Research project AGRI-TASC

Summary

AGRI-TASC promotes sustainable agricultural transitions through agroecological (AE) practices, supporting the Agroecology Partnership, the European Green Deal, and national initiatives for sustainable food systems. The project highlights AE’s environmental, social, and economic benefits while delivering evidence-based policy recommendations to advance sustainable farming practices across Europe.

The project conducts comprehensive assessments of AE practices, analyzing resilience, biodiversity, and economic impacts. It integrates the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) with resilience indicators and tools for assessing scaling-up potential to evaluate longterm risks and opportunities under varied climate and policy scenarios. In six European Living Labs (LLs) at different transition levels, codesigned solutions are developed and tested, fostering practical validation and knowledge exchange.

AGRI-TASC enhances AE assessment tools by integrating ecological, social, and economic metrics with scalability frameworks. Using the EUR-Agri-SSPs framework, which models plausible changes in socio-economic, environmental, and technological drivers, the project explores future impacts on AE adoption. Through policy-driven scenarios, ranging from “Green Transition Accelerated” to “Business-asUsual,” the project models AE’s viability under different policy frameworks, with LLs across diverse regions facilitating co-learning and experimentation and bridging scientific research with real-world application. The stakeholder-validated findings will inform EU-wide policy improvements and communication efforts.

The project is expected to generate actionable outcomes, offering insights for current and post-2027 CAP reforms, while supporting the EU target of 25% organic farming by 2030. It will promote knowledge exchange through workshops, digital resources, and policy dialogues, empowering farmers and advisors. Environmentally, it will enhance biodiversity, improve soil health, support animal welfare (when applicable) and support ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Socially, it will foster rural livelihoods, promote gender inclusion, and engage youth in farm succession discussions and AE transition. Economically, it will improve farm viability by diversifying income streams and reducing dependence on synthetic inputs. The robust tools used in AGRI-TASC will enable cross-regional comparisons (beyond the AGRI-TASC LLs) and provide evidence on trade-offs between economic viability and ecological outcomes.

A multi-actor approach with a co-creation focus will guide dissemination and engagement, incorporating LL field days, webinars, and openaccess resources. The project will participate in platforms such as EIP-AGRI and the EU CAP Network (e.g. the operational groups) to promote knowledge sharing. Outreach efforts will target practitioners, policymakers, and the public, ensuring that project outcomes provide strong evidence to inform policy frameworks.

Finally, AGRI-TASC aims to position agroecology as a mainstream, scalable approach for sustainable farming in Europe. By bridging science, policy, and practice, it will drive transformative change and foster long-term impacts, supporting EU sustainability goals and agricultural resilience.