Periodic Reporting for period 1 - R4D (Resilience For Dairy)
Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-06-30
In order to address and enhance dairy farms sustainability, Resilience4dairy (R4D) Thematic Network focuses on 3 main key issues (MKI) affecting the resilience of EU dairy farms and sector. These challenges have been identified and targeted by the farmers and all actors of the project.
MKI 1: Economic and social resilience: Strategic business planning (resilience risk management) and quality of life and generational renewal
MKI 2: Technical efficiency: Effectively applying best practices and the most appropriate technical innovations to improve the use of the resources
MKI 3: Environment, animal welfare and society friendly production systems: addressing the responsiveness of the dairy sector to societal needs.Dairy farming is crucial for the provision of key ecosystem services for the society: fixing carbon in the soil, nutrient cycling for crop production, conservation of biodiversity...
Those issues are often addressed separately. However, they are interconnected and depend on the livestock farming system, rearing management, people involved in the production process, feeding and material resources, and level of use of innovation. R4D aims to build bridges between them in an innovative cross-fertilization, crowd-innovation and transdisciplinary approach, focusing on Best Practices allowing optimal benefits to be achieved in all three.
The overall objective of R4D is to develop a self-sustainable EU Thematic Network on “resilient and robust dairy farms” designed to stimulate knowledge exchanges and cross-fertilisation among a wide range of actors and stakeholders of the dairy industry. The six specific objectives are:
- Structuration of the networks by selecting and connecting innovative resilient farms and relevant operational groups in the 15 partner countries
- Prioritization of farmers’ needs to improve resilience of dairy farms
- Matching farmers’ needs with the inventory of potential solutions addressing the 3 MKI
- Implementing collective evaluation and assessment of these solutions
- Adaptation and translation of the positively evaluated solutions
- Communication, dissemination and demonstration of the results and best-practices.
MKI 1: Economic and social resilience: Strategic business planning (resilience risk management) and quality of life and generational renewal
MKI 2: Technical efficiency: Effectively applying best practices and the most appropriate technical innovations to improve the use of the resources
MKI 3: Environment, animal welfare and society friendly production systems: addressing the responsiveness of the dairy sector to societal needs.Dairy farming is crucial for the provision of key ecosystem services for the society: fixing carbon in the soil, nutrient cycling for crop production, conservation of biodiversity...
Those issues are often addressed separately. However, they are interconnected and depend on the livestock farming system, rearing management, people involved in the production process, feeding and material resources, and level of use of innovation. R4D aims to build bridges between them in an innovative cross-fertilization, crowd-innovation and transdisciplinary approach, focusing on Best Practices allowing optimal benefits to be achieved in all three.
The overall objective of R4D is to develop a self-sustainable EU Thematic Network on “resilient and robust dairy farms” designed to stimulate knowledge exchanges and cross-fertilisation among a wide range of actors and stakeholders of the dairy industry. The six specific objectives are:
- Structuration of the networks by selecting and connecting innovative resilient farms and relevant operational groups in the 15 partner countries
- Prioritization of farmers’ needs to improve resilience of dairy farms
- Matching farmers’ needs with the inventory of potential solutions addressing the 3 MKI
- Implementing collective evaluation and assessment of these solutions
- Adaptation and translation of the positively evaluated solutions
- Communication, dissemination and demonstration of the results and best-practices.
Main results concerning the structuration of the networks :
The community of the 16 Farm Facilitators, which manage the national / regional network and actors, has been set-up and their roles clearly discussed during meetings and training sessions and written on guidelines. The workflow is known but will be adapted along with the progress of the project. Their action plan is also written and has been shared during last General Meeting in June 2022.The 16 stakeholder groups and 120 pilot farms are ready to work for the other project activities on test and give feedback on their needs and solutions. We need to produce and share materials to show that the more we exchange, the more we receive in return. All the 16 stakeholder groups met at least once and started to build their local community. The 1st cross-visit was held in June 2022 and it was a success. The key challenge will be now to keep all the 16 stakeholder groups and pilot farmers involved in our project dynamics and momentum.
Mains results concerning the identification and matching farmers' needs :
The preliminary inventory of needs/solutions was developed to base the survey on. The survey was created on Google Forms, shared with all partners, and translated as required. A total of 16 regions filled in the survey (535 responses). All regions carried out at least one NDA meeting to further discuss solutions for improved resilience.The work plan template has been finalized and sent to all Farm Facilitators for completion. It has tables to report information on needs/solutions from both the survey and stakeholders group meetings. All regions have been asked to recruit an expert for each main key issues.
Main results concerning evaluation and assessment of solutions :
An assessment scheme was completed. The Interactive multi-actor assessment is under way. A try-out of the multi-actor assessment was performed at the Kiel farm facilitators meeting in April 2022. The workflow and actions have been described. A first round of assessment of the 220 solutions identified has been performed by the experts in Dec 2022/Jan 2023. A second round of extra assessments is on its way. Readiness and acceptability are an integral part of the assessment scheme, and, thus, will be included in the final result. Economics is also part of the assessment scheme, but additionally also addressed during the monitoring of practices as activity of the adaptation and translation of the Best Practices for practitioners.
