Multi-actor collaboration dynamics and capacity building network inside and between AKIS to foster the upscaling of SFSCs across Europe (EU4Advice)

In line with the new CAP post2020, the F2F Strategy and the Green Deal, the EU4Advice Project will develop enabling methodologies and tools to connect short food supply chains (SFSCs) advisors in a common network with the aim of fostering the upscaling of consumer-producer chains across Europe. SFSCs are a mean for producers to increase their bargaining power and to improve their position within the value chain and for consumers to increase trust, transparency, quality and safety of their food. Political and socioeconomic barriers and gaps need to be addressed in order to enhance the scope of consumer-producer chains across Europe and EU4Advice will provide the necessary tools to the relevant stakeholders to overcome them. One key challenge to achieve this goal is to improve national AKIS by implementing new governance models that facilitates the integration of SFSCs advisory services Through a multi-actor approach involving advisors, policy makers, researchers, farmers and consumers, and by implementing a living lab methodology, EU4Advice will create the foundations for the establishment of a network of SFSC-advisors across Europe that will be appropriately structured and connected to a diversity of stakeholders within the national AKIS. The development of networking tools, contents for SFSCs advisors, a tailored dissemination, communication and exploitation strategy, and impact assessment plans will create the appropriate ecosystem for the effective transfer of knowledge among stakeholders in the 27 EU members. Based on previous key related multi-actor projects, EU4Advice will apply the AIN transition model” to guide the successful implementation of the multi-actor network through different administrative levels: local, regional, national and European. EU4Advice will establish appropriate channels for collaboration and knowledge exchange among a selected group of multi-actor projects, thematic networks and focus groups at EU level, to ensure a long term impact