TP Organics participates in webinars on Agroecology Partnership

One of the eight European Partnerships planned in cluster 6 of Horizon Europe will be about “Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures”. Being co-funded by the European Commission and the Member States, it will be a crucial instrument to support the upscaling of organic farming and agroecology. While the real start of the Partnership is expected in 2024, TP Organics is closely following the ongoing preparations.

The European Technology Platform for Organic Food and Farming provided feedback on the European Commission’s draft partnership proposal. TP Organics recommended adding organic as an example of innovative ecological approaches and offered contributing with its experience preparing the Partnership’s Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda. It also stressed again that the partnership should build on ERA-Net CORE Organic since the ERA-Net has more than 15 years of experience in funding research into ecological processes, and organic and agroecological practices.

TP Organics participated in the European Commission webinar series from May to June on building the Partnership. The webinars served to build a shared understanding of agroecology, living labs and research infrastructures, as well as getting inspired by concrete examples such as the Flemish Living Lab on Agroecology and Organic Farming hosted by ILVO. The objective of the last webinar on 25 June was to start co-creating the Partnership in practice and to discuss how to plan the work ahead.

TP Organics is the European Technology Platform for Organic Food and Farming. IFOAM Organics Europe is a founding member and hosts its secretariat. ERA-Net CORE Organic is a European network of national/regional ministries and research councils funding research in organic food systems.