricultural productivity. The impact on productivity and efficiency, but also on labour intensity and workers’ fatigue after agricultural mechanization using fossil energy was positive, but contributed with its share to Global Warming Potential through greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.
To reduce this impact, industry and research entities have been developing novel technologies and strategies related to more sustainable energy production, efficient use and GHG emissions reduction that for the purposes of AgroFossilFree are named Fossil-Energy-Free Technologies and Strategies (FEFTS), including:
• Renewable Energy Sources
• Energy Efficiency Technologies
• Soil Carbon Sequestration techniques
Promoting such solutions to stakeholders in the value chains of arable farming, orchards, vineyards, greenhouses and livestock facilities can assist on farm cost reduction, environmental resilience and competitiveness for EU farmers.
Unfortunately, in the agricultural sector there is still an important gap between FEFTS development and their actual adoption by the farmers, especially for small/medium producers. This was derived from the fact that agriculture has not been considered as a main energy consumer and GHG producer, but also as the installation cost of such technologies has been high for low income farmers.
Nowadays, the wide application of FEFTS in other sectors has allowed their optimization (more efficient and higher quality) coupled with reduced prices.
Hence, FEFTS large adoption in European agriculture could assist thoroughly on converting agricultural systems into more sustainable with minimum energy, environmental and socioeconomic impact. Only when agricultural stakeholders gain knowledge of existing and future FEFTS will agriculture be able to fully align with the fossil energy use reduction policies, the related legal and regulatory frameworks and sustainable food production practices.
The main objective of AgroFossilFree was to create a framework under which all core stakeholders would cooperate to evaluate and promote the currently available FEFTS in EU agriculture to decrease in the short term and eliminate in the long run the use of fossil energy from cradle to farm gate, while maintaining yield and quality of the end product. Such framework can contribute in bridging the gap between the available novel high-end FEFTS and the everyday European agricultural practices by capturing grassroots-level needs and ideas, promoting effective exchange of information and investigating the possible financing opportunities for de-fossilizing activities in farming. Ultimately, it can facilitate farmers to find solutions for their specific needs contributing towards fossil-free farming.
To reduce this impact, industry and research entities have been developing novel technologies and strategies related to more sustainable energy production, efficient use and GHG emissions reduction that for the purposes of AgroFossilFree are named Fossil-Energy-Free Technologies and Strategies (FEFTS), including:
• Renewable Energy Sources
• Energy Efficiency Technologies
• Soil Carbon Sequestration techniques
Promoting such solutions to stakeholders in the value chains of arable farming, orchards, vineyards, greenhouses and livestock facilities can assist on farm cost reduction, environmental resilience and competitiveness for EU farmers.
Unfortunately, in the agricultural sector there is still an important gap between FEFTS development and their actual adoption by the farmers, especially for small/medium producers. This was derived from the fact that agriculture has not been considered as a main energy consumer and GHG producer, but also as the installation cost of such technologies has been high for low income farmers.
Nowadays, the wide application of FEFTS in other sectors has allowed their optimization (more efficient and higher quality) coupled with reduced prices.
Hence, FEFTS large adoption in European agriculture could assist thoroughly on converting agricultural systems into more sustainable with minimum energy, environmental and socioeconomic impact. Only when agricultural stakeholders gain knowledge of existing and future FEFTS will agriculture be able to fully align with the fossil energy use reduction policies, the related legal and regulatory frameworks and sustainable food production practices.
The main objective of AgroFossilFree was to create a framework under which all core stakeholders would cooperate to evaluate and promote the currently available FEFTS in EU agriculture to decrease in the short term and eliminate in the long run the use of fossil energy from cradle to farm gate, while maintaining yield and quality of the end product. Such framework can contribute in bridging the gap between the available novel high-end FEFTS and the everyday European agricultural practices by capturing grassroots-level needs and ideas, promoting effective exchange of information and investigating the possible financing opportunities for de-fossilizing activities in farming. Ultimately, it can facilitate farmers to find solutions for their specific needs contributing towards fossil-free farming.
AgroFossilFree project achieved all planned activities with minor deviations not affecting the quality of project implementation.
• The current energy status in the EU agricultural sector has been investigated through full-scale desk research, explaining the energy situation in open-field agriculture, greenhouses and livestock units. 3 scientific journal publications were produced.
• A farmers’ and experts’ survey was conducted in 8 EU countries (471 farmers and 41 experts) to assess the needs and interests of end-users about FEFTS and analyse the factors that influence the FEFTS’ adoption and diffusion among the farming community. 1 scientific journal paper was produced.
• 10 already commercial FEFTS were identified and were used as successful case studies to produce written and audio-visual material presenting the related innovation processes until they reached the market.
• A methodology to ensure the right collection of FEFTS’ data in a homogeneous and efficient way was developed.
• A registry of all FEFTS types was created with 2013 FEFTS collected. After a quality screening process, 1960 FEFTS were published and translated in 8 languages in the AgEnergy Platform.
• A detailed mapping of existing networks dealing with FEFTS across Europe was completed to create a pool of relevant stakeholders for the project’s workshops and also for dissemination purposes.
