With this second call, the AGROECOLOGY partnership continues the implementation of the priorities identified in AGROECOLOGY’s strategic research and innovation agenda (SRIA).

Research and innovation efforts are necessary to enhance the performance of agroecology from the perspectives of environmental and climate-related benefits, sustainability of agricultural production systems, economic viability and competitiveness of farms, and security of food supply. These efforts should not solely focus on changes in practices at the farm level but broadly encompass entire value chains that play a crucial role in the transition of agricultural production systems.

The evaluation of the performance of agroecology is a critical issue that must be addressed by integrating environmental, climate, economic, and social dimensions. The assessment of the benefits of agroecological approaches is essential for a better recognition of agroecology by the agricultural sector, the market, and by policy-makers.

The general theme of this second call for projects by the AGROECOLOGY partnership focuses on the performance of agroecology, under different aspects: evaluating this performance in its various dimensions, quantifying environmental impacts, transforming value chains (e.g., by developing new economic models within value chains), and contributing to the design of public policies to better support the transition.

The partnership will fund research and innovation projects contributing to the scope of the call by delivering scientific evidence and knowledge that will allow to assess and enhance the performance of agroecology in the various sustainability dimensions.

It is expected that proposals provide a clear added value regarding at least one of the general objectives and corresponding core themes of the AGROECOLOGY partnership, outlined in the corresponding AGROECOLOGY SRIA, under which framework this co-funded call is being conducted.

Furthermore, successful proposals shall contribute to all of the following outcomes/impacts:

• Practical-oriented knowledge, tools and/or innovations available to farmers and the sector, contributing to the uptake of agroecological practices at local, regional and national scales;
• Increased knowledge, knowledge transfer and capacity of farmers and agricultural advisors to implement agroecological practices;
• Increased socio-economic and/or environmental performance of agroecological approaches;
• Enhanced science-policy interfaces serving to facilitate a faster transition to agroecology.

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Topic 1: Determine and assess benefits/impacts and trade-offs of agroecology, and identify best practices

Integrated approaches that simultaneously consider the economic, social and environmental dimensions are needed to assess the performance and efficiency of agroecology practices and to identify those practices that are the most suited to specific conditions and locations. Research and innovation are needed to provide appropriate methods and indicators, understand the magnitude of impacts, benefits and trade-offs, including unwanted side effects/ value conflicts.

Environmental impacts must be analysed by considering the different environmental compartments and their connections, to find ways to maximize the ecosystem services provided under specific contexts while minimizing potential trade-offs. The aim is to support the development of practices that increase environmental benefits without degrading economic and social performance.

Expected Outcome Topic 1

Proposals funded under this Topic will improve the understanding and assessment of benefits, (positive and negative) trade-offs, and impacts of agroecology on agricultural production, food security, biodiversity, ecosystem services and the environmental, economic and social footprint at different spatial- (from local to global), and temporal scales. Projects are expected to provide evidence that could support decision making at different levels (e.g. farmers, policymakers, other stakeholders).

Results will in particular feed into the following partnership objectives and activities: 1) to evaluate the agroecology transitions, assessing their impacts and performance , 2) to facilitate exchange between scientists and policymakers and to contribute to the implementation of evidence-based policies supporting the transition to agroecology, and 3) to accelerate the creation and uptake of agroecological practices and innovations by adopting multi-actors and co-design methods (living labs approach)

Scope Topic 1

The vision of agroecology is to redesign agricultural systems by simultaneously considering the social, economic and environmental dimensions. Research and innovation are needed to quantitatively determine the magnitude and the impact of the agroecology transition on these different dimensions. Potential trade-offs should be taken into account. The assessment of the performance of agroecology in cooperation with stakeholders such as farmers, rural communities, consumers and wider society, and policy makers is indispensable and has the potential to identify best practices adapted to specific locations. Several international entities such as FAO or CGIAR are already contributing to define methods and metrics related to the integrated assessment of the tri-dimensional profile if agroecology. However, the suitability of these methods needs to be tested in the European context.

The assessment of the environmental domain of agroecology should consider both abiotic and biotic components and their interactions. Relevant issues for the assessments are resilience to climate change, increasing soil organic matter, water and nutrient use efficiency, water retention and storage, carbon sequestration and long-term carbon storage, the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants and of nutrient leaching, reduced pesticide use, improved surface- and groundwater quality, prevention of erosion, protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems, among other ecosystem services.

The social dimension should be contemplated in the assessment by including the influence of agroecology on social well-being, livelihoods, working conditions, workforce, gender and social equity. Aspects such as farmers’ perceptions, sustainability of agricultural organizations through their networking with a wide range of stakeholders, social equity, rural development and preservation, and food sovereignty should also be considered.

