Project description
Innovative agroecological practices for a sustainable agriculture
Managing weeds with herbicides will become more challenging due to increasing CO2 and climate change conditions. Agroecological practices offer a path towards sustainable agriculture. However, despite varying degrees of application, these practices have not been widely adopted by farmers. The EU-funded CONSERWA project aims to address this issue by compiling a portfolio of agroecological farming practices, assessing their optimal combinations and transferability, utilising innovative tools to support implementation, evaluating their performance and impacts, employing an open decision support system (DSS) for practical decision-making, and studying the factors that influence farmers' decision-making regarding agroecological farming. The project will include case studies covering all European biogeographical and pedo-climatic regions, providing training to farmers, and delivering policy recommendations.
Objective
There is an urgent need to move towards sustainable weed management strategies. Agroecology offers a unique approach & seeks to transform food & agriculture systems, providing long-term solutions.
Challenge 1: Agroecological practices are already applied to different degrees. However, wide adoption of agroecological weed management has lagged behind our understanding of its benefits and way to optimally apply it in different cases.
Challenge 2: Even with simple agroecological practices, uptake by farmers has been limited. Impediments to employing such practices include inadequate policy instruments, a lack of market mechanisms, and a paucity of social infrastructure with which to influence learning & decision-making by farmers.
Challenge 3: Weeds are expected to become more difficult to reliably control with herbicides under increasing CO2 and climate change (CC). Nevertheless, practical implications of climate change for the many non-chemical tactics integral to agroecological weeding have not been thoroughly addressed yet.
CONSERWA will address the aforementioned challenges by: a) compiling a portfolio of agroecological farming practices, studying their optimal combinations & transferability, including suitability under CC scenarios, b) supporting the implementation of these combinations and the measurement of their performance & impacts using novel tools, c) supporting knowledge management & communication between stakeholders with the ultimate goal of practical decision-making and impact assessment through an open DSS, d) studying factors influencing farmers’ decision-making in applying agroecological farming, working together with the value chain, such as the food processors & consultancy services.
The study will be facilitated by case studies covering all European biogeographical/pedo-climatic regions and involving a wide range of crops & farming systems. CONSERWA focuses also on training of farmers, as well as on policy making (through policy recommendations).
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
1060 Lefkosia
Cyprus
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Participants (23)
46003 Valencia
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06130 Grasse
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
40126 Bologna
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3065 Lemesos
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1150 Wien
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2135-231 Samora Correia
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2051 Biatorbagy
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
47006 Valladolid
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
4000 Liege
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00014 Helsingin Yliopisto
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32000 Auch
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5030 Gembloux
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1096 Budapest
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31570 San Adrián
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
20124 Milano
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
5030 Gembloux
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06560 Valbonne
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
546 36 THESSALONIKI
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75595 PARIS
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
75014 Paris
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
37073 Gottingen
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12681 Berlin
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Participation ended
4000 Limassol
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partners (3)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
2072 Saint-Blaise
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
1040 Bruxelles / Brussel
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
1870 Monthey
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.