Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Diverfarming (Crop diversification and low-input farming across Europe: from practitioners engagement and ecosystems services to increased revenues and chain organisation)

Teaser

The interrelationship among the actors in the agricultural value chain is complex, and the entire agricultural system must be adapted and optimised in response to environmental, technical and socioeconomic constraints derived from existing unsustainable and low...

Summary

The interrelationship among the actors in the agricultural value chain is complex, and the entire agricultural system must be adapted and optimised in response to environmental, technical and socioeconomic constraints derived from existing unsustainable and low resource-efficient production models. The recent intensification of agriculture has resulted in soil degradation, reduced biodiversity and increased economic risk for farmers. So, there is now a growing emphasis on crop diversification and optimised use of resources. The increase in land productivity by crop diversification coinciding with a decrease in production and environmental costs could contribute to the growth of the European agricultural sector through adaptation of the entire value chain.
With the long-term view of increasing diversification and biodiversity in Europe and fostering sustainable development of bioeconomy, the Diverfarming consortium has come to develop and deploy innovative agribusiness models. Diverfarming will increase the long-term resilience, sustainability and economic revenues of agriculture across the EU by assessing the real benefits and minimising the limitations, barriers and drawbacks of diversified cropping systems using low-input practices that are tailor-made to fit the unique characteristics of six EU pedoclimatic regions, and by adapting and optimising the downstream value chains organization through executing field case studies. This approach will provide: i) increased overall land productivity; ii) more rational use of farm land and farming inputs (water, energy, machinery, fertilisers, pesticides); ii) improved delivery of ecosystem services by increments in biodiversity and soil quality; iii) proper organization of downstream value chains adapted to the new diversified cropping systems with decreased use of energy; and iv) access to new markets and reduced economy risks by adoption of new products in time and space.

Work performed

Data mining and decision making under a participatory process under multi-actor approach has been developed, with establishment of the baseline for the experimental design for the project activities. Focus was applied to identify the strengths, opportunities, limitations and drawbacks of crop associations and sustainable agricultural practices and strategies. So, 24 case studies have started their activities to assess the positive effects of diversified cropping systems on i) crop growth, farm yield, crop quality and nutritional status; ii) below- and aboveground biodiversity; iii) soil fertility and quality; iv) soil erosion; and v) carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions; and vi) gross margins. Different methodologies were chosen and adopted for non-market valuations to be carried out in selected case studies. A common protocol for procedures and analyses among partners in all case studies have been elaborated for harmonization and standardization for all the agronomic, environmental and socioeconomic activities. Activities on developing the value chain analysis and mapping, and assessing value chain conditions on adoption and diffusion of different cropping systems under sustainable practices have been implemented. There has been identification and selection of main outcomes of a preliminary literature review and the design of a joint strategy for data collection. All generated data in the case studies is being subjected to modelling and application of geographic information systems to analyse and represent modelled and measured data. In addition, a provisional set of soil and crop indicators to assess sustainability of diversified cropping systems at field and farm scale was identified. The tool SusDiver will be then designed as a strategic tool, rather than a tool to support day by day technical decisions of the farmers. We have made the communication and dissemination plan with the corporative Diverfarming image, created and continuously updated Diverfarming website in different languages and profiles in social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube). We have had impact on several media, we have released leaflets and videos (available on YouTube and Zenodo), made some publications in popular magazines, released 17 practice abstracts, participated in conferences and workshops and organized some workshops with stakeholders.

Final results

Scientific and technical efforts have previously focused on the effects of farming systems and agricultural practices on crop yields and quality and delivery of ecosystem services, and little attention has been paid on the economic, social and cultural effects of these systems/practices. Few show data about the positive effects of crop diversification on farm productivity and ecosystem services, and even less about the reduction in economic and environmental costs. Moreover, previous projects did not provide sound scientific data about the adaptation pathways of the value chain to crop diversification to gain optimisation and resilience, since there are no successful cropping systems if the value chain is not optimised with high resource-efficiency and resilience so that products reach the final target, ensuring real consumer demands. Within Diverfarming, the most adequate crop associations by technical, economic, social, cultural and environmental terms, agreed by all actors, will be assessed. Diverfarming perceives the European agricultural sector as a whole, but will be addressed under different approaches according to the specific needs, strengths, barriers and opportunities of each agroecosystem. Application of a bottom-up decision-making process through a multicriteria model and multi-actor approach is novel in agrarian management.
The outputs of Diverfarming will be: Decision Support Tool, Guidelines for sustainable diversified cropping systems, Protocol for the correct implementation of diversified systems, Methodological guidelines and toolbox for value chain adaptation, Qualified machinery prototype for intercropping, Communities of Practitioners as volunteer early adopter farmers and agribusinesses recruited to develop diversified cropping systems in their farming systems as real scenarios, and ensure longevity beyond the project; White Paper to scientifically support relevant policies.
The potential impacts of the project are: a) higher arable land productivity, and land-equivalent ratio, b) diversification and increase of farmers’ revenues by access to new markets and reduced economic risk, c) lower environmental impact of diversified cropping systems, d) improved delivery of ecosystem services, e) organization of resource-efficient downstream value chains, relevant actors and decreased use of energy, f) market provision of food, feed and industrial products from diversified cropping systems, g) increased awareness and knowledge exchanges among actors on the benefits of diversified cropping systems, h) support to relevant EU policies, i) territorial cohesion benefits from enhanced agricultural productivity and more resilient agricultural holdings, j) strengthening of the competitiveness of a range of companies and organizations active in the agricultural value chain and bioeconomy, by creating opportunities for growth and creation of new job positions

Website & more info

More info: http://www.diverfarming.eu.