Enhancing farmer's profitability and resilience through innovations for diversified crops and value chains

Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: farmers are able to transition to diversified, resilient and innovative cropping systems, increasing their sustainability, competitiveness and promoting biodiversity conservation as well as climate adaptation and mitigation; profitability of farming is boosted through the adoption of diversified cropping systems and the development of local value chains as well as through the valorisation of crops by-products; awareness and knowledge/data exchange among actors on the benefits of diversified cropping systems for farmers and for downstream value chains across Europe is increased. Scope: Crop diversification supports farmers resilience to external shocks, be it economic, climatic, or market related. By reducing dependency on a single farmed crop, farmers can strengthen their competitiveness in an ever-changing agricultural landscape. The temporal and spatial diversification of crops through e.g. rotation and associations, are drivers for low-input, resource-efficient farming systems that can fulfil the need to produce food, feed, industrial products (e.g. bioenergy, biomaterials, biochemicals) and other ecosystems services. These diversified and low-input farming systems will emerge if clear benefits to farmers and society are demonstrated and if the downstream value chains are properly organized. Proposals should: develop, test and showcase innovative solutions as well as…