Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EFUA (European Forum for a Comprehensive Vision on Urban Agriculture)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-05-01 al 2023-10-31
EFUA’s objectives are to unlock Urban Agriculture’s potential by achieving better knowledge, better deployment, and better policies in this field.
1. Better knowledge in Urban Agriculture
EFUA is reviewing research and publications on UA to define the knowledge status in UA. It will consult and cooperate with ongoing research projects and will influence upcoming ones to better coordinate research on UA. EFUA strives to define knowledge gaps hindering UA’s development and to define Research & Innovation activities to fill these gaps. EFUA will provide the UA stakeholders with updated knowledge. EFUA’s objective is to co-build knowledge together with the stakeholders engaged in the UA Forum.
2. Better deployment of Urban Agriculture
EFUA is reviewing research, publications and reports to collate and analyze good collective practice and their related forms of governance in Europe. Governance is understood to mean ways of planning, realizing and sustaining UA practices at the city level in the context of interaction with the local social, economic, political and environmental context. EFUA is identifying barriers hindering UA’s development and define strategies and actions to overcome these barriers, targeting the different tiers from EU, to member states and regional and local level. EFUA is also identifying future challenges, potential game changers and promising next practice. This is done again through engaging the UA Forum to achieve stakeholder targeted and adaptable solutions.
3. Better policies for Urban Agriculture
Based on a better understanding, it is EFUA’s goal to build the UA agenda for the next two decades and to purposefully advise policies from EU to city level. EFUA is investigate both, 1) policies impacting UA and 2) policies that potentially benefit from UA. By analyzing institutional and normative frameworks EFUA is uncovering links between UA and policies to benefit policy making and define action, and guide UA towards a policy conforming with development priorities. EFUA aims to relate UA to the decisive EU agendas and priorities to achieve better support and funding. This is undertaken from the European level to the city level and also taking into account a globalized UA, namely by addressing UA in LDCs. In doing so, the UA Forum is helping to define a comprehensive vision and policies and actions that really fit to the requirements of the UA stakeholders.
4. Better networking of stakeholders in Urban Agriculture
EFUA continues the work of the COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe (COST UAE; 2012-2016). EFUA is building on this network and its achievements and link it with other European research activities - namely the Horizon programmes - and communities – from local to global ones and including Least Developed Countries (LDCs) - to establish a community of stakeholders in the field of Urban Agriculture (UA). This community - called the UA Forum is intended to be sustained beyond the project’s lifetime in order to give UA a European voice and to provide policy makers in Europe with a forum to continuously fine tune their UA related policies. Following a quad helix approach, the UA Forum is also one of EFUA’s main mechanisms to boost its various activities from research to impact and to achieve its other objectives.
1. Better knowledge in Urban Agriculture
EFUA is reviewing research and publications on UA to define the knowledge status in UA. It will consult and cooperate with ongoing research projects and will influence upcoming ones to better coordinate research on UA. EFUA strives to define knowledge gaps hindering UA’s development and to define Research & Innovation activities to fill these gaps. EFUA will provide the UA stakeholders with updated knowledge. EFUA’s objective is to co-build knowledge together with the stakeholders engaged in the UA Forum.
2. Better deployment of Urban Agriculture
EFUA is reviewing research, publications and reports to collate and analyze good collective practice and their related forms of governance in Europe. Governance is understood to mean ways of planning, realizing and sustaining UA practices at the city level in the context of interaction with the local social, economic, political and environmental context. EFUA is identifying barriers hindering UA’s development and define strategies and actions to overcome these barriers, targeting the different tiers from EU, to member states and regional and local level. EFUA is also identifying future challenges, potential game changers and promising next practice. This is done again through engaging the UA Forum to achieve stakeholder targeted and adaptable solutions.
3. Better policies for Urban Agriculture
Based on a better understanding, it is EFUA’s goal to build the UA agenda for the next two decades and to purposefully advise policies from EU to city level. EFUA is investigate both, 1) policies impacting UA and 2) policies that potentially benefit from UA. By analyzing institutional and normative frameworks EFUA is uncovering links between UA and policies to benefit policy making and define action, and guide UA towards a policy conforming with development priorities. EFUA aims to relate UA to the decisive EU agendas and priorities to achieve better support and funding. This is undertaken from the European level to the city level and also taking into account a globalized UA, namely by addressing UA in LDCs. In doing so, the UA Forum is helping to define a comprehensive vision and policies and actions that really fit to the requirements of the UA stakeholders.
4. Better networking of stakeholders in Urban Agriculture
EFUA continues the work of the COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe (COST UAE; 2012-2016). EFUA is building on this network and its achievements and link it with other European research activities - namely the Horizon programmes - and communities – from local to global ones and including Least Developed Countries (LDCs) - to establish a community of stakeholders in the field of Urban Agriculture (UA). This community - called the UA Forum is intended to be sustained beyond the project’s lifetime in order to give UA a European voice and to provide policy makers in Europe with a forum to continuously fine tune their UA related policies. Following a quad helix approach, the UA Forum is also one of EFUA’s main mechanisms to boost its various activities from research to impact and to achieve its other objectives.