The economic dimension should include aspects such as economic viability and sustainability of agricultural production systems, financial independence of farmers and agricultural organisations, market access and autonomy, cooperation among farmers, access to and independence from markets, food security and affordability, and fair profit distribution between all actors involved in the agrifood and non-food value chain.

Agroecological approaches already in place such as those developed for example under organic farming should be capitalised on and given due attention in the proposed activities.

All projects funded under Topic 1 should deliver knowledge that helps determine and assess the impact of agroecological approaches in their environmental, social and economic dimensions, in specific contexts and agroclimatic conditions. To this end, suitable indicators should be used to describe and compare the impacts, including trade-offs, of both agroecological and conventional approaches. Their outcome should identify the most suitable practices enhancing the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems.

Proposals submitted to this Topic are expected to choose at least one of the following themes; the items under white bullets points are just indicative/examples. Furthermore, they have to explain how they will contribute to the Topic 1 expected outcomes and to the general expected impacts of the Call.

• Theme 1. Methods and procedures to tackle trade-offs in agroecological production by:
  • Developing and applying methods to describe value/goal conflicts and trade-offs inherent in specific agroecological approaches.
  • Implementing new approaches and tools or modifying and combining existing ones to ensure the integrated assessment of the performance of agroecological approaches
  • Defining and testing models for performing environmental, social and economic analyses of positive/negative impacts of agroecological approaches in comparison to conventional practices, under specific contexts. Where appropriate, these models should include the monetary and/or non-monetary valuation of the ecosystem services provided by the farming practices, and include long-term aspects such as the resilience of the system and climate change impacts at territorial/landscape level.
• Theme 2. Scenario analysis to identify and support the most suitable options to accelerate the adoption of the identified best practices at different spatial and temporal scales.
  • Generating knowledge/evidence on the contribution of agroecology to the economic sustainability and viability at regional and farm community level in the short, medium and long-term vis a vis [conventional] agricultural approaches.
  • Co-designed construction of different scenarios related to identify the long-term ecological and socio-economic implications of agroecological transitions and identification of the elements needed for achieving a just transition to agroecology.
  • Assess the socio-economic implications of adopting circular and sharing economy principles, considering efficiency and sufficiency of resources and environmental impacts.
  • Co-construction of scenarios aiming to contribute to the decision-making of policy makers and public administrations regarding the evaluating existing policies and the identification of the most suitable policies and institutional frameworks to carry out future transition steps towards agroecology. The social (social equity), economic (e.g., competitiveness and viability) and environmental dimensions must be considered simultaneously, along with specific conditions/contexts at regional and farm community levels. It should contribute to identifying the most suitable policies and institutional frameworks for supporting the transitions, taking into account the opportunities that might be offered by public and private funding, as well as the medium-term upscaling opportunities of agroecological approaches.

Topic 2. Transform value chains, businesses and policies to facilitate the transition to agroecology

The European partnership AGROECOLOGY addresses in Core theme 2 of its SRIA the need to redesign value chains to support the transformation of agroecosystems, and in Core theme 4, the role of public policies as enablers of the transition.

Indeed, agroecology transition cannot be performed solely by redesigning agricultural systems since their socio-economic sustainability relies very much on the entire value chain. Value chains associated with intensive modes of agricultural production models typically depend on the specialisation of its actors, high reliance on chemical inputs, and the delivery of a limited number of products. These highly input intensive and input dependent systems have adverse ecological, social and economic impacts.

This topic aims to explore how agricultural value chains can be transformed and diversified in order to support an agroecology transition characterised by “long-term fertility, healthy agro-ecosystems and secured livelihoods” (IPES Food, 2016, p.2). Farmers' choices are closely influenced by the upstream and downstream actors, who determine their access to markets and opportunities that enable them to make this transition. The value of their products on the market also depends on the organization of the supply chains and the ability to offer affordable food and non-food products. To enable the agroecological transition, processing and marketing companies must be equipped to be able to handle new products resulting from agroecological farming that respond to the demands from a diversity of consumers. Additionally, they must establish efficient logistics and marketing networks. Upstream companies must adapt to the emerging needs of agroecological farming with regard to the necessary inputs and machinery needs. This shift may also be accompanied by new forms of interactions and relationships among actors and new distribution systems.

Furthermore, public policies have a major role to play, as they can hinder or enhance the transition towards agroecology, at different scales and levels. Analyzing their current role, their efficiency and defining how they can evolve is needed.

