Project title
ECO-READY: Achieving Ecological Resilient Dynamism for the European food system through consumer-driven policies, socio-ecological challenges, biodiversity, data-driven policy, sustainable futures
Funder
UK Research and Innovation
OA Mandate
false
Start date
December 1, 2022
Expected Completion
2026-11-30
Description
The ECO-READY project will develop a real-time surveillance system, an Observatory offered as an e-platform and as a mobile application. This will function as the necessary singular source of information, provide real-time assessments for the food system, and update forecasts frequently and consistently. The Observatory will be available to society, policymakers, the scientific community, and the agri-food industry, and integrated with a network of 10 Living Labs, supported through the third party funding process, covering all bioclimatic regions in Europe, forming the ECO-READY project knowledge infrastructure. ECO-READY will produce knowledge based resilience strategies, and develop tools that will be embedded on the Observatory. The underlining principle behind the ECO READY approach is, resilient dynamism, or tackling immediate problems and long-term challenges at the same time. The Living Labs network will facilitate ‘concept to action’ through the co-creation of scenarios addressing their regional needs, the development of policy recommendations, contingency plans, and resilience strategies, and embed them on the Observatory. Furthermore, ECO-READY will develop an early warning system and decision support tools using innovative Artificial Intelligence based on holistic prediction models and Life Cycle Assessment results. ECO-READY will ensure that European farmers and society’s interests be reflected in future policy making and monitoring, through early-stage active engagement incorporating bottom-up recommendations, facilitated by the increased usership of the digital tools developed, and resulting in increased awareness for climate-adaptive and mitigating agri-food products. Furthermore, the Observatory smart application will include tools that will empower the citizens to actively engage in policy making, and interact directly with the scientific community, farmers, and industry and policy makers, thus driving change in consumption habits.