MAIA Webinar: Climate Change and Agriculture (I)

Summary

About the Webinar

On Friday 1st of September 11:00-11:45 CEST we will have the pleasure to hear from the EU projects CRAS, Path2dea and Climate Farm Demo. Join us to find out more about their activities!

Registration

Featuring Projects

1. Climate change and Resilience of Agricultural System (CRAS) is a research project aiming to better understand the contribution of agrobiodiversity to the resilience of agroecosystems and to the mitigation of the impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector

• Budget: € 180 369,60
• Funding call: EXCELLENT SCIENCE – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
• Project duration: 10 August 2019- 18 August 2022
• Partners: 2

2. Path2dea Paving the Way towards Digitalisation Enabling Agroecology for European Farming Systems

• Budget: € 1 999 980,00
• Funding call: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
• Project duration: 1 January 2023- 31 December 2025
• Partners: 18

The potential of agroecological farming systems to master many of today’s challenges to the environment, economy, health, and society can be significantly promoted by coupling with digital tools and technologies. PATH2DEA is committed to unlocking digitalisation’s catalysing power to foster European agriculture’s transition towards enhanced sustainability. It builds on farmers’ competences and views and match them with the rich repertoire of digital solutions already available for agriculture, aimed at tailoring digital technologies to users’ needs and fostering wide-range adoption of digital agroecological farming in the EU and associated countries. Strategic engagement by multiple actors includes early adopters of digital agroecological farming represented by six showcase farms located in different pedo-climatic regions, with hands-on experience for solid consensus validation of the project’s conclusions.

PATH2DEA will deliver a robust knowledge base in the frame of an Open Source Repository of digital tools and technologies in agroecology with decision support functionalities and a well-aligned R&I Roadmap for guiding digital agroecology transition. 

3. Climate Farm Demo
Adapting agricultural production systems to climate change through adoption of Climate Smart Farming practices and solutions at Demo Events organised at Demo Farms across Europe.

• Budget: € 21 487 132,66
• Funding call: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
• Project duration: 1 October 2022- 30 September 2029
• Partners: 74

Climate Farm Demo is a unique pan-European network of Pilot Demo Farmers (PDFs) covering 28 countries and all pedo-climatic areas. Its overall aim is to accelerate the adoption of Climate Smart Farming (CSF) practices and solutions by farmers and all actors of the Climate Smart Agriculture Knowledge & Innovation Systems (AKIS) with a view to adapting agricultural production systems to climate change and to achieving a carbon neutral agricultural sector by 2050, thereby meeting the targets of the EU Climate strategy. To reach this objective, the project adopts a MultiActor approach by connecting 1500 Pilot Demo Farmers and their Climate Farm Advisors (CFAs) at European and national levels to increase knowledge exchange & cross-fertilisation in their respective AKIS. The CFA’s will support the PDFs in implementing Adaptation and Mitigation Measures suggested by contextualised guidelines and will assess & monitor their environmental performance thanks to harmonised methodologies & tools.

Featuring Speakers

1. Lea Nicita CMCC Foundation – Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change
Lea Nicita is researcher at the University of Catania. As a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Global Research Fellow she was the principal investigator of climate change and Resilience of
Agricultural Systems project (CRAS) at Yale School of Environment and CMCC Centro Euro-
Mediterraneo sui Cambiamentt Climatici. Her current research emphasis is on sustainable and diversified agricultural landscapes, climate change impacts on agriculture, and climate
perceived risks and adaptation. Lea has co-authored papers in the field of economics of
climate change and non-market valuation of environmental resources. She holds a PhD in
economics from University of Venice and a MSc in Economics from the University of York; she
had worked as associate researcher at Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation and Centro Euro-
Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici. Lea is a passionate mom and traveller.

2. Stefan Pfeiffer Business Development Manager at AIT Austrian Institute of Technology 
Dr. Stefan Pfeiffer has a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna. His professional experience includes various roles in research and innovation in academia and industry and he has been awarded the German Innovation Award Climate and Environment. Stefan Pfeiffer is employed by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology as Business Development Manager in the Competence Unit Bioresources, where he is responsible for managing research and innovation projects, strategic direction of research activities and for successful technology transfer to industrial stakeholders. Stefan Pfeiffer is coordinator of the three-year Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action “PATH2DEA”, which aims to promote digitalization as an enabler of agroecological farming systems in Europe. It builds on existing digital solutions in the agricultural sector and aligns them with the goals of agricultural producers. The aim is to foster the widespread adoption of digital agroecology in the EU and associated countries in a sustainable manner.

3. Christine Berger 
During her 30-year career at the Institut de l’Elevage (the French Livestock institute), Christine Berger has developed her skills in leading programmes and teams. A specialist in scientific transfer and exploitation, as well as in analysing the impact of R&D studies, she devotes her experience to multi-partner programmes. She is currently coordinator of the European “Climate Farm Demo” project (Horizon Europe).