BEST4SOIL is coordinated by DELPHY BV

Healthy soils are of major importance for the future of the European horticultural and agricultural crop production. Especially in intensive production systems, soilborne diseases are a major factor with a negative impact on soil health. Newly developed best practices and sound crop rotations permit to maintain, improve or re-establish soil health in Europe.

SHEEPNET is coordinated by IDELE

"SheepNet is a thematic network project about practice-driven innovation to improve sheep productivity (number of lambs weaned/ewe mated): a critical component of farmers’ income and therefore of the sustainability and attractiveness of sheep farming. SheepNet will establish durable exchange of scientific and practical knowledge among researchers, farmers and advisors, through a multi-actor and transdisciplinary approach at national and international levels and by the broad involvement of European Agriculture knowledge and Innovation Systems. This will promote the implementation and dissemination of innovative and best technologies and practices for the improvement of sheep productivity. To maximize impact and ensure a wide coverage of different farming systems, SheepNet will bring together six main sheep producing EU countries, plus Turkey, and Australia, New Zealand, and every relevant EU network.

WINETWORK is coordinated by INSTITUT FRANCAIS DE LA VIGNE ET DU VIN

Building on a methodology for innovation-driven research previously developed and tested, the WINETWORK project has the ambition to stimulate collaborative innovation in the wine sector. The project will implement a methodology that has been successful in promoting demand-driven innovations in previous regional and European projects. This approach is mainly based on the interactions between a network of facilitator agents, several regional technical working groups and one European scientific working group. A participatory approach is used to translate results from science and practical knowledge into technical datasheets that are used to prepare materials adapted to end-users. A bottom-up approach is also used to identify a demand-driven innovation agenda. In the WINETWORK project, the approach will be implemented in ten regions from seven countries representing more than 90% of the EU wine production. The main topic addressed in the network concern the control and the fight against diseases that jeopardise the future production potential of the EU (Grapevine Trunk Diseases and Flavescence Dorée).

SUWANU is coordinated by BIOAZUL, SL

Agricultural practices put the biggest pressure on fresh water resources for irrigation (55% of the water use in Europe) and on fertilizer usage. The European farmers face serious problems such as freshwater scarcity and nutrient availability, extreme climate conditions and the growing demand of the increasing population. This results in rising prices for mineral fertilizers and food, risky measures such as untreated wastewater applications on fields, and environmental damages from overexploitation of resources.
Even though important local efforts have been made on research activities and initiatives for wastewater treatment and reuse in agriculture, an integrated approach is needed among regions which are developing such research, incentivizing scientific, governmental and business collaboration within wastewater reuse in Europe and supporting the establishment of common European guidelines and parameters for water and nutrient exploitation efficiency.