Fostering advisory services innovation on SFSC: highlights from the first COREnet European Roadshow

The event held in Cagliari was the occasion to showcase the experiences of COREnet Golden Cases and identify new opportunities for both national and European advisory services

On the 26th of June the COREnet project has organised its first European Roadshow, an hybrid event which involved key SFSC stakeholders who actively participated both in Cagliari, at the Coldiretti headquarter, and online.

The European Roadshow is an event which showcases the results and characteristics of the COREnet Golden Cases, offering participants the chance to learn how advisory practices from the Golden Cases lead to improved performance and impact. Attendees can discuss and identify success or failure factors in advisory practices based on their own experiences, with the opportunity to expand their network with various stakeholders, including advisors, farmers, consumer groups, and agri-entrepreneurs. Additionally, participants can identify potential Lighthouse Projects that demonstrate how improved SFSC advisory practices can enhance SFSC performance and impact.

The Cagliari event saw the participation of a multi-actor audience from all over Europe, with around 40 participants representing academic institutions, farmers and farmers' associations, advisory organisations, and regional and national AKIS. The main scope of the initiative was to provide an overview of the advisory system serving the Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) sector in Italy, with a special focus on the advisory practices implemented in the region of Sardinia.

An important contribution was made by the CREA organisation (the largest AKIS entity in Italy), which provided participants with a detailed overview of the overall national advisory infrastructure. "The Italian Agricultural advisory services are characterized by the presence of a variety of suppliers with different objectives and organizational patterns." Says Valentina Carta, who represented CREA at the Roadshow. "The EU CAP has been fostering the emergence of new players from other sectors," she continues, "primarily acting as innovation support services that expanded the array of service providers. The COREnet project will be important in identifying practices and experiences that might inspire short supply chain advisory services providers all over Europe. Synergies with other EU AKIS-related projects will be crucial in enhancing the outcomes and benefits for all AKIS actors".

A similar presentation was given by the LAORE institute (the main AKIS system in the region of Sardinia), which described the territorial organisation and advisory services provided to farmers and agricultural organisations. Finally, project partner Campagna Amica Cagliari shared its experiences, activities, and challenges in providing technical support to farmers and producers in the development and management of Short Food Supply Chain initiatives. To this end, the European Roadshow included an online workshop (with the contribution of the project Key National Contact Points), aimed at collecting ideas, suggestions, and experiences to address the main challenges faced by Italian advisors.

Overall, the Roadshow facilitated important connections and knowledge exchange, enhancing the impact of regional and European projects related to agricultural innovation and advisory services such as EU4ADVICE, modernAKIS, and more.

Photo credits: Leonardo Improta (ICONS)

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