La iniciativa trasnacional “Agroecology Partnership” ha lanzado su primera convocatoria, “Fostering agroecology at farm and landscape levels” para la presentación de proyectos internacionales de I+D+i.
El objetivo de esta convocatoria es financiar proyectos de investigación e innovación dedicados al estudio e implementación de la agroecología a dos niveles de escalas geográficas: la explotación agrícola y su entorno inmediato.
Las propuestas deberán basarse en un enfoque multidisciplinar y multiactor, es decir, deberán reunir a personal científico de todas las disciplinas pertinentes, incluidas las ciencias sociales y las humanidades, así como a otros tipos de agentes, incluidos los agricultores, consumidores, sociedad civil y autoridades locales y regionales.
Las propuestas deberán abordar uno de los dos temas siguientes, y, al menos, tres de los subtemas que recoge el tema elegido:
Theme 1: Enhancing agroecology at the farm level
- Manage soil and water to improve soil health and significantly reduce erosion, maintain and increase carbon storage, optimise nutrient cycles, reduce the use of contentious chemicals.
- Promote crop diversification: diversify species and varieties at the field and farm level (including site-adapted varieties, crop rotations and intra-field diversification).
- Develop agronomic practices serving to increase resilience, water conservation and to drastically reduce the use of chemical inputs (crop management sequences, cover crops and intercropping, crop rotations, soil cultivation).
- Enhance complementarities between animal and crop production to close nutrient cycles and drastically decrease or eliminate the use of contentious agrochemicals.
- Promote natural regulation of pests and diseases, use of biocontrol, and integration of biocontrol practices with cropping practices.
- Enhance ecosystem services, biodiversity and beneficial biological interactions among different components in the farming system and the surrounding environment.
Theme 2: Implementing agroecology at the landscape level
- Identify and select the best-suited agroecology practices adapted to the landscape level and connected to the agrifood value chain. The proposals should make explicit the rationale for selecting a particular landscape and its proposed boundaries and expanse.
- Develop and assess from a multi-actor perspective different agroecology transition pathways, envisioning and planning the agroecosystem and the landscape/territory resulting from them.
- Perform an integrated assessment of the socio-economic impacts of the proposed practices, considering the ecosystem services they provide and their associated social and ecological impacts, their potential benefits and trade-offs, economic viability, the potential for their upscaling, outscaling and social implications.
- Develop and test methods and instruments favouring the integration of agroecological production in the agrifood systems of a given landscape/territory, building up appropriate business models and analysing their implications in the whole value chain.
- Develop solutions to re-design agroecosystems at landscape/territory level, considering the ecosystem services and other benefits of a transition to agroecology at this geographic scale, enhancing biodiversity and making use of it, achieving ecological corridors, protecting water, integrating crop and livestock production to close nutrient cycles and energy flows, reducing the use of agrochemicals, decreasing pollution and enhancing the role of farming practices for the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.
- Design strategies supporting agroecology at the landscape level, integrating territorial planning, enhancing the coherence of agricultural and environmental policies and regulations in a given landscape/territory, and promoting new governance systems.
- Propose and test incentives supporting a transition to agroecology at the landscape level, which may include but not be restricted to eco-schemes, payment for ecosystem services, adapted credit, taxes, public procurement or the implications of labelling.
Los consorcios deberán estar formados por al menos tres socios que soliciten financiaicón de al menos tres países diferentes y de tres agencias financiadoras distintas.
España participará en esta convocatoria a través de la Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), el Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTI) y la Consejería de Economía, Ciencia y Agenda digital de la Junta de Extremadura (JUNTAEX), por lo que es necesario consultar el Anexo Nacional para conocer las normas de financiación.
La fecha final para la presentación de pre-propuesta será el 26 de abril de 2024 y la presentación de propuestas completas el 19 de septiembre de 2024.
Agroecology Partnership dispone, para las entidades interesadas en la participación de esta convocatoria, de una herramienta de búsqueda de socios a la cual se puede acceder a través de este enlace.
Puede acceder a toda la información actualizada en la página web de la convocatoria.
Si necesita alguna consulta estamos a su disposición en la Oficina de Proyectos Internacionales, en el e-mail proyectos_internacionales.opi@uco.es y en el teléfono 957218039.