AgriLink - Connecting farmers, advisers and researchers for productive and sustainable agriculture

AgriLink

AgriLink [1] is a project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The project aims to help stimulate the transition towards more sustainable agriculture by improving understanding of the role played by agricultural advisors in strengthening knowledge flows, enhancing learning and boosting of innovation on the wide variety of different farm types that exist in Europe.

• AgriLink will improve understanding of the roles of advisory services by undertaking a social network analysis of farmers’ micro-AKIS in 8 Innovation Areas across 26 European regions, where the configurations of Regional Farm Advisory Systems (R-FAS) will also be described. 
• AgriLink will set up 6 Living Labs to develop and test new advisory methods and tools (including information and communication technologies - ICT supported) to better link research and practice.
• AgriLink will assess the effects of governance of farm advisory systems on their contribution to knowledge assemblage at various levels, from farmers’ perspectives, up to national and European policies. Specific attention will be placed on the back-office of advisory services: advisors’ training and their contribution to R&D (data basis, experiments), as well as to knowledge networks and platforms.
• AgriLink will identify promising configurations of farm advisory services from a multi-level perspective. Participatory workshops will be set up to identify transitions pathways towards service configurations that fit with the diversity of contexts and histories of European agricultures and AKIS.

AgriLink is running for 4 years from 2017 to 2021. It is implemented by a diverse consortium of academic and non-academic partners that cuts across classical boundaries in research, policy and practice.

AgriLink is an excellent example of how EU-funded scientific research works in practical ways to help farmers put food on our tables whilst maintaining and protecting the natural resources we all depend upon.

AgriLink is implemented in Scotland by the James Hutton Institute. For further information, see the AgriLink [1] website, social media or contact Lee-Ann Sutherland [2] or Katrin Prager [3].

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