Background
Organic Farming Innovations Network Europe (OH-FINE) is a 48-month long EU-funded project that aims to empower EU farmers and smallholders through the definition, enhancement and transfer of competitive and efficient organic farming knowledge and alternatives that address farmer’s capacities, consumer needs and evolving food market changes, identifying efficient, healthy, organic and viable alternatives for small farm food production.
In this context, Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network, as a member of the consortium, is committed to ensuring that the perspectives and interests of citizens and consumers are incorporated into the project's work.
One of the strengths of this project is to build on existing capacities of farmers by designing and initiating a Pan-European Organic Farming Learning Community, where consumer needs and changes in the food market will also be taken into account. To this end, the plan is to develop a multidimensional framework on organic farming knowledge and practices, with a multi-agent learning system. This means that practical knowledge will be collected, distributed and disseminated in an accessible way to farmers and other stakeholders on topics such as cereals, oilseeds, protein crops and livestock management.
The project also foresees the development of an ICT tool to serve as a decision support system for farmers, consumers and policy makers.
The methodology and tools developed by the OH-FINE project will be tested and validated in 5 case study areas across Europe, namely in Spain, Lithuania, Ireland, Bulgaria and Poland. In each of these countries there will be 20 pilot farms. In addition, a virtual community will be created among farmers and advisors in each country, who will in turn be part of the European learning community. All the training and information materials will be translated in all the languages of the project partners.
OH-FINE is being funded by the European Union in the framework of the call: HORIZON-CL6-2024-GOVERNANCE-01 (Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Pact) and by SERI, the Swiss Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.
It is a project coordinated by Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), accompanied by FIBL-CH, SEAE, TEAGASC, OFISET SL, Szkola Glowna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego, EV-ILVO, AFOA; Institut Po Polski Kulturi, LAMMC, Bioselena, LEUA; Betania Legio SL, FIBL-AT, Cittadinanzattiva-ACN, Mesetaria Coop, Inagro and Hooibeekhoeve. Read more
Rationale and objectives of the initiative
In line with the overall objective of the OH-FINE project, which is to strengthen farmers' capacities while responding to consumers' needs, Cittadinanzattiva-ACN is organising a closed-door EU workshop in Rome focusing on citizens' needs and expectations regarding organic agriculture.
Building on the work carried out so far within the OH-FINE project, such as the creation of the Organic Farming Community Platform, the initiative aims to provide an opportunity for discussion and highlight the innovative aspects of the project in relation to the needs and expectations of citizens and consumers. The meeting will also provide an opportunity to promote their commitment, develop key messages, and produce short videos involving the participants.
To this end, Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network invited NGOs and consumer organisations, with which it has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding, from several Member States.
This activity falls within the context of the project's Work Package 10, which focuses on communicating, disseminating and exploiting the project and its results, with the following objectives:
- Making the project known to relevant stakeholders
- Ensuring effective execution of communication activities
- Broadly promoting the project through diverse channels
- Providing easy access to information and results on the project website
- Widely disseminating the project findings through customized materials in partner countries
- Securing the project’s legacy and long-term accessibility of its outcomes
Contact person: Bianca Ferraiolo, Head of the Representative Office to the EU and Senior Manager EU Affairs at Cittadinanzattiva:
