Catching up with CONSOLE: Driving action for sustainable food and farming in Europe
The CONSOLE(opens in new window) project was launched in 2019 to boost innovation in the delivery of agri-environmental-climate public goods (AECPGs) by EU agriculture and forestry. It achieved this goal by building a community of people with shared interest in this sphere, designing effective cooperation models and developing a contractual framework supporting implementation by multiple actors. Nearly 3 years after the project ended in 2022, its achievements have led to further significant developments, including the implementation of the EU’s modernised common agricultural policy (CAP) 2023–27 and the new attention paid to biodiversity and climate change.
New schemes and collaborations
Many of CONSOLE’s achievements have been channelled through its partner countries’ national and regional institutions. “For example, in Finland, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is exploring result-based contract solutions for agriculture, forestry and water quality, inspired by mechanisms like the nature value bargaining subsidy system discussed in CONSOLE,” explains Davide Viaggi, professor at the University of Bologna that coordinated the project. In Germany, CONSOLE research has boosted awareness of initiatives promoting wheat production with reduced nitrogen fertilisation. It has also drawn considerable attention to environmental and climate engagement along the value chain. Another success is the implementation and broad acceptance by farmers of the result-oriented German eco-scheme rewarding farmers who can prove the presence of four regional indicator species on their grassland. “The intensive discussion about this type of novel agri-environmental measure within CONSOLE webinars is likely to have contributed to implementing this innovative eco-scheme measure,” explains Viaggi. In 2024, project partner Thünen Institute, Germany, participated in the EU CAP Network Thematic Group on Enhancing Biodiversity on Farmland for Improved Resilience(opens in new window). This was an opportunity to share knowledge gained in CONSOLE, in particular on collective schemes and the agglomeration bonus rewarding farmers for conservation efforts. CONSOLE also collaborated with operational projects leading to the implementation of practices. One example is the University of Bologna’s collaboration with Life agriCOlture(opens in new window), a project financed by the EU’s LIFE programme that investigates how animal husbandry can help mitigate climate change in mountain areas. Through this collaboration, Life agriCOlture partners implemented the CONSOLE framework when designing their contracts with farmers for soil conservation. The EUR 4.9 million CONSOLE (CONtract SOLutions for Effective and lasting delivery of agri-environmental-climate public goods by EU agriculture and forestry) received in EU funding played a key role in its success, according to Viaggi. Thanks to this support, the project formed a community of practice comprising multidisciplinary teams from 13 countries. It helped co-create an empirically validated contractual framework and design and test effective contract models for the delivery of AECPGs by EU agriculture and forestry. With such funding, CONSOLE also developed tools to evaluate the impact of agri-environmental contracts on landscapes, assess the effects of specific contract results on environmentally friendly land use and provide insights applicable to the new CAP. “Ultimately, EU funding was instrumental in creating tangible impacts, from policy developments and farmer acceptance of new measures to fostering research and innovation that continue to influence sustainable agriculture and environmental practices, in particular through increased know-how and capacity building at the regional level,” Viaggi concludes.