Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - UNISECO (Understanding and improving the sustainability of agro-ecological farming systems in the EU)

Teaser

The challenges of producing enough food and biomass while preserving soil, water and biodiversity cannot be solved only by dominant types of conventional agriculture, and that agro-ecological approaches and eco-functional intensification are fundamental for sustainable food...

Summary

The challenges of producing enough food and biomass while preserving soil, water and biodiversity cannot be solved only by dominant types of conventional agriculture, and that agro-ecological approaches and eco-functional intensification are fundamental for sustainable food production in the future. However, despite significant efforts by national governments, international agencies and NGOs, the provision of public goods together with private goods is still not in balance and frequently not sustainable at a farm or farm systems level. The key dilemma is how to produce sufficient public goods whilst having viable production of private goods securing economic and social sustainability at a farm level, which is not too dependent on public funds. This dilemma has specific characteristics in different farm systems.
The ambition of UNISECO is to tackle the challenges of producing public and private goods using agro-ecological approaches. Using Multi-Actor Platforms it aims to strengthen the sustainability of EU farming systems through co-constructing practice-validated strategies and incentives for promoting agro-ecological approaches. It enhances the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for development and implementation of agro-ecological approaches, cognisant of roles of different types of actors. Its methodological toolkit will enable assessments of environmental, economic and social impacts of innovative strategies and incentives at farm and territorial levels.

Work performed

\"In the first 18 months the UNISECO project has:
- Developed an adapted SES framework for assessing the sustainability of agro-ecological farming systems. The framework is operationalised through guidelines with templates for the collection of data, and assessment of SES subsystems and variables (D2.1; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources).
- Developed a flexible typology of agro-ecological farming systems that can accommodate the complexity of farming systems and the variety of different paths and stages of transitions from conventional to agro-ecological farming. The typology proposes a three-dimensional system that combines FADN farm production systems, agro-ecological practices and SES context (D2.2; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources).
- Developed guidelines setting out processes for the selection of stakeholders to participate in the Multi-Actor Platforms and for the engagement with such Platforms at EU and case study levels (D7.1; D7.2; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources).
- Completed a status quo assessment of conventional and agro-ecological farms at different stages in the transition, which provides a benchmarking for the subsequent assessment of the effectiveness of innovative market and policy incentives promoting agro-ecological farming systems (D3.1; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources).
- Created a database of the performance of current agro-ecological farming systems to be used as a benchmark for the assessment of exemplary cases of how the core dilemmas of agro-ecological transitions can be overcome at farm level (D3.2; https://zenodo.org/record/3593989#.XgiBN3sxlPY).
- Created an up-to-date inventory of 69 examples of market and policy incentives supporting agro-ecological farming systems. The inventory improved the understanding of the socio-economic, socio-cultural and political factors regarding the practical implementation of innovative market and policy incentives supporting agro-ecological transitions (D5.1; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources).
- Created new understanding of governance networks and the role of different actors in influencing pathways of agro-ecological transitions was generated through Social Network Analysis in each case study (D5.2; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources).
- Produced a prototype of the spatially explicit interactive online tool (Socio-ecological system interaction tool) as part of the Agro-ecological Knowledge Hub. The tool provides an effective means of presenting information and communication between actors involved in agro-ecological transitions (D6.1; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources).
- Synthesised and disseminated new or improved knowledge about agro-ecological farming systems and possible scenarios of future drivers and barriers, actor and governance networks, and policies and innovative market and policy incentives to support agro-ecological transitions. This is designed to improve capacity building and knowledge sharing on effective options or solutions for shaping trajectories of sustainable development.
- Collaborated closely with other EU projects on agro-ecology, in particular LIFT, funded under the same Call SFS-2017-2.\"

Final results

To date, progress beyond the state of the art relates to: a) development of a conceptual framework for assessing the sustainability of agro-ecological farming systems, a typology of agro-ecological farming systems, and the operationalisation of an adapted social-ecological systems framework (D2.1; D2.2; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources); b) the assessment of economic viability, job creation and the provision of public goods by agro-ecological farming, including participatory assessments of the social, economic and environmental performance of over 130 farms across a wide range of key European production and farming systems (D3.1 and D3.2; https://uniseco-project.eu/resources); c) new insights into effective governance structures including socio-economic, socio-cultural and political factors that impact on practical policy implementation and the role of different actors in influencing pathways of agro-ecological transitions (D5.1; D5.2 https://uniseco-project.eu/resources). Advances in state-of-the-art processes have been in the framing of Multi-Actor Platforms in the context of transdisciplinarity, for the creation of collaborative learning processes and a framework for cooperation of key actors in the governance of agro-ecological transitions.
Throughout the First Reporting Period, UNISECO has been developing and implementing processes to co-construct, through multi-actor engagement, improved and practice-validated strategies and instruments that increase the sustainability of agro-ecological farming systems in the EU, and enhance integrated capacity building and delivery of the CAP, environmental and rural policies. The aim is to inform the co-construction and assessment of improved and practice-validated strategies for agro-ecological transitions in Europe by the innovative methods and conceptual frameworks developed, and improved understanding gained of baseline performance, socio-economic and socio-ecological contexts, and governance structures.
Empirical evidence of driving factors, processes, outcomes and impacts of agro-ecological transitions at farm and territorial levels is being studied in a systematic way. A new Agro-Ecological Knowledge Hub, containing a spatially explicit interactive online tool and a methodological handbook on agro-ecological farming systems are being produced. These will be publicly accessible, with plans for their use in co-learning and networking, especially through the Multi-Actor Platforms at EU and at the case study level in 15 European countries. Continuous interactions between researchers, ‘knowledge brokers’, and stakeholders and actors in policy and practice are integral to the transdisciplinary approach of UNISECO for fostering the sustainability of European farming systems and leaving a durable project legacy.

Website & more info

More info: https://uniseco-project.eu.