Institut für Pflanzenbau und Bodenkunde
SUNRISE aims to foster the agroecological transition by establishing a network of agroecological living labs (AELLs) across 10 European countries, building upon already existing living labs (4 actual AELLs) or situations that have great potential of becoming active AELL within the time span of the project (6 potential AELLs). AELLs are framed at a sub-regional or regional level and are composed of a network of actors (multi-actor teams, MATs) already engaged in agroecological practices/value chains or willing to do so. These actors include: (i) farmers (organic and conventional), either individual or associated (e.g., in a bio-district or other farm network); (ii) agricultural advisors; (iii) upstream and downstream companies (e.g., producers of agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilisers/amendments, biopesticides, machinery; food/feed processors or retailers); (iv) civil society organisations (e.g., NGOs, consumers associations); (v) regional/national policy makers; (vi) researchers. A MAT will be established in all consortium countries engaged in AELL activities at a very early stage of the project. MATs are responsible for the activities of innovation co-creation, demonstration, and knowledge sharing centred on innovative agroecological practices. In all consortium countries, there is a history of previous collaboration among MAT members (or part of them) in participatory research projects. In all areas where AELLs are active, there is one or more research infrastructure (e.g., research centre, experimental farm, long-term experiment, laboratory) already engaged in agroecological research, where some of the co-created innovations (i.e., agroecological practices) are tested (on-station research). To facilitate knowledge exchange and establishment/fine-tuning of a co-creation culture, testing of innovations will also take place at one or more pilot farms included in the MATs (on-farm research). Research infrastructures and/or commercial farms where research/innovation testing is conducted will be the target sites for dissemination/demonstration activities (e.g., field days, hands-on workshops), thus representing the lighthouses of AELLs. University/research centres that are partners in the proposal will mobilise an interdisciplinary expert team covering all the 6 sub-themes foreseen in Theme 1 at the consortium level (minimum 3 sub-themes per partner). The core of the proposal is to co-design, co-test, co-evaluate, co-validate and co-share novel agroecological solutions (i.e., practices) aimed to overcome key agronomic problems (highlighted by each AELL) that impede or delay the agroecological transition. Activities in AELLs are centred on priority sub-themes and related potential agroecological solutions to be tested: these have already been identified in the proposal and will be validated by each MAT at an early stage of the project. They address the most important cropping/farming system in the target regions (arable, vegetable, fruit/orchard, mixed crop/livestock, agroforestry). Project activities in each AELL encompass 11 stages (common across countries), all conducted within MATs, with continuous engagement of all actors in innovation co-creation and knowledge-sharing activities, including co-drafting of guidelines on AELL establishment and functioning, and suggestions for the improvement of policies aimed to foster the agroecological transition in the target regions and elsewhere.
Europäische Union
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
