Networking European Farms to Enhance Cross Fertilisation and Innovation Uptake through Demonstration

Project Information

NEFERTITI

Grant agreement ID: 772705

DOI

10.3030/772705

Project closed

EC signature date 6 October 2017

Start date 1 January 2018

End date 30 September 2022

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 6 999 991,25

EU contribution

€ 6 999 991,25

Coordinated by

ACTA ASSOCIATION DE COORDINATION TECHNIQUE AGRICOLE - LES INSTITUTS TECHNIQUES AGRICOLES
France

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - NEFERTITI (Networking European Farms to Enhance Cross Fertilisation and Innovation Uptake through Demonstration)

Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Nefertiti aims to connect demonstration farms across Europe through 10 thematic areas representing the most challenging issues faced by the European agricultural sector. Nefertiti also aims to improve demonstration best practices in Europe and to continuously engage more farmers in demonstration activities in order to increase and improve peer-to peer learning and foster cross-fertilisation and knowledge exchange across actors, sectors and territories. After a successful 2019 demonstration campaign with the realisation of 262 diversified demonstration events across 13 countries, due to the COVID-19 crisis, the project had to innovate in 2020 and quickly adopt an online demonstration model in order to keep maintain the project activities and to keep the links and relationships with the innovation and demonstration local ecosystems.

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

The compilation of available knowledge on effective network development contains the key concepts and theories that underpin the NEFERTITI project aims and provides a common glossary of definitions. The “Good practice for farm demonstrations” gives an extensive overview of good practices for both on-farm and virtual demonstrations. The project built further on this work and further developed the FarmDemo Training kit translated in 23 EU languages (https://trainingkit.farmdemo.eu) with all relevant materials produced in the 3 Farm Demo Projects. Nefertiti identified and connected European demo-farmers, innovation actors and projects for each thematic and enrol them as hub/network members. As a result, 45 hubs and 10 networks were established with 1111 demo-farmers and 233 innovation actors; 126 European innovation projects were also identified. An action plan for knowledge exchange meetings was created focusing on relevant technical themes for each network and sector. The structure of cross-visits was also defined and support was given to hub coaches and network leaders in the organisation and carry out of cross-visits.
The project carried out concrete demonstration actions in various partner countries, with an ambition of continuous quality improvement thanks to yearly evaluations and exchanges of practices. 793 events were registered and reported on the platform for the 3-demo campaign (260 events in 2019 and 211 in 2020 and 322 in 2021/2022).
The project established and maintained a collaborative platform as a central tool of Nefertiti. Within the platform, various actors such as farmers, innovation actors, policy advisors and project consortia members collaborated through access to the whole range of demo-activities across Europe (Demo-agenda) but also found tangible and purposeful results from the project (Guidelines, Farm Demo Training kit, Demo reports, Practice Abstracts, technical sheets, videos etc…).
An effective and efficient monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approach and supporting tools have been developed. Based on the analyses of 45 Hub M&E journals of the 3 year, lessons learned have been separated in wins, hurdles, emerging questions and testimonies. The improvement of facilitation techniques for farmer-to-farmer learning have proceeded through the training on the ORID method and other techniques.
Nefertiti also aims at facilitating policy dialogue with targeted stakeholders and supporting the NEFERTITI network sustainability in the longer term. NEFERTITI have been connected with an external layer of regional stakeholders including a Membership (53 regions subscribed the NEFERTITI Membership). Some Policy Dialogue events and field visits have been organised to demonstrate the added value brought by demo-farms to public administrations of the regions and exchange best practices facilitating interactive innovation projects genesis and ensuring networks sustainability through efficient use of EU funds synergies.
Specific activities dedicated to effectively communicating, disseminating and reaching out to the targets have been settled, implemented and improved all along the project development using existing and alternative approaches. Nefertiti Communication and dissemination activities focused on the use of modern information technologies like web-based platforms and existing social media (including a reservoir of technical videos on demonstration activities) as well as more traditional tools like farmer journals, fact sheets, booklets, conferences,etc.

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)

The information gathered on network development and the definition of 6 easy to understand key factors for network development is useful for both the networks within the project as other networks. Specifically, in combination with the DAP guide, a useful tool is created for networks to achieve their long-term goals, by specifying shorter-term actions. The development of “good practices for farm demonstration” and the gathering of all relevant information from the FarmDemo projects in the “FarmDemo Training kit” translated in 23 EU Languages, provides useful tools for any practitioners across Europe.
The activities related to networking, i.e. on-farm demonstrations, EU cross-visits, and knowledge exchange activities, contribute to an increased farmer-to-farmer exchange of knowledge and higher visibility of on-farm demonstrations. The “Manual for Cross Visits” is also a useful method for the organisation of cross-border cross-fertilisation field events. The sustainability of 50% of the demonstration hubs after NEFERTITI is also already ensured.
793 events were organised, 45 000 participants an online platform where all the events characteristics are registered and opened, and tools to evaluate all the events were set up in along the project time life.
The creation of the platform is seen as a great way for knowledge shown on the demo events to be shared even further. Many of the demonstration events showcase innovative solutions which impact the socio-economic state of their farm, but also their environment. These good practices can be found on the platform and implemented onto other EU farms. The FARM DEMO platform will be sustained after NEFERTITI through the Horizon Europe Climate Farm Demo project
The tools, methods and activities of the Monitoring and Evaluation dynamic stimulate Hub Coaches in a structured and critical assessment of their demonstration activities leading to an improved capacity to organise effective and efficient farm demos and finally in better demonstrations. The lessons and recommendations for AKIS on demo-activities on commercial farms constitute a good basis the deployment of R&I and demonstration programs across all EU AKIS.
NEFERTITI has shown the capacity of generating awareness on the role of on-Farm P2P Demonstration activities in relevant socio-economic regional ecosystems. The participation of Regional Governments through the Policy Dialogue activities can provide broader support to Demonstration and Demo Farm in relevant National, Regional and Local policy tools and increase the possibility of uptake of the project’s methodologies and recommendations by relevant operators and decision-makers.
Finally, Nefertiti widely disseminated all relevant results to a wide range of actors and stakeholders across Europe. The NEFERTITI platform and NEFERTITI website acted as an aggregator of a broad range of practical information from various sources and have been widely advertised through very-active Social media communication. The Farm Demo Youtube channel constitutes an innovative tool to share knowledge in the long term.

DESIGN GUIDE FOR ON-FARM DEMONSTRATIONS