Expected Outcome Topic 2

Research and innovation proposals funded under this Topic will consider the value chains upstream and/or downstream of agroecological production system, and the private and public incentives able to support the transition. They will contribute to a systemic agroecological transition that couples agricultural practices and value chains perspectives through the provision of technological, institutional and social innovations, the development of new business models, the construction of new forms of interactions and relationships among actors, and recommendations for the elaboration of efficient policies. As was the case for Topic 1, results will feed into the following partnership objectives and activities: 1) to evaluate the agroecology transitions, assessing their impacts and performance , 2) to facilitate exchange between scientists and policymakers and to contribute to the implementation of evidence-based policies supporting the transition to agroecology and 3) to accelerate the creation and uptake of agroecological practices and innovations by adopting multi-actors and co-design methods (living labs approach).

Scope Topic 2

The transformation (or creation) of business models or business structures should ensure the economic feasibility of agroecological approaches for all actors. These new business models or business structures could draw on different organisational forms and should integrate a fair calculation of the ecosystem services agroecology may bring to society.

The agroecology transition requires changes in the value chains on the upstream and downstream sectors of agriculture. One key element of agroecological transition is the diversification of the production systems and the heterogeneity of products and co-products, which processing and marketing require specific investments and imply logistical and organisational innovations.

The transformation of distribution channels can support the agroecological transition in various ways, which may include: increasing trust between producers and consumers through short supply chains, maintaining close geographical and social relations between food producers, processors, and consumers; by better informing consumers through these local relationships or through labels and collective brands.

Finally, policies have a strong role to play to support the transition. Existing and potential impacts of policy instruments should be analysed and where possible new instruments should be tested. Research should provide recommendations to policy-makers for the elaboration of public policies at EU, national and territorial/landscape level.

From this perspective, research and innovation projects submitted on the Topic 2 should contribute to the development of new business models or structures, technological or transformative social innovations and to the design of policies to support the agroecological transition. They will also deliver knowledge that allow to assess the impacts of these transformations on the performance of agroecology.

These projects should be carried out following a co-creation and multi-actor approach with relevant stakeholders (farmers, companies, consumers, citizens, local authorities, etc.) as inspired by the living labs methodology.

The experience gathered by the organic farming sector, such as in promoting alternative food networks and new business opportunities, should be considered.

Project proposals submitted to this Topic are expected to choose at least one of the following themes; the items under white bullets points are just indicative/examples. Furthermore, they have to explain how they will contribute to the Topic 2 expected outcomes and to the general expected impacts of the Call.

• Theme 1 Transformation and development of new business models in the value chains to facilitate the agroecological transition
  • Consider how new business models and/or business structures could value the social and economic benefits of agroecological products and services;
  • Study how the information on the benefits of agroecological approaches could be used to contribute to better traceability and certification procedures
  • Consider opportunities for new businesses related to the development of new, or the adaptation of existing, machinery aiming to reduce labour-intensive activities, and facilitating agroecological practices.
  • Increase knowledge on the ways to cope with the requirements of the different stakeholders related to each agroecological value chain (i.e., storage, preservation, packaging, processing).
  • Contribute to develop business models able to collect, process and add value to new crops, to cope with mixtures of varieties and species (sorting technologies, transformation processes, logistical issues) and to deal with the heterogeneity of agroecology products and co-products.
  • Consider circularity in the agrifood value chains as a driver in the creation of business models for efficient use and consumption of resources and to prevent waste (recycling, processing, packaging)
• Theme 2 Coordination among actors, social innovations and policies to enhance the agroecological transition
  • Identify the different actors that could be relevant to a transition to agroecological practices in the suitable geographical context; study or propose organisational innovations (across the agrifood value chains as well as between the farmers) to enhance the agroecological transition and assess their feasibility.
  • Study the ways to increase trust between agroecological producers and consumers (e.g., through short supply chains or by maintaining close social relations between food producers, processors, and consumers)
  • Study adapted and alternative logistics and infrastructures to enhance agroecological transition and assess their feasibility by analysing their socio-economic impact.
  • Study innovative types of distribution systems (e.g. box delivery schemes, ‘pick your own’, community-supported agriculture...).
  • Find ways to enhance synergies of agroecology-based value chains with other economic sectors co-existing in the same territory (i.e., tourism, education, sports, etc.) and conventional agriculture-based value chains.
  • Consider macro- and meso-economic factors, and major crises (e.g. climate change, geopolitical context) potentially affecting agroecological transitions and build scenarios for the development of appropriate business models and marketing strategies related to both upstream and downstream commercial activities.
  • Undertake an analysis of the impact of current policy instruments on agroecology transition at national, regional and EU level (e.g., Common Agricultural Policy, but also Regional policies such as Territorial Food Policies and others).
  • Identify and, whenever possible, develop at national or regional level policy, private and market incentives, and other instruments that could be implemented, to enhance the development of agroecology-based value chains.

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