Periodic Reporting for period 2 - agroBRIDGES (Building bridges between consumers and producers by supporting short food supply chains through a systemic, holistic, multi-actor approach based Toolbox)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31
Short food supply chains (SFSCs) can be pointed out as one of the most straightforward approaches for connecting consumers and producers in agri-food supply chains. They are identified as a more sustainable way of producing, processing, and/or selling food, which demonstrates a “turn to quality” in both agriculture and consumption. Traditionally, SFSCs allowed producers to have a strong position in the food chain, but their role decreased with Europe’s industrialisation and long-distance transportation, urbanisation, and technical advances. Nowadays, renewed consumer interest in direct purchasing, created by an interest in safe produce has boosted the resurgence of SFSCs. European legislation lays the foundations for their promotion through legal and policy incentives implemented in the framework of national Rural Development Programmes (RDP).
The agroBRIDGES project aims at empowering farmers with practical knowledge, tools and support to rebalance their market position by setting up new business and marketing models based on Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs), with a focus on building bridges between producers and consumers. Along these lines, the project followed an integrated methodology by establishing regional multi-actor structures for demand-driven innovation, and delivering a combination of communication materials, training programmes, events, decision support and other digital tools packed in the agroBRIDGES Toolbox. More than 2,500 producers, consumers and other agri-food stakeholders have been involved in testing, validating and ultimately benefitting from the roll out of the agroBRIDGES Τoolbox and its practical support.
The agroBRIDGES project aims at empowering farmers with practical knowledge, tools and support to rebalance their market position by setting up new business and marketing models based on Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs), with a focus on building bridges between producers and consumers. Along these lines, the project followed an integrated methodology by establishing regional multi-actor structures for demand-driven innovation, and delivering a combination of communication materials, training programmes, events, decision support and other digital tools packed in the agroBRIDGES Toolbox. More than 2,500 producers, consumers and other agri-food stakeholders have been involved in testing, validating and ultimately benefitting from the roll out of the agroBRIDGES Τoolbox and its practical support.
The work performed under the framework of agroBRIDGES kicked-off with setting up 12 Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) in the focal regions of the project and one Stakeholders Reference Group (SRG), followed by a series of studies on producers and consumers needs and barriers in relation to SFSCs, SFSC good practices and success cases, SFSC current status in focal regions, and policy aspects related to SFSCs. A series of 12 regional and 1 European co-creation workshops were organised online, to present the results of the corresponding studies to MAP and SRG members, receive feedback regarding solutions to barriers, and co-design new and improved SFSC models. The insights from the studies and co-creation exercises were used to analyse and categorise the different SFSCs models, identify a list of attributes and indicators for the assessment of their social, economic & environmental impact, and create a sustainability assessment model and dashboard.
Based on the results of the above activities, a set of IT tools and other supporting materials, comprising the agroBRIDGES Toolbox, were developed including:
• A “Decision Support Tool” for farmers.
• A “Net” tool to bring together local agri-food actors for cooperation.
• A “Smart Delivery” tool to create local delivery systems.
• A “Hear my voice” tool for presenting and supporting new SFSC ideas.
• A “Why Am I Special?” tool to help farmers analyse and identify the Unique Selling Points of their business.
• A set of communication materials, supporting farmers, educators and consumers.
• An online training and awareness programme on food public procurement for procurers and producers.
• Guidelines and material supporting the organisation of local events.
The concepts of the IT tools were evaluated before development, through a consumer survey, followed by interviews and a workshop with MAP members. Following development, tests were conducted on the different features of the tools, by recruiting and engaging a total of 216 testers to provide feedback on the performance of the developed tools, resulting in actions for updating and improving the tools and the agroBRIDGES Toolbox. In parallel, the concepts of local events, developed as part of the agroBRIDGES Toolbox, were evaluated by organising 13 regional “Let’s Meet” events and 11 online B2B matchmaking events.
The impact of the project outputs was maximised by rolling out the agroBRIDGES Toolbox at regional, national and EU level, through a) a user-guide and webinar on how to use the agroBRIDGES Toolbox, b) a training programme consisting of e-learning materials, c) 12 regional roll-out and 12 national replication events, d) an online train-the-trainers workshop, and e) a European peer-learning event.
Clustering activities with other projects and initiatives were also implemented, including a) participation in SCAR AKIS SWG meetings and sharing information about the project, b) collaboration with other projects by organising joint webinars for knowledge exchange and a joint clustering event resulting in a joint policy recommendations document, c) publication of 38 EIP-AGRI practice abstracts using different project outputs, and d) assessment of project contribution to the EIP AGRI objectives.
