Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Deadline: Wednesday 12th of April, 2023
In line with the European Green Deal priorities and the farm to fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environment‑friendly food system, and in support of the African Free Trade Area and of the climate objectives of the African Union and the EU, the successful proposal will contribute to the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation, and its priority on Green Transition (and the respective R&I partnerships on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change and Sustainable Energy), as well as to the implementation of the short-term actions outlined in the working document of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, aiming to translate R&I efforts into tangible business, development and employment opportunities in Africa and Europe.
Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Improved assessment systems for agroecological food systems with co-benefits for producers, climate, biodiversity and citizens,
- Assessment of certification schemes, testing innovative solutions (e.g. digital solutions) with agro-food systems/certification actors, such as fair agricultural trade, ministries in charge and border regime management.
- Contribution to the joint EU-AU Innovation Agenda.
Scope:
Agroecology[1] is a holistic approach that relies on and maximises the use of ecological processes to support agricultural production. By working more with nature and ecosystem services, it has the potential to increase farms’ circularity, diversification and autonomy, while preserving/enhancing biodiversity, and drive a full transformation of farming systems and agricultural value chains, from input substitution and beyond. Agroecological farming systems therefore have great potential to enhance the sustainability performance of agriculture and agricultural value chains that contribute to the objectives of the EU farm to fork strategy and the FNSSA partnership.
Proposals should address the following:
- Conducting a scoping exercise on existing agroecological initiatives in Africa, including an analysis of what has worked or failed, and why.
- Increased competitiveness of the agroecological production for safe and nutritious food in Africa with improved quality and transparency in local, regional and international markets.
- Supporting training, and capacity building for actors in agro-ecological businesses and fair trades.
- Organising demonstration and networking events with relevant actors of the food chain, ranging from producers to final users, including administrations relevant for promoting agro-ecological food products.
- Implementation of the new technologies, including internet of things and artificial intelligence, to bring transparency to the agro-ecology food value chain.
Proposals must implement the ‘multi-actor approach’ and ensure adequate involvement of the farming sector and all other relevant food chain actors.
This topic should involve the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines.
Proposals should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects funded under topics HORIZON-CL6-2021-FARM2FORK-01-03: Digitalisation as an enabler of agroecological farming systems and HORIZON-CL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-05: Agroecological approaches for climate change mitigation, resilient agricultural production and enhanced biodiversity.
The consortium selected for funding is encouraged to cooperate with actors such as the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). The possible participation of the JRC in the project could consist in the JRC joining the project steering committee and supporting the consortium to disseminate results of the activities developed by the project.
Read more about this funding opportunity here.