EFUA has constantly progressed its objective to unlock Urban Agriculture’s potential. This has included the organisation of 2 key Conferences: The Rome FACTS Conference set the scene whilst the Sofia NEXT Conference reviewed key EFUA findings such as the emerging Typology on Urban Agriculture. These events cemented links between the EFUA partnership and wider networks of practitioners and policymakers from around Europe. In addition, EFUA has disseminated key UA research and knowledge outputs from the project to European policymakers and practitioners through its web-based platform and social media networks. The production of policy briefs, guidelines and factsheets has formed a key part of the dissemination process.
Reports produced include:
1. Future "next practices" of urban agriculture from the perspective of key European actors;
2. Concepts of Urban Metabolism, Urban-Rural Linkages and Urban Food Systems
3. A UA Typology and Benefit Portfolio that presents in an interactive approach the five main benefit categories of UA and links these to tangible examples of UA - In addition, it exemplifies the six types of urban agriculture, and highlights urban policies by practically offering some successful examples of implementing UA;
4. “Planning for and with UA”, clearly summarizes the benefits of different top-down policy and planning approaches, as well as bottom-up needs and demands.
5. A comprehensive report on the needs for more targeted city-level policies and tools that maintain and/or increase the resources that support UA-related activities.
A publications strategy aims to ensure that the outputs of EFUA are properly documented through scientific publications and more applied literature. The RUAF Special Edition brought together wide-ranging content from UA experts all over the world. EFUA partners provided the majority of the content which provides a comprehensive overview of the state of UA in Europe. Extensive City and UA business networking has been taking place. This has involved developing links with European networks such as Fusilli, Edicities, Eurocities and the Cities Forum. In addition, a series of surveys, training and networking events have been undertaken to engage the UA Business community and identify future policy reforms. On route to preparing its Vision and the final ACTION conference in Brussels, EFUA has been developing a UA Manifesto, with input from consortium members, external stakeholders and members of the Innovation Board. The UA Manifesto will flag needed policy reforms and propose an agenda that allows UA to flourish in Europe.
Reports produced include:
1. Future "next practices" of urban agriculture from the perspective of key European actors;
2. Concepts of Urban Metabolism, Urban-Rural Linkages and Urban Food Systems
3. A UA Typology and Benefit Portfolio that presents in an interactive approach the five main benefit categories of UA and links these to tangible examples of UA - In addition, it exemplifies the six types of urban agriculture, and highlights urban policies by practically offering some successful examples of implementing UA;
4. “Planning for and with UA”, clearly summarizes the benefits of different top-down policy and planning approaches, as well as bottom-up needs and demands.
5. A comprehensive report on the needs for more targeted city-level policies and tools that maintain and/or increase the resources that support UA-related activities.
A publications strategy aims to ensure that the outputs of EFUA are properly documented through scientific publications and more applied literature. The RUAF Special Edition brought together wide-ranging content from UA experts all over the world. EFUA partners provided the majority of the content which provides a comprehensive overview of the state of UA in Europe. Extensive City and UA business networking has been taking place. This has involved developing links with European networks such as Fusilli, Edicities, Eurocities and the Cities Forum. In addition, a series of surveys, training and networking events have been undertaken to engage the UA Business community and identify future policy reforms. On route to preparing its Vision and the final ACTION conference in Brussels, EFUA has been developing a UA Manifesto, with input from consortium members, external stakeholders and members of the Innovation Board. The UA Manifesto will flag needed policy reforms and propose an agenda that allows UA to flourish in Europe.
EFUA is highlighting the diversity, the energy and the latent potential that exists within UA to deliver multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which address our major societal challenges. It is building bridges and fostering understanding between diverse groups of stakeholders from across the sectors, thereby revealing common ground and synergies between once disparate groups – from community gardeners to “Hi Tech” vertical farming entrepreneurs. This reinforces the important message that “together we are stronger” and that all approaches work towards common goals such as developing the circular economy, reducing food miles and assisting in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.
The project is continuing its focus upon Forum Growth, particularly through its work on a policy level with key EU institutions and decision makers, national governments and business representatives. This is being undertaken through a series of focused policy talks which are being held all over Europe, including in Brussels itself - which lies at the heart of policy decision making. In this arena, EFUA is providing concrete and workable suggestions to policy makers, business leaders and influencers. These will introduce the requirement for integration of Urban Agriculture in EU and national policies and also help to ease the path for new practitioners entering the discipline.
Most importantly EFUA is emphasising that Urban Agriculture can solve diverse societal problems through providing flexible, multifunctional and smart solutions.
The project is continuing its focus upon Forum Growth, particularly through its work on a policy level with key EU institutions and decision makers, national governments and business representatives. This is being undertaken through a series of focused policy talks which are being held all over Europe, including in Brussels itself - which lies at the heart of policy decision making. In this arena, EFUA is providing concrete and workable suggestions to policy makers, business leaders and influencers. These will introduce the requirement for integration of Urban Agriculture in EU and national policies and also help to ease the path for new practitioners entering the discipline.
Most importantly EFUA is emphasising that Urban Agriculture can solve diverse societal problems through providing flexible, multifunctional and smart solutions.