Main results concerning the adaptation and translation of the Best Practices for practitioner :
The assessment tool to evaluate solutions on farm is ready to be used. The farm facilitator is responsible for evaluating solutions on farm by means of an assessment tool. This tool is based on the assessment tool that is used as in assessment of solutions by the 3 MKI expert teams. Hence, the farm facilitator will also evaluate the solution on different main topics. The use of this assessment tool was evaluated during the Kiel meeting and adjusted according to the feedback of the participants. The final results of the on-farm monitoring will be made available for evaluation by the work group on evaluation and assessment of solutions for resilient dairy systems. Guidelines and templates to produce fact sheets and practice abstracts are ready to be used.
Main results concerning communication, dissemination and demonstration of the project results :
The communication and dissemination plan for R4D project is ready to be used. R4D webpage is set up with all fact sheets produced on the three MKI; the digital strategy is set up. Creation of social media accounts: Twitter & Facebook (more than 500 followers at this date). Leaflets and roll-up are designing and printing. During cross visits, we start peer to peer learning. There was the first exchange of students in the project (French students to Luxembourg and Slovenia). The first technical days for farmers were organized in a Pilot farm in France in Nov 2022; the first presentations of the project were made at EAAP congress in a “resilience “session in Aug 2022. 5 webinars to present the stakeholders, the needs and resources collected were held online in 2022.
Main results concerning project management :
Due to the sanitary situation, R4D consortium suggests a new timeline with 9 months more to achieve all the actions. The global project management shows that R4D will remain within the amended track line.
The community of the 16 Farm Facilitators, which manage the national / regional network and actors, has been set-up and their roles clearly discussed during meetings and training sessions and written on guidelines. The workflow is known but will be adapted along with the progress of the project. Their action plan is also written and has been shared during last General Meeting in June 2022.The 16 stakeholder groups and 120 pilot farms are ready to work for the other project activities on test and give feedback on their needs and solutions. We need to produce and share materials to show that the more we exchange, the more we receive in return. All the 16 stakeholder groups met at least once and started to build their local community. The 1st cross-visit was held in June 2022 and it was a success. The key challenge will be now to keep all the 16 stakeholder groups and pilot farmers involved in our project dynamics and momentum.
Mains results concerning the identification and matching farmers' needs :
The preliminary inventory of needs/solutions was developed to base the survey on. The survey was created on Google Forms, shared with all partners, and translated as required. A total of 16 regions filled in the survey (535 responses). All regions carried out at least one NDA meeting to further discuss solutions for improved resilience.The work plan template has been finalized and sent to all Farm Facilitators for completion. It has tables to report information on needs/solutions from both the survey and stakeholders group meetings. All regions have been asked to recruit an expert for each main key issues.
Main results concerning evaluation and assessment of solutions :
An assessment scheme was completed. The Interactive multi-actor assessment is under way. A try-out of the multi-actor assessment was performed at the Kiel farm facilitators meeting in April 2022. The workflow and actions have been described. A first round of assessment of the 220 solutions identified has been performed by the experts in Dec 2022/Jan 2023. A second round of extra assessments is on its way. Readiness and acceptability are an integral part of the assessment scheme, and, thus, will be included in the final result. Economics is also part of the assessment scheme, but additionally also addressed during the monitoring of practices as activity of the adaptation and translation of the Best Practices for practitioners.
Main results concerning the adaptation and translation of the Best Practices for practitioner :
The assessment tool to evaluate solutions on farm is ready to be used. The farm facilitator is responsible for evaluating solutions on farm by means of an assessment tool. This tool is based on the assessment tool that is used as in assessment of solutions by the 3 MKI expert teams. Hence, the farm facilitator will also evaluate the solution on different main topics. The use of this assessment tool was evaluated during the Kiel meeting and adjusted according to the feedback of the participants. The final results of the on-farm monitoring will be made available for evaluation by the work group on evaluation and assessment of solutions for resilient dairy systems. Guidelines and templates to produce fact sheets and practice abstracts are ready to be used.
Main results concerning communication, dissemination and demonstration of the project results :
The communication and dissemination plan for R4D project is ready to be used. R4D webpage is set up with all fact sheets produced on the three MKI; the digital strategy is set up. Creation of social media accounts: Twitter & Facebook (more than 500 followers at this date). Leaflets and roll-up are designing and printing. During cross visits, we start peer to peer learning. There was the first exchange of students in the project (French students to Luxembourg and Slovenia). The first technical days for farmers were organized in a Pilot farm in France in Nov 2022; the first presentations of the project were made at EAAP congress in a “resilience “session in Aug 2022. 5 webinars to present the stakeholders, the needs and resources collected were held online in 2022.
Main results concerning project management :
Due to the sanitary situation, R4D consortium suggests a new timeline with 9 months more to achieve all the actions. The global project management shows that R4D will remain within the amended track line.
The aim of R4D is to provide concrete solutions to help the European dairy industry to be more resilient to face internal and external shocks. Through the collection of solutions matching farmers’ needs in all stakeholder groups, multi-actor assessment and important efforts put in the translation and adaptation of the solutions, R4D aims to deliver and widespread a set of Best-Practices adapted to farmers’ needs, tailored to targets and ready to be put into practice. In addition to the technical and scientific relevance of Best Practices disseminated throughout the project, R4D will put specific efforts in assessing their economic, social and environmental feasibility through dedicated actions on cost-benefit analysis (e.g. user acceptance) and will only transfer economically sustainable solutions to practitioners.