A general dissemination, communication and exploitation plan was implemented, including well-tailored promotional material and video, firm online footprint through the project website and social media, informative newsletters and press releases, attendance and participation to external events, and the organisation of a final dissemination event. The exploitation strategy of the project results focuses on providing means and pathways to ensure continuing access to the project outputs for replication and further development.
Based on the results of the above activities, a set of IT tools and other supporting materials, comprising the agroBRIDGES Toolbox, were developed including:
• A “Decision Support Tool” for farmers.
• A “Net” tool to bring together local agri-food actors for cooperation.
• A “Smart Delivery” tool to create local delivery systems.
• A “Hear my voice” tool for presenting and supporting new SFSC ideas.
• A “Why Am I Special?” tool to help farmers analyse and identify the Unique Selling Points of their business.
• A set of communication materials, supporting farmers, educators and consumers.
• An online training and awareness programme on food public procurement for procurers and producers.
• Guidelines and material supporting the organisation of local events.
The concepts of the IT tools were evaluated before development, through a consumer survey, followed by interviews and a workshop with MAP members. Following development, tests were conducted on the different features of the tools, by recruiting and engaging a total of 216 testers to provide feedback on the performance of the developed tools, resulting in actions for updating and improving the tools and the agroBRIDGES Toolbox. In parallel, the concepts of local events, developed as part of the agroBRIDGES Toolbox, were evaluated by organising 13 regional “Let’s Meet” events and 11 online B2B matchmaking events.
The impact of the project outputs was maximised by rolling out the agroBRIDGES Toolbox at regional, national and EU level, through a) a user-guide and webinar on how to use the agroBRIDGES Toolbox, b) a training programme consisting of e-learning materials, c) 12 regional roll-out and 12 national replication events, d) an online train-the-trainers workshop, and e) a European peer-learning event.
Clustering activities with other projects and initiatives were also implemented, including a) participation in SCAR AKIS SWG meetings and sharing information about the project, b) collaboration with other projects by organising joint webinars for knowledge exchange and a joint clustering event resulting in a joint policy recommendations document, c) publication of 38 EIP-AGRI practice abstracts using different project outputs, and d) assessment of project contribution to the EIP AGRI objectives.
A general dissemination, communication and exploitation plan was implemented, including well-tailored promotional material and video, firm online footprint through the project website and social media, informative newsletters and press releases, attendance and participation to external events, and the organisation of a final dissemination event. The exploitation strategy of the project results focuses on providing means and pathways to ensure continuing access to the project outputs for replication and further development.
The agrBRIDGES consortium engaged stakeholders in the agri-food value chain since the beginning of the project, involving them in key project activities throughout the project to produce meaningful and demand-driven results, tools and practical knowledge. In total, over 2,500 stakeholders have been engaged in the project, mainly through the agroBRIDGES Toolbox testing and validation activities at regional level, the roll-out and training activities at regional and European level, the clustering activities with other projects and initiatives, and the final dissemination event. Furthermore, the online communication and dissemination activities of the project have reached more than 9,000 general audience, mainly through the agroBRIDGES website and social media posts. As a result of the various stakeholder engagement activities, a number of 369 users have been registered until now to use the agroBRIDGES Toolbox, out of which 150 users were registered during the testing period and 219 users were registered during the roll-out period of the project and beyond.
Based on the feedback received from the regional and national roll-out events, the main potential benefits associated with SFSCs are estimated to be increased profits for farmers, support for local agriculture, improved product quality, and reduced carbon footprint. It is also estimated, based on feedback, that in most cases the implementation of SFSC models could increase farmers’ income (value of production) by 15% to 25%. In particular, the SFSC model of face-to-face trade in farm shops is estimated to be the most promising SFSC model by 16%, showing an intention to consider it as a future business model. It is interesting to note that even though the above estimations are similar for most regions and countries, variations exist between regions or countries in the challenges faced by SFSCs, spanning from competition with traditional models and limited market access, to insufficient infrastructure and inadequate training and resources.
Based on the feedback received from the regional and national roll-out events, the main potential benefits associated with SFSCs are estimated to be increased profits for farmers, support for local agriculture, improved product quality, and reduced carbon footprint. It is also estimated, based on feedback, that in most cases the implementation of SFSC models could increase farmers’ income (value of production) by 15% to 25%. In particular, the SFSC model of face-to-face trade in farm shops is estimated to be the most promising SFSC model by 16%, showing an intention to consider it as a future business model. It is interesting to note that even though the above estimations are similar for most regions and countries, variations exist between regions or countries in the challenges faced by SFSCs, spanning from competition with traditional models and limited market access, to insufficient infrastructure and inadequate training and resources.