• Three Online Workshops were held successfully to present the results of the project in a gradual form, with participants of different background.
• A series of 24 regional workshops took place to receive grassroot ideas for research and policies about FEFTS to increase their adoption.
• A series of 3 transnational workshops took place to transfer the results of the regional workshops in a European level and obtain EU-wide ideas for research and policies about FEFTS to increase their adoption.
• Research recomendations and Policy Guidelines to assist agricultural defossilisation were developed.
• A Brokerage Event took place close to the project end to disseminate the results of the project, present the policy briefs developed and create a panel of experts to discuss about defossilisation of EU agriculture.
• The AgEnergy Platform was developed and it is operational for end-users to take advantage of its content of FEFTS and assess all of them.
• The Decision Support Toolkit to rank the FEFTS in the AgEnergy Platform has been integrated in the platform.
• The project website is functional acting as info-point of the project.
• 59 practice abstracts (PAs) are already produced promoting the project’s results.
• A direct communication with several EU projects and other initiative has been established to further ensure visibility and sustainability of AgEnergy Platform.
• The current energy status in the EU agricultural sector has been investigated through full-scale desk research, explaining the energy situation in open-field agriculture, greenhouses and livestock units. 3 scientific journal publications were produced.
• A farmers’ and experts’ survey was conducted in 8 EU countries (471 farmers and 41 experts) to assess the needs and interests of end-users about FEFTS and analyse the factors that influence the FEFTS’ adoption and diffusion among the farming community. 1 scientific journal paper was produced.
• 10 already commercial FEFTS were identified and were used as successful case studies to produce written and audio-visual material presenting the related innovation processes until they reached the market.
• A methodology to ensure the right collection of FEFTS’ data in a homogeneous and efficient way was developed.
• A registry of all FEFTS types was created with 2013 FEFTS collected. After a quality screening process, 1960 FEFTS were published and translated in 8 languages in the AgEnergy Platform.
• A detailed mapping of existing networks dealing with FEFTS across Europe was completed to create a pool of relevant stakeholders for the project’s workshops and also for dissemination purposes.
• Three Online Workshops were held successfully to present the results of the project in a gradual form, with participants of different background.
• A series of 24 regional workshops took place to receive grassroot ideas for research and policies about FEFTS to increase their adoption.
• A series of 3 transnational workshops took place to transfer the results of the regional workshops in a European level and obtain EU-wide ideas for research and policies about FEFTS to increase their adoption.
• Research recomendations and Policy Guidelines to assist agricultural defossilisation were developed.
• A Brokerage Event took place close to the project end to disseminate the results of the project, present the policy briefs developed and create a panel of experts to discuss about defossilisation of EU agriculture.
• The AgEnergy Platform was developed and it is operational for end-users to take advantage of its content of FEFTS and assess all of them.
• The Decision Support Toolkit to rank the FEFTS in the AgEnergy Platform has been integrated in the platform.
• The project website is functional acting as info-point of the project.
• 59 practice abstracts (PAs) are already produced promoting the project’s results.
• A direct communication with several EU projects and other initiative has been established to further ensure visibility and sustainability of AgEnergy Platform.
The methodology followed to receive feedback from all types of stakeholders regarding FEFTS integration in EU agriculture through specific research and policy pathways is indeed innovative and promotes a new approach of combining top-down and bottom-up processes to assist on fast reduction of the gap between technology research and innovation and end-users.
Impacts:
AgroFossilFree developed appropriate, coherent research and policy guidelines at EU and national level to promote faster FEFTS integration in EU agriculture. The project results also assist indirectly in reducing farm costs, increasing competitiveness and improving farm resilience by developing the AgEnergy Platform that contains numerous FEFTS and provide the ability to end-users to assess them and select the most appropriate ones for their farms. Having influenced end-users to shift their energy habits to cleaner ones, it is also expected that AgroFossilFree will contribute also in GHG emissions reduction. In addition, the whole process of workshops and events organized from the project has definitely added in raising awareness and increase the outreach and impacts of European R&I outcomes and initiatives. In general, AgroFossilFree has brought pivotal ideas on how agriculture can be restructured in terms of energy supply and consumption through its Research recommendations and Policy Briefs with significant impact on end-users and the society through the agricultural products consumption.
Impacts:
AgroFossilFree developed appropriate, coherent research and policy guidelines at EU and national level to promote faster FEFTS integration in EU agriculture. The project results also assist indirectly in reducing farm costs, increasing competitiveness and improving farm resilience by developing the AgEnergy Platform that contains numerous FEFTS and provide the ability to end-users to assess them and select the most appropriate ones for their farms. Having influenced end-users to shift their energy habits to cleaner ones, it is also expected that AgroFossilFree will contribute also in GHG emissions reduction. In addition, the whole process of workshops and events organized from the project has definitely added in raising awareness and increase the outreach and impacts of European R&I outcomes and initiatives. In general, AgroFossilFree has brought pivotal ideas on how agriculture can be restructured in terms of energy supply and consumption through its Research recommendations and Policy Briefs with significant impact on end-users and the society through the agricultural products consumption.