Celebrating Two Years of EU4ADVICE: Achievements and Future Directions

By Paula de Vera

The EU4ADVICE project has reached an impressive milestone, marking two years of collaborative efforts to enhance the integration of Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) advisors into national Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) across the EU. This initiative has fostered innovation, empowered advisory networks, and strengthened connections within European agricultural systems.

Key Accomplishments

1. Criteria Development for SFSC Advisors
   The project established minimum requirements and selection criteria for SFSC advisors, ensuring they possess the necessary competencies, skills, and focus areas to support their integration into national AKIS frameworks. This foundational work resulted in two detailed deliverables, D2.1 and D2.2, which now guide EU4ADVICE and the COREnet initiative.
   
2. Multi-Actor Workshops (MAWs)
   Four workshops were conducted in Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland to explore success factors and barriers for SFSC advisory services. These sessions engaged AKIS authorities, researchers, and end-users, fostering dialogue and generating actionable roadmaps for advisory service integration.
   
3. Activation of a Pan-European SFSC Advisor Network
   A network-building effort was undertaken to facilitate peer-to-peer learning, collaboration, and the sharing of best practices. With thematic workshops and cross-visits among Living Labs, the initiative enabled advisors and policymakers to exchange insights and co-create innovative solutions.
   
4. Creation of Customer Journeys and Playbooks
   The project introduced step-by-step processes tailored for advisors, policymakers, and consortia, streamlining onboarding and building robust ecosystems for learning and collaboration. These frameworks were tested successfully in the Dutch Living Lab and promoted widely across international networks.

Challenges and Solutions

• Policy and Structural Uncertainties
  A significant challenge lies in the undefined status of AKIS frameworks at national levels. To address this, EU4ADVICE adopted a flexible, co-creative approach, iteratively refining roadmaps and integrating diverse stakeholder insights.
  
• Scalability of Solutions
  The dynamization strategy faced obstacles due to limited marketing and digital infrastructure. The team mitigated these by exploring blended financing models and establishing a collective competence center to bolster capacity.
  
• Cross-Context Variations
  Varying stages of AKIS development across regions required tailored approaches. Leveraging prior knowledge, Living Labs provided adaptable guidelines, ensuring relevance and impact across different contexts.

Contributions to Project Goals
EU4ADVICE has significantly advanced the overarching goals of strengthening SFSCs and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. By integrating SFSC advisors into national AKIS frameworks, the project has empowered localized advisory networks and enhanced their capacity to address modern agricultural challenges. For example, the policy engagement strategies devised during workshops have informed national plans, bridging gaps between advisors and decision-makers.

Looking Ahead
As EU4ADVICE enters its next phase, the focus will remain on:

• Expanding the Advisor Network: Conduct additional thematic workshops and Living Lab visits to further enrich collaborative practices.
• Digital Infrastructure Development: Building a centralized digital platform for resource sharing and communication.
• Policy Advocacy: Strengthening the connection between advisors and policymakers to ensure the incorporation of SFSC considerations in AKIS developments.

EU4ADVICE is poised to solidify its role as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration in European agricultural systems through these initiatives. The journey ahead promises even greater impact as the project continues to empower advisors, enhance sustainability, and shape the future of food systems across the EU.

For visuals and further information, visit our project website and social media networks: LinkedIn,  Facebook,  BlueSky, On YouTube.

Advisors
Are you helping farmers and producers to sell their things directly, to improve their bargaining power or position in the value chain, or to transition to more socially and environmentally production systems?

Now is your chance to join the first-ever European advisory network focused on short food supply chains (SFSCs), established through the Horizon Europe projects COREnet and EU4Advice, which ultimate aim is to enhance the sustainability, competitiveness and visibility of European short food supply chains. A key step to pursue this goal, is to enhance the connections between SFSC actors in Europe, the capacity building and the knowledge sharing between advisors, producers, researchers and policy-makers.

This platform will connect you to a wide community of experts and advisors related to SFSC and support effective exchange of knowledge and solutions among advisors and other food system stakeholders, through access to training materials, thematic workshops, collaborative knowledge-sharing sessions, and networking activities. Additionally, you will be listed in a public database of SFSC advisors, giving you visibility as a trusted resource in the SFSC field. Moreover, your participation will also play a role in shaping policy recommendations at the EU level that support the development of the SFSC sector.

Your involvement in the network and related activities is entirely voluntary, and you will at all times have flexibility in choosing how to participate. As a first step, we’ll ask you to complete a brief questionnaire to understand your expertise and role in SFSCs better.