Sustainable food security - EURAKNOS

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Introduction

EURAKNOS: Connecting Thematic Networks As Knowledge Reservoirs Towards a European Agricultural Knowledge Innovation Open Source System

16 partners: Ghent University (UGent, BE) , Instituut voor Landbouw- en Visserijonderzoek (EV ILVO, BE), Proefstation voor de Groenteteelt (PSKW, BE), Leap Forward Group (LFG, BE), Institut de l'élevage (IDELE, FR), Royal Agricultural University (RAU, UK), Agricultural University of Athens (AUA, GR), Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC, ES), Gruenlandzentrum (GLZ, DE), Research Institute of Agricultural Economics (AKI, HU), Innovation for Agriculture (IFA, UK), International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems, Aarhus University (AU, DK), Hungarian Chambre of Agriculture (NAK, HU), Association de coordination technique agricole (ACTA, FR), Agricultural Research Centre (ARC, EE), Int. Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements – European Union Regional Group (IFOAM EU, SE).

Coordinated by Dr. ir.

Duration: 2 years


Project description

Thematic Networks are a particular format of multi-actor projects promoted by EIP-AGRI and funded by EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, working on a specific theme. They bring people from both science and practice together to create useful, practical outputs. The current state of the art is that a set of 22 H2020 thematic networks (TNs) are producing knowledge for practitioners independent from each other. Most of these networks have organised or are organising knowledge databases on different agriculture production and forestry themes that are related but not interconnected.

In order to boost dissemination and at the same time conserve the practical knowledge for the long term, EURAKNOS will tackle the data management with a view to ensure sustainability of these knowledge networks and maximise their outputs for end-users. To this end, EURAKNOS will stimulate the exchange of existing approaches, methodologies and tools between the different TNs (and linked EIP operational groups and H2020 multi-actor projects where relevant) and search for a harmonised approach for setting up future TNs in order to maximise the impact on the practitioner, farmer and forester. By the envisaged structured interaction, the flow of practical information across countries and regions in Europe will increase considerably, and thanks to the production of critical mass of practical information across Europe, the material will be more likely to be used for education or training purposes.

Applying a multi-actor approach, farmers, foresters and advisors will support the fine-tuning and the distribution of the practice-oriented knowledge, on the one hand achieving greater user acceptance of the practices collected, and on the other hand conserving this knowledge in the long-term and stimulating generational renewal thanks to the awareness of innovative approaches.

Objectives

The aim of EURAKNOS is to connect and serve all thematic networks and therefore EURAKNOS can be seen as the network of the networks. A blueprint is developed for a common data system to facilitate storing and access of thematic network outputs to make this information more accessible to the farming community in a searchable and semi-standardized way.

The project objectives are:

  • To widen and connect existing multi-actor TNs as knowledge reservoirs within the agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI);
  • To collect and evaluate (analyse and compare) the knowledge, materials and tools that have been produced by thematic networks (TNs), linked operational groups (OGs);
  • To develop a harmonised approach through technical guidelines on how to make a TN High Impact Knowledge reservoir (HIKR);
  • To explore the possibility and added value of creating an EU-wide dynamic open source agricultural knowledge innovation data base, an e-Knowledge Reservoir Platform (e-KRP);
  • To facilitate and support TNs by securing the longevity of the project outcomes through linking to other TNs and similar initiatives at EU and national level, and feeding into national educational and training programmes.


Role of Ghent University

Ghent University coordinates the project.


Website

www.euraknos.eu


Contact

Prof. Pieter Spanoghe
Department Plants and Crops
Phone number: 092646009
 

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