TY - JOUR
T1 - A Systematic Review of EU-Funded Innovative Agri-Food Projects
T2 - Potential for Transfer between Territories
AU - Ibáñez-Jiménez, Álvaro
AU - Jiménez-Olivencia, Yolanda
AU - Mesa-Pedrazas, Ángela
AU - Porcel-Rodríguez, Laura
AU - Zimmerer, Karl
N1 - Funding Information:
This research offers a systematic review of successfully implemented projects in the agri-food sector funded by EU Rural Development Programs. Our review has three main objectives: (i) to identify the main innovations in the different phases of the food chain within the framework of these projects; (ii) to highlight the organizational methods applied through AFNs to overcome the limits of the conventional system for the sale and distribution of food products; and (iii) to use the knowledge generated by these practical experiences to create a model for the transfer of this knowledge and citizen science that could be applied in the Alpujarra de Granada (Spain), thereby facilitating the design of a specific project for the development of the agri-food sector based on the recovery of local crop varieties.
Funding Information:
Funding: This research is part of the project “Thematic Center on Mountain Ecosystem & Remote sensing, Deep learning-AI e-Services University of Granada-Sierra Nevada” (LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01), which has been co-funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the FEDER funds from the Spanish Pluriregional Operational Program 2014–2020 (POPE), LifeWatch-ERIC action line. The project has also been co-financed by the Provincial Council of Granada.
Funding Information:
This research is part of the project “Thematic Center on Mountain Ecosystem & Remote sensing, Deep learning-AI e-Services University of Granada-Sierra Nevada” (LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01), which has been co-funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the FEDER funds from the Spanish Pluriregional Operational Program 2014–2020 (POPE), LifeWatch-ERIC action line. The project has also been co-financed by the Provincial Council of Granada.
Funding Information:
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses. Operational Groups (OP) are intended to bring together multiple actors such as farmers, researchers, advisers, businesses, environmental groups, consumer interest groups or other NGOs to advance innovation in the agricultural and forestry sectors. A Local Action Group (LAG) is a non profit-making composition made up of public and private organizations from rural villages having a broad representation from different socio-economic sectors. Through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), LAGs can apply for financial assistance in the form of grants to implement the Local Development Strategy of their respective territory.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - This article presents a systematic review of innovative projects funded by EU Rural Development Programs that were designed and implemented in rural areas of the European Union to facilitate the territorialized production of foodstuffs and their sale through alternative networks. On the basis of the results obtained in this review, we designed a model for the transfer of knowledge to the local community in the Alpujarra Granadina (Granada, Spain) within the framework of the LifeWatch project. This study uses two consecutive methodological approaches. We began by developing a protocol for the systematic search and analysis of successful rural development projects carried out in the European Union between 2007 and 2020. After that, we created a model for the transfer of results using a participative methodological approach. The results of our analysis of the group of projects selected for review show that the main innovations were made in different aspects of the product, process, sales and distribution. These innovative ideas were implemented by rural communities with a high degree of collective initiative and intelligence and could potentially be replicated in other areas. The sample analyzed contains a wide array of novel, alternative formulas, which are transversal to the projects, so provide significant contents that could be used to activate a space for participation and debate, which could itself become fertile ground for the creation of new projects. In conclusion, this study provides the stakeholders in rural areas, in particular farmers, with a wide, systematically organized knowledge base that proposes solutions to shared challenges.
AB - This article presents a systematic review of innovative projects funded by EU Rural Development Programs that were designed and implemented in rural areas of the European Union to facilitate the territorialized production of foodstuffs and their sale through alternative networks. On the basis of the results obtained in this review, we designed a model for the transfer of knowledge to the local community in the Alpujarra Granadina (Granada, Spain) within the framework of the LifeWatch project. This study uses two consecutive methodological approaches. We began by developing a protocol for the systematic search and analysis of successful rural development projects carried out in the European Union between 2007 and 2020. After that, we created a model for the transfer of results using a participative methodological approach. The results of our analysis of the group of projects selected for review show that the main innovations were made in different aspects of the product, process, sales and distribution. These innovative ideas were implemented by rural communities with a high degree of collective initiative and intelligence and could potentially be replicated in other areas. The sample analyzed contains a wide array of novel, alternative formulas, which are transversal to the projects, so provide significant contents that could be used to activate a space for participation and debate, which could itself become fertile ground for the creation of new projects. In conclusion, this study provides the stakeholders in rural areas, in particular farmers, with a wide, systematically organized knowledge base that proposes solutions to shared challenges.
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U2 - 10.3390/land11040519
DO - 10.3390/land11040519
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85136794651
SN - 2073-445X
VL - 11
JO - Land
JF - Land
IS - 4
M1 - 519
ER -