UNISECO aims to increase the sustainability of EU agricultural systems through the co-construction of strategies and incentives aimed at the diffusion of agro-ecological approaches. The project aims to foster a better understanding of the political and socio-economic barriers that impede the wider implementation of agroecological approaches in EU agricultural systems, in order to identify the most effective management strategies for European agriculture. This requires a broader perspective, taking into consideration socio-economic, ecological and political conditions at the local level. In this regard, we will try to make operational a methodological framework capable of integrating the external context in the assessment of the sustainability of agricultural systems, paying particular attention to the role of different types of actors and their roles in the different socio-ecological systems.
UNISECO will provide a toolkit to assess the environmental, economic and social impacts of innovative strategies and incentives to stimulate the implementation of agro-ecological approaches in EU agricultural systems at both the company and local level. The methodological kit will be tested in numerous case studies in 15 European countries characterized by agricultural systems with different biophysical, socioeconomic and socio-cultural contexts.
The UNISECO project approach is aimed at encouraging a participatory and transdisciplinary process, ensured by the composition of the consortium itself, which includes stakeholders and scientific partners, but also by the active involvement of numerous local actors in the different phases of the project. The collective learning processes – aimed at integrating practical and theoretical knowledge – will benefit scientists, stakeholders and end users through a better understanding of the mechanisms that make it possible to strengthen the sustainability of EU agricultural systems.
UNISECO is based on the work program SFS-29-2017 and contributes to the objective of sustainable food security, supporting the agricultural systems that are able to combine the production of healthy food with the protection of the environment, while ensuring added value to farmers and to the actors of the agri-food supply chains.
The UNISECO project will be implemented in 16 Member States (including Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Finland, Lithuania, Hungary) within which the study areas will be selected in order to verify the feasibility of assessment methods implemented.
The following institutions are expected to participate:
- AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS Greece
- UNIVERSITAET KLAGENFURT Austria
- THE JAMES HUTTON INSTITUTE United Kingdom
- THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN United Kingdom
- INSTITUT SUPERIEUR D’AGRICULTURE RHONE ALPES I.S.A.R.A France
- BALTIJAS VIDES FORUMS Latvia
- BALTIJOS APLINKOS FORUMAS VSI Lithuania
- FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUR BIOLOGISCHEN LANDBAU STIFTUNG Switzerland
- GEONARDO ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES LTD Hungary
- LUONNONVARAKESKUS Finland
- SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET Sweden
- GESTION AMBIENTAL DE NAVARRA, S.A. Spain
- ASOCIATIA WWF PROGRAMUL DUNARE CARPATI ROMANIA Romania
- USTAV ZEMEDELSKE EKONOMIKY A INFORMACI Czech Republic
- EUROPEAN LANDOWNERS ORGANIZATION Belgium
- BIOINSTITUT, O.P.S. Czech Republic
For further information: www.uniseco-project.eu
