Towards Innovation - driven and smart solutions in short food supply chains

Project Information

SMARTCHAIN

Grant agreement ID: 773785

DOI

10.3030/773785

Project closed

EC signature date 13 April 2018

Start date 1 September 2018

End date 31 August 2021

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 5 998 373,75

EU contribution

€ 5 998 373,75

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITAET HOHENHEIM
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SMARTCHAIN (Towards Innovation - driven and smart solutions in short food supply chains)

Reporting period: 2020-03-01 to 2021-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Over the last years, the European conventional agri-food system has become more complex bringing several issues to light regarding transparency, environmental policy, worker’s rights and food ethics. Today most of the population in the EU buys food from large supermarket chains. However, a range of alternatives has been developed to improve competitiveness including many different models of short food supply chains (SFSCs) where farmers sell their produce directly to consumers or with a minimum of intermediaries, both in rural and urban areas. These family-oriented companies of small and medium sized (SME) producers are under threat from the aggressive sale tactics of the large-scale agri-food enterprises and the intensive competition from international markets. There is undoubtedly a need for innovative re-organisations of the current food supply chains. For this reason, SFSCs are of considerable interest, responding to a number of needs and opportunities, both of farmers and consumers, and being able to act as a driver of change and a model to increase transparency, trust, equity and growth throughout the agri-food chain.
The central objective of SMARTCHAIN project is to foster and accelerate the shift towards collaborative SFSCs and, through specific actions and recommendations, to introduce new robust business models and innovative practical solutions that enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the European agri-food system. SMARTCHAIN is a 3 years project with 43 partners from 9 European and 2 associated countries including key stakeholders from the domain of SFSCs, in particular, 18 case studies of widespread SFSCs in Europe with remarkable social, economic and ecological impacts on rural, peri-urban and urban communities. To strengthen co-creation and collaboration between partners and stakeholders, 9 SMARTCHAIN Innovation & collaboration Hubs have been established in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

SMARTCHAIN has developed an operational framework for the comparative analysis of 18 selected case studies (SFSCs) within a multi-actor environment. The analysis of the case studies contained six phases:

(i) 9 multi-actor workshops to prioritise data categories and collect needs and expectations of end-users under regional conditions,
(ii) a multi-actor workshop to present and discuss the instructions for data collection,
(iii) a multi-perspective analysis of SMARTCHAIN 18 case studies using developed questionnaires in terms of technological & non-technological innovations, social innovations, consumer perceptions, environmental impact and their regional regulatory contexts in 7 EU and 2 associated partner countries,
(iv) collected data evaluation performed by strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis,
(v) a multi-actor workshop to present and discuss the analysis carried out for the collected data from the 18 case studies,
(vi) a multi-stakeholder workshop with external invited stakeholders to validate the results of the analysis.

Based on the results of the multi-perspective analysis, further studies have been carried out:

• Technological & non-technological innovations for SFSCs have been identified, analysed and collected in an inventory (https://www.smartchain-platform.eu/en/innovation-inventory)
• An operational definition of social innovation in SFSCs has been provided and validated with the organisation of 12 Community of Practice in 9 countries,
• An exploratory research on consumer attitudes and perceptions has been accomplished through the implementation of 8 consumer focus groups in Germany, Spain, Greece and Hungary and 32 interviews with EU expert stakeholders (https://www.smartchain-platform.eu/en/resources/publications)

SMARTCHAIN project website has been established (https://www.smartchain-h2020.eu/) and several communication and dissemination actions have been carried out (e.g. SMARTCHAIN twitter (@SMARTCHAIN_EU) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/13054591/admin/) accounts, presentation of the project in several relevant events & meetings, 17 Practice Abstracts). Additionally, SMARTCHAIN innovation platform has been developed (https://www.smartchain-platform.eu/) where the produced and gathered results of the project are openly available for all end-users and stakeholders.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

SMARTCHAIN´s expected results:
• An exhaustive inventory of directly applicable solutions to improve the performance of SFSCs.
• A series of diagnostic tools, manuals, and a set of alternative strategies and policy options to explain, evaluate, and enable the development of social innovations in SFSCs.
• Insights and a better understanding of the social and economic aspects that drive consumers’ choices and purchase decisions across different types of SFSCs.
• Recommendations for improvements in environmental and socio-economic impacts that are relevant for different SFSCs and can be applied in other cases.
• A sustainable virtual innovation platform to favour the interaction and cooperation of all the relevant stakeholders, with information regarding available innovations, practical solutions and recommendations relevant to SFSCs.
• Business and policy recommendations to unlock the potentials of SFSCs in Europe and align the regulatory framework.
• A minimum of 30 Practice Abstracts following the EIP-AGRI common format.
• An international community of SFSCs that can grow and pollinate on local, regional, national and European level, creating cross-sectoral connections between stakeholders and consumers.

SMARTCHAIN´s potential impacts:
• Enhancing the capacity of SFSCs practitioners to design new processes leading to new business models and more efficient, equitable, sustainable and better performing value chains.
• Supporting the cultivation of local crops and consumption of locally produced food in rural areas, creating economic, environmental and social benefits such as transport cost-saving, fewer emissions, reduced traffic congestion and associated improved road safety.
• Increasing stability in the agri-food sector, ensuring that rural areas across Europe will be territories where people can live and work freely, and ultimately contributing to job, growth and investment in the local economy.
• Opening up new opportunities for young farmers through innovative practical solutions, making their farms more modern and competitive.
• Enhancing the policy and regulatory framework for the agri-food sector in Europe, making more structured and accessible the supply of products from SFSCs.
• Improving consumer perceptions and attitudes towards SFSCs, while supporting societal demands for sustainable, fair and transparent food production.

SMARTCHAIN Kick-off meeting II (17-18.10.18, University of Hohenheim, Germany)

SMARTCHAIN Consortium during the first annual meeting (3-4.09.19, Utrecht, the Netherlands)

SMARTCHAIN Consortium (logos)

Community of Practice in Hannover, Germany (18.11.19)

Community of Practice in Bari, Italy (21.10.19)

SMARTCHAIN WP leaders meeting (03-04.03.20, Athens, Greece)

Validation workshop (III) during the first annual meeting (4.09.19, Utrecht, the Netherlands)

SMARTCHAIN first annual meeting I (3-4.09.19, Utrecht, the Netherlands)

SMARTCHAIN Geographical distribution of partners

SMARTCHAIN presentation at the EFFoST Conference (13.11.19, Rotterdam, the Netherlands)

SMARTCHAIN Kick-off meeting I (17-18.10.18, University of Hohenheim, Germany)

SMARTCHAIN Consortium during the Kick-off meeting (17-18.10.18, University of Hohenheim, Germany)

Validation workshop (II) during the first annual meeting (4.09.19, Utrecht, the Netherlands)

Validation workshop (I) during the first annual meeting (4.09.19, Utrecht, the Netherlands)

Community of Practice in Athens (I), Greece (17.10.19)