Smart Crop Farming technologies allow farmers to optimize inputs and tailor cultivation practices to specific crop requirements. Despite the potential of these technologies to enhance agriculture, their adoption remains surprisingly low in Europe. Well-organized, farmer-focused, multi-actor advisory systems and networks can play a crucial role for farmers to understand and implement Smart Crop Farming technologies. These advisory systems involve multiple stakeholders and prioritize farmers' needs, while enabling knowledge exchange among diverse players. Operational Groups (OGs) provide a strong platform for this, but many lack the required capabilities. TechCoach's main objective is to strengthen farmers’ ability to assess, adopt, and integrate Smart Crop Farming technologies at the farm level, by facilitating collaborative innovation and multi-actor advisory in Operational Groups and AKIS. This will be achieved through the mobilization of OG’s and AKIS actors, as well as the utilization of existing and new thematic networks and Multi-Actor Approach projects, to gather and disseminate knowledge and experience for application in local contexts across Europe. TechCoach will serve a dual purpose: (1) strengthening the results of Operational Groups, and (2) accelerating these results through networks at the national and EU level. The approach includes 3 levels of interventions. Firstly, we learn how EIP Operational Groups facilitate their members in the adoption of Smart Farming technologies. Good practices are described, and gaps are identified. At the start of the project, TechCoach will work with 10 OG’s in 5 countries. Secondly, we connect project OGs, other OGs and AKIS actors in national networks to share knowledge and experience on the theme of facilitating Smart Crop Farming adoption and to narrow the identified gaps. And thirdly, we connect OGs and national networks across borders and enhance pan-European learning and collaboration in Smart Crop Farming.

A major sustainability challenge for the European society is moving beyond conventional, industrialised food production and agricultural systems, characterised by a high use of external inputs. Mainstream conventional food production systems are posing a serious threat to the environment and to biodiversity and are becoming increasingly unsustainable due to unacceptable levels of food waste in industrialized countries and to shrinking farmers’ incomes. Alternative systems with reduced use of external inputs have to be promoted , based on i) an optimised use of agricultural biodiversity (hereafter ‘agrobiodiversity’), ecological processes and natural resources and on ii) improved food systems based e.g. on short supply chain quality food, where consumers play an active role in driving produce demand and consequently offer. CAPSELLA will address this challenge in two ways: (a) raising awareness on these issues especially within and among local communities (smallholders agriculture, biodiversity, food quality) but also within the broader European public, and (b) offering innovative ICT solutions that will address needs and requirements coming from the communities. To achieve this we will use a combination of participatory bottom up data collection and top down data integration to develop solutions for two domains: agrobiodiversity and local food knowledge. The project aims to (a) build from scratch open data repositories concerning regional agrobiodiversity, and (b) to build upon and enhance existing data sets on the agrobiodiversity and food domains. Based on these, the project will develop a number of community-driven data powered ICT solutions, which will be tested by the communities engaged in the project and will result in a number of pilots. Finally, our project will have a strong societal and business sustainability focus by also including incubation activities for selected pilots.

Ruminant farming is critically important in maintaining the viability of rural communities and ensuring food security. Because grazing ruminants are permanently exposed to helminth parasites, efficient worm control is a requirement to guarantee their health, welfare and productivity. Worm control is largely based on preventive use of anthelmintic drugs, but excessive use of anthelmintics has led to anthelmintic resistance, which has become a global threat for effective parasite control. To mitigate anthelmintic resistance in ruminants, sustainable worm control (SWC) strategies should be adopted. The SPARC Community of Practice of farmers, farm advisors and veterinarians will identify needs, practices, barriers and drivers for adoption of SWC practices, develop a list of good practices for SWC in different production systems and regions and demonstrate them on pilot farms. National and international stakeholder networks will share SWC practices among farmers, across borders and production systems (beef and dairy cattle, meet and milk sheep and goats). Dissemination of experiences and results will be facilitated by a Knowledge Exchange Platform on the SPARC website, hosting testimonies, case studies, videos, practice abstracts and decision support tools, available in local languages. SPARC activities and results will be communicated on social media and in professional journals. Overall, SPARC will initiate a lasting European-wide multi-actor community that develops solutions together to curb anthelmintic resistance, aiding in the green transition of European agriculture.

The agricultural sector is known for its demanding and hazardous working environments, leading to high rates of accidents and health issues among workers. Furthermore, drudgery due to physical work and repetitive tasks diminishes the attractiveness of the sector for youth. Emerging challenges such as digitalisation, technological intensification, structural change, environmental targets, and new risks due to climate change, coupled with global economic implications demand more and more from farmers and farm workers, exacerbate the need for timely information, and have new implications for occupational safety and health (OSH). AGRO-WELL follows a highly interdisciplinary approach to enhance knowledge for technological transitions towards an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable agricultural sector. It brings together leading scientists from a multitude of OSH-related disciplines, various regions across Europe, key technology providers and farmer representatives. The project will assess farmer needs and explore ways to increase awareness with respect to smart farming. AGRO-WELL builds on five technologies to leverage the potential of robotics, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence to enhance working conditions and farm safety, enable faster and better-informed farm management decisions, and reduce the environmental impact of four different farming systems. Potential effects of the technologies will be multidimensionally assessed. To support market uptake, AGRO-WELL will design and explore the viability of business models based on novel technologies that are predominantly focused on improving OSH. To support other promising technologies, AGRO-WELL will incorporate an open technology competition enabled by cascade funding. All project results will be synthesized in effective dissemination strategies and meaningful policy recommendations to foster promising technological solutions and sustainable business models.