The European Commission is looking for experts on 'Mixed farming systems: livestock/ cash crops'

The European Innovation Partnership on Agriculture and Sustainability EIP-AGRI is about to start a new Focus Group on “Mixed Farming systems: Livestock/Cash crops” where 20 experts will gather to try and answer the main question of the Focus Group:
How to develop livestock/cash crop interactions and promote their benefits as a sustainable alternative to farm or territorial specialisation?
The call for experts is now open and we are looking for farmers, scientists, farm advisors, people from agribusiness or anybody who could contribute with their expertise and experience.
Are you one of the experts we are looking for?
Joining an EIP-AGRI Focus Group allows you to share your knowledge and to learn from peers. It may also help broaden your professional European network, and form the start of a new cooperation.
 
Read the call text for this new Focus Group and submit your application by 7 September 2015 23:59 CET.
Or do you know others who might be? 
We would appreciate it very much if you would assist us in drawing attention to this call, so please feel free to spread widely our colleagues or other experts in your network about the call so that valuable experience can be taken into account.
 
The debates between the selected experts will take place over two meetings which are to be held within the period of a year. The first meeting will be held on the 24 and 25 of November 2015 in Dublin (Ireland). The main aim of these meetings is analysing different mixed farming systems, exploring their success and fail factors, and identify the knowledge gaps to cover for taking advantage of them to solve farms environmental problems and increase their productivity.
 
Kind regards
Andrés García
Task manager Focus Group 'Mixed farming systems: livestock/cash crops' 

Background information

Three new Focus Group themes

For the current call, experts, including farmers, advisers, researchers and others are invited to apply for participation in focus groups on the following topics:

• Mixed farming systems: livestock/cash crops
• Benchmarking of farm productivity and sustainability performance
• Reducing emissions from cattle farming

All Focus Groups will be required to:

• make a summary description of the issue
• take stock of the state of the art of practice in the field of its activity, listing problems and opportunities.
• take stock of the state of the art of research in its field, summarising possible solutions to the problems listed.
• identify needs from practice and propose directions for further research.
• propose priorities for innovative actions by suggesting potential practical operational groups or other project formats to test solutions and opportunities, including ways to disseminate the practical knowledge gathered.

The outcome of the Focus Group will be presented in a report and feed into the EIP-AGRI network which will share the knowledge and practical experience with the wider public as well as with relevant programming authorities.
All Focus Groups will be organised and carried out in English, and members will participate in two face-to-face meetings.
More information on the Focus Groups can be found here:

webpage on EIP-AGRI Focus Groups

brochure on EIP-AGRI Focus Group

About EIP-AGRI

The European Innovation Partnership "Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability" aims to provide a working interface for innovation actors, including farmers, advisors, agri-business, civil society, and researchers, working at EU, national and regional level. The partnership aims to act as a catalyst for innovation-related actions to foster enhanced productivity and sustainable resource management across the whole value chain. In line with this, the European Commission, Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development, requested the EIP-AGRI Service Point to set up Focus Groups on specific agricultural topics to facilitate innovative actions in the field and better connect science and practice.
 

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