GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

It is becoming necessary to develop and ensure more sustainable and resilient supply chains, and to promote higher consumer acceptance and attractive market opportunities. Specific measures are needed to identify the most suitable transition paths for the development of sustainable new and existing land-based protein crop farming systems and agri-food and feed chains across the EU and Associated Countries. 

Proposals should build on and expand existing knowledge in order to identify the most suitable transition paths for sustainable land-based protein crop production in different pedoclimatic regions, and to develop strategies for sustainable and competitive regional proteinbased crop systems and agri-food and feed chains. Proposals should cover the diversity of available and novel land-based protein crop species with a crude protein content of more than 15%, and consider conventional, agroecological and organic farming systems in all European climate/biogeographical regions. Proposals must implement the ‘multi-actor approach’ and should ensure adequate involvement of farmers and all relevant actors in the value chain for land-based protein crops.  Proposals should explore the potential for value chain development, taking into consideration opportunities, constraints and impact of different tools, instruments and policies, on different value chain actors, using case studies of existing farms, networks of farms and producer organisations. A method for the systematic collection of data on land-based protein crops for economic and environmental assessment should be developed; etc (p. 147 of the work programme).