Transformative Rotations for AdaptatioN and Sustainable Future, Outcome and Resilience Mapping

Project Information

TRANSFORM

Grant agreement ID: 101155748

DOI

10.3030/101155748

EC signature date 29 April 2024

Start date 1 June 2024

End date 31 May 2029

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 8 561 533,75

EU contribution

€ 8 510 200,00

Coordinated by

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TRANSFORM (Transformative Rotations for AdaptatioN and Sustainable Future, Outcome and Resilience Mapping)

Reporting period: 2024-06-01 to 2025-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Climate change is accelerating, severely affecting European agriculture and threatening biodiversity, food security, economies, livelihoods and societal well-being. The Horizon Europe Climate Adaptation MISSION aims to build resilience by promoting adaptation solutions aligned with regional goals. Europe’s 6 million farms (covering 98.9 million ha in 2020) rely on crop rotations for food, fibre and fuel, but climate-driven shifts in crop performance demand rapid innovation. TRANSFORM will co-develop new, acceptable crop rotations as a nature-based solution for climate adaptation, delivering economic, social and environmental benefits.
TRANSFORM explores Europe’s vision that regions Formulate Roadmaps for sustainable and resilient adaptation, addressing issues such as soil carbon, biodiversity, landscape and freshwater. TRANSFORM’s Future Rotations Explorer tool helps farmers Innovate new rotations, which scientists will Model and align with the Roadmaps. Stakeholders will also Evaluate which rotations best meet economic, social and agronomic goals. This participatory process—formulation, innovation, modelling and evaluation—engages farmers, scientists, industry and the public, ensuring participation and reducing conflict. Mapping activities will forecast the effects of regional adaptation on green, circular agricultural economies. The final Accelerate phase will test TRANSFORM outputs in replication regions and assess whether this participatory process speeds innovation across Europe.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

TRANSFORM partners collaborated to test and implement a methodology for developing Regional Roadmaps supporting climate adaptation in agriculture. Guidelines and templates for defining agricultural contexts and identifying key challenges were developed. Engagement with stakeholders linked the effects of crop rotations to adaptation goals, defining climate-resilient roadmaps for crop rotations as nature-based solutions. A key result was the roadmap template, designed as a “matrix and compass” to align regional needs with EU, national and regional frameworks.
Agro-ecological principles for crop rotations were documented, informing a farmer survey to be done in the demonstration regions. Preparation for farmer focus groups is complete, with sessions planned from late 2025 that will guide updates to the Future Rotations Explorer (FRE) tool and feed into the modelling. Modelling workflows are being developed, with farmer testing to follow from late 2025.
A comprehensive indicator list was developed, which considered economic, governance, agronomic and environmental indicators aligned with the needs of the modelling and roadmap. A list of existing regional crop rotations has also been compiled as inputs to the TRANSFORM pipeline, linking economic, agronomic and environmental models with stakeholder evaluation and mapping. These establish a “business as usual” scenario for exploring climate impacts without adaptation.
The key spatial datasets required for modelling have been identified and documented. Future updates will incorporate remote sensing, Sentinel-derived, crop rotations. The TRANSFORM partners adopted CORDEX CMIP5 climate projections for their resolution and agroclimatic variables. Initial work has focused on methods to share results, with internal TRANSFORM workshops co-designing dashboards for stakeholder communication.
The roadmap methodology is now being adapted for Replication Regions. Early feedback has improved applicability, laying the foundation for broader dissemination and adoption of TRANSFORM methods and tools later in the project.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Strengths / Weaknesses / Opportunities / Threats (SWOT) Analysis of Governance
The partners completed a SWOT analysis of the Demonstration Regions. SOLAGRO developed the methodology, templates and guidelines, coordinating work with Regional Leaders through meetings and shared resources. The methodology produced five regional SWOTs and a cross-analysis revealing a North/South gradient: the UK, Netherlands and Denmark have similar climate contexts, and Spain and Southern France share climate challenges. This provided the first integrated view of regional climate adaptation contexts.
Close collaboration between the demonstration and replication regions through direct exchanges, ensuring replication regions’ needs were integrated early in the SWOT methodology, setting the stage for future dissemination and testing.

Preliminary Climate-Resilient Roadmaps
Partners developed draft Roadmaps for climate-resilient agriculture. A methodology and “Regional Roadmap Framework” was developed to map existing EU, national and regional frameworks, targets and policies. Pre-filled EU-level content ensured consistency, while national and regional data were added using SWOT results, policies, literature and expert input. This highlighted adaptation priorities, policy gaps and synergies across governance levels, identifying for the first time strengths and gaps in regional agricultural climate governance. Initial roadmaps outlining adaptation objectives, actions and timelines were then created forming the structural base for modelling and co-creation work, and a transferable methodology for replication regions.

Initial Case-Study Roadmaps of Rotations
Refined roadmaps, focused on crop rotations as nature-based solutions, wree then developed. Two new frameworks were created: the first linked policy targets to practical crop rotation actions; and, the second standardised descriptions of current and innovative rotations. These frameworks ensure comparability across regions and support stakeholder engagement. A cross-analysis of the regional matrices explored shared trends and differences, offering the first synthesis of how crop rotations can drive climate-resilient agriculture. This work bridges governance frameworks to operational practices, forming a foundation for modelling, co-creation and future dissemination.

Montage of VR experiences contrasting the agricultural landscapes of the TRANSFORM regions.