UNISECO

Understanding and improving the sustainability of agroecological farming systems in the EU

The UNISECO research and innovation project will enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agroecological approaches in EU farming systems (agroecological farming systems, AEFS, reflecting the low input and high labour and knowledge intensity of these systems) to identify and facilitate more effective and efficient development strategies for European agriculture across the diversity of its settings.

UNISECO will provide a methodological toolkit to assess the environmental, economic and social impacts of innovative strategies and incentives for agroecological approaches in EU farming systems at farm and territorial levels. The methodological toolkit will be tested in participatory case studies in 15 European countries ((DE, IT, EL, AT, UK, FR, LV, LT, CH, HU, FI, SE, ES, RO, CZ) with different biophysical, socio-economic and socio-cultural contexts of farming systems.

Expected project impacts will include: Improved policy framework to agricultural activity, particularly the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy / Farmers and farm advisors trained in AEFS / Improved understanding of strategies of agroecological farming / Greater stakeholder and public knowledge of impacts of agricultural practices / Co-created, co-delivered strategies and incentives for sustainable AEFS / Improved understanding of drivers and barriers of AEFS  / Enhanced citizen responsibility for public goods.