2020: EIT Food GROW
“Growing Consciousness” RIS Challenge for students and farmers
Growing Consciousness: RIS Challenge – Revitalizing Rural Food Supply Chains Through Sustainable Innovation
International project Growing Consciousness: RIS Challenge is a series of educational activities aimed at bridging the gap in terms of innovation between areas of high-yield agricultural production, typical of large, intensively cultivated plains, and rural areas with fragmented production, often carried out in difficult terrain, where local varieties are cultivated in a niche manner.
Project participants will gain knowledge about sustainable, innovative cultivation methods and learn about modern tools for the digitalization of agriculture which will allow them to manage their farm more effectively and increase crop yields.
The project aims to train farmers who want to live and work in rural areas, and to enrich the food supply chain with innovative ancient cereal crops that can be the basis for new or regenerated food products in Europe. This also entails new opportunities for the development of side streams and the development of local industries.
Given the growing popularity of products made from ancient grain varieties – which are considered to have a much higher nutritional value than those produced on an industrial scale – we can expect that professional training of farmers from small farms will allow them to become full-fledged players in the food production market.
The main objective of the project is to promote innovation in the agri-food sector of the RIS regions, consisting in increasing the biodiversity of crop varieties, striving for sustainable production and disseminating a food supply chain model that encourages living and doing business in European rural areas.
The decline in agricultural biodiversity threatens the ability to feed the world in the near future. In response to this challenge, we propose measures to encourage European producers (especially those in RIS regions) to diversify their crops and introduce a wide range of processed cereals, medicinal plants, and herbs into the food chain, originating from diverse plant species.
Food products from sustainable crops will become increasingly desirable on the market, especially where environmentally and socially responsible consumption is gaining importance and thus influencing individual consumer decisions.
The project received EIT Food funding for 2020. The Polish partners involved in the project are the Maspex Group and the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn.
Other partners participating in the project:
University of Turin, Grupo AN, Technische Universität München, CLC North-East, CLC South and Agricolus.
The first event of the EIT Food GROW project will take place in August!
On Thursday August 20 at 1:00 PM The first educational meeting for farmers, students, startups, and enthusiasts of Polish agriculture took place. As part of the EIT Food GROW project, the Maspex Group and the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences are organizing a webinar " Ancient cereals, medicinal and aromatic plants in Poland – how to use their potential? , the detailed program of which is available HERE During the webinar, one of the speakers will be Dr. Aneta Bobryk-Mamczarz, head of the Research and Development Department at Lubella, who will compare ancient and modern cereal species. To participate in the event you must register HERE The event is the first in a series of free training sessions, workshops and a competition in which you can win up to €10,000.
