In line with the new CAP post2020, the F2F Strategy and the Green Deal, the EU4Advice Project will build a network of dedicated advisors throughout the 27 MS and develop methodologies and tools, with the ultimate aim of fostering the upscaling of short food supply chains (SFSCs) across Europe. SFSCs are a mean for producers bargaining power and to improve their position within the value chain and for consumers to increase their options towards a more transparent, trustable and fair food buying experience. However, as identified by previous projects, several political and socioeconomic barriers and gaps are hindering the development of Short Food Chains. Among these, EU4Advice focuses on three central ones: the need for improved knowledge and innovation transfer, for support of horizontal and vertical cooperation and networking, and for the adaptation of some key aspects of the regulatory frameworks affecting their development.
In this context, EU4Advice is designed with the following main objective: to settle the foundations and structures required to ensure effective capacity building of SFSC actors through fluent knowledge transfer. EU4Advice aims to boost the role of advisors as catalysers of the knowledge flow from research to practice, through the creation of an EU network of advisors with knowledge and expertise on SFSC issues, and the implementation of measures towards the effective integration of SFSC advisors into national AKIS. Conceiving “advice” as an interactive and multi-disciplinary process, driven by bottom-up dynamics and peer2peer interactions, breaking away from top-down unilateral schemes of knowledge transfer.
The central results from EU4Advice will be: (1) EU network of SFSC advisors for knowledge and best practice exchange; (2) SFSC-specific training contents, tools and methods to support their development; (3) EU network of policy-makers tackling SFSC regulatory and governance barriers; (4) Policy recommendations to overcome the main regulatory barriers hindering SFSC development and enhance the integration into AKIS.
The successful implementation of EU4Advice project, will contribute to the following impacts:
• Creation of a strong SFSCs community through knowledge exchange and experience sharing within the EU network of SFSC advisors.
• Larger availability of ready-to-use knowledge and innovations, best practices and tools for upscaling SFSC initiatives, benefitting advisory services, SFSC stakeholders, municipalities, etc.
• Increased political awareness of factors hindering SFSC development and AKIS functioning and more favourable political framework for SFSC development.
• Greater knowledge of the governance of AKIS and of the changes needed for a more effective AKIS.
• Better structure and connections between SFSC advisors, researchers and policy-makers at national and EU level and higher presence of SFSC advisors in member states’ AKIS.
• Greater capacity of SFSC advisors to contact other SFSC advisors, researchers, other AKIS actors and related policy-makers, facilitating the creation and exchange of knowledge, experience and best practices, and the co-learning.
• Capacity building of SFSC advisors on the skills and knowledge needed to meet CAP requirements and the needs and challenges faced by SFSC stakeholders.
• Strengthened structures for knowledge transfer and advice on SFSC-related issues.
