GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

Proposals should:

• Identify the most relevant crops in organic production for which yields can be sustainably improved in the short term, and propose crop-specific strategies with due attention to local and site-specific practices. This should consider cost-effectiveness analysis comparing with conventional farming production, in order to evaluate the economical sustainability of the strategies proposed.
• Give due attention to holistic approaches, such as those that contribute to improving organic-tailored plant varieties and appropriate use of breeds and varieties, and building soil fertility and optimal nutrient management (e.g., integrated plant-animal production systems, use of manure as fertiliser, nutrient recycling, introduction of crop rotations and intercropping, use of leguminous crops, circular approaches for maintaining and increasing soil organic matter, locally-specific optimization of water use, etc.). Nursery techniques for the production of suitable organic plant reproductive material should also be considered.
• Organise and implement advisory activities, exchange of knowledge and best practices as well as dissemination of results, including the development of practical guidelines and decision-support tools for farmers. These activities should also engage farmers involved in low-input farming, agro-ecological or circular farming, to facilitate cross-fertilisation and mutual learning.
• Identify remaining gaps (including normative gaps where relevant) and prepare a research and innovation roadmap to boost yields of crops produced under organic conditions.