Project description
Natural alternatives for more sustainable crop production
Surveys show that nearly half of the fruits and vegetables produced are lost in the supply chain each year and moulds generate an economic loss as high as EUR 30 billion. To combat this, control has been traditionally sought through synthetic fungicides. However, there is an unmet need for efficient, natural alternatives. The EU-funded AgroStore project will work on identifying over 60 antifungal plant-derived compounds to develop a portfolio of highly efficient, cost-effective, natural fungicides. The project will provide a more sustainable solution for crop protection in the pre-harvest phase to the currently available synthetic fungicides. Moreover, it will extend the shelf life of fresh produce post-harvest by a minimum of seven days and up to four months.
Objective
Globally, over 45% of fruit and vegetables are lost in the supply chain each year. The economic and environmental cost of this avoidable food loss is high. Producers, distributors and retailers report annual losses of €30 bn because of food waste caused by moulds, a subset of fungi, and this food waste ends up in landfill where it generates greenhouse gases.
Conventional control of fungal infestation relies on synthetic fungicides, linked to declines in insect populations and increasingly subject to restrictions. There is an unmet need for efficient, natural alternatives. AgroSustain has identified and patented over 60 antifungal plant-derived compounds, to develop a portfolio of highly efficient, cost-effective, natural fungicides. In this project, we will commercialize our product, AgroStore, which has unprecedented fungitoxic efficacy against a broad spectrum of moulds. Our solution provides similar crop protection in the pre-harvest phase to the currently available synthetic fungicides and extends the shelf life of fresh produce post-harvest, by a minimum of 7 days and up to 4 months. This will allow food producers, retailers and distributors using AgroStore to greatly reduce their food loss costs and improve food quality for consumers. By reducing food waste, AgroSustain also cuts the associated carbon emissions in landfill. Studies have demonstrated that our product has no adverse effects on insect life, soil or water.
Following the successful outcome of our Phase 1 H2020 project, this EIC Accelerator project aims to complete the development of the marketable version of AgroStore, secure toxicity certifications, regulatory approval and product registration. We will conduct extensive pilot trials with producers, large retailers, distributors and branded fruit companies, paving the way to full market entry in 2023. This will enable us to become a leading supplier of innovative, sustainable and nature-inspired fungicides.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture vegetable growing
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1020 Renens
Switzerland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.