Work plan
Seven work packages, one pathway
From co-design, through implementation and validation, to scaling and dissemination: each work package feeds the next.
1 Project Coordination and Multi-Actor Engagement Lead: AR&TeCS M1–M36
Sets up the governance structure, consortium meetings and internal quality control. Establishes a Trans-Mediterranean Multi-Actor Advisory Board and local Living Lab committees to steer co-creation, ensures alignment with related PRIMA and Horizon Europe projects and compiles a cross-project review of intercropping and rotation practices to start from a strong evidence base.
Objectives
- Manage project progress, risks and quality across all activities
- Facilitate communication among partners, farmers, policymakers and other actors
- Continuously integrate Living Lab feedback into the work plan
- Align CropRotaM with the EU Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' and the European Agroecology Partnership
2 Co-Design of Agroecological Practices via Living Labs Lead: UNIBAS & CREA-PB M1–M24
Brings the multi-actor ethos to life. Launches Living Labs in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Germany and Tunisia by M6 with baseline diagnostics, then co-develops practice blueprints (crop rotations, intercropping regimes, input plans) through participatory workshops, focus groups and farm cross-visits. Nominates high-performing demonstration plots and captures farmer perceptions, cost-revenue changes and labour impacts.
Objectives
- Establish and operate five multi-actor Living Labs across three biogeographic regions
- Co-design context-specific Agroecological Innovation Packages with farmers and advisors
- Set up demonstration plots that act as open-air classrooms for the community
- Fast-track adoption by tailoring practices to real local needs
3 Agroecological Field Trials and Performance Assessment Lead: UHOH M3–M34
Executes the core on-farm and on-station experiments based on WP2 designs. Develops harmonised trial protocols by M9, monitors crop growth, yields, soil moisture, nutrients and pest/weed incidence with standardised methods, then analyses agronomic performance and trade-offs. Farmer-led 'mother-baby' trials and at least one field day per country per year extend the reach onto real working farms.
Objectives
- Evaluate co-designed cropping systems under diverse biogeographic conditions
- Generate scientific evidence on productivity, resource efficiency and resilience
- Optimise intercropping and rotation techniques for yield stability
- Serve as training platforms for local farmers and researchers
4 Data Backbone & Open Knowledge Portal Lead: AR&TeCS M7–M36
Built on a single principle: collect once, curate once, share widely. Issues a Data & Metadata Handbook and locked templates, deploys a sensor starter-pack and a lightweight internal dashboard, then opens a public CKAN + Leaflet portal with interactive soil-organic-carbon trends, downloadable datasets, Zenodo DOIs and API hooks to the European Soil Observatory. A 24-month maintenance hand-over keeps the portal live beyond the project.
Objectives
- Harmonise plot-level and sensor data across all five countries
- Provide real-time feedback to the Living Labs
- Release FAIR-compliant datasets and knowledge objects
- Build capacity through open data clinics and a best-practice library
5 Bio-Based Inputs and Circular Amendments for Resilient Soils Lead: CEBAS-CSIC M2–M34
Drives innovation in biological soil inputs, from lab and greenhouse to field. Screens plant-growth-promoting microbes and biocontrol strains, develops compost and 'compochar' from crop residues and applies them across the Living Labs under a paired-plot design. Distils results into practical farmer guidelines on producing and applying bio-inputs, emphasising cost-effectiveness and smallholder uptake.
Objectives
- Identify or develop microbial inoculants suited to wheat, barley, quinoa and camelina
- Formulate organic amendments from locally available residues (compost, biochar, compost tea, press-cake)
- Integrate bio-inputs into the field trials and monitor their impact on soil health
- Cut synthetic fertiliser and pesticide use by ≥ 20% without yield loss
6 Carbon, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment Lead: TUC M7–M36
Tests the hypothesis that agroecology delivers win-win benefits. Establishes soil-carbon baselines and models change with RothC and CAST, calculates environmental indicators (EROI, water and carbon footprint, biodiversity) including the CARBOND ecosystem-services platform in Italy, then studies profitability, adoption drivers and community effects. Synthesises findings into a policy brief and sustainability roadmap by M36.
Objectives
- Implement a low-cost carbon MRV system for soil carbon and GHG emissions
- Compare environmental impacts of new vs. conventional systems via Life Cycle Assessment
- Analyse farm-level economics, adoption behaviour and gender/youth impacts
- Develop evidence-based policy and business-model recommendations
7 Scaling Up, Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Lead: CREA-PB M1–M36
Amplifies impact and secures longevity. Maps replication pathways and multipliers, runs policy roundtables and produces at least two policy briefs, delivers field days, guides, videos and an active project web presence, then formulates business models for new value chains (quinoa, camelina), bio-inputs and the digital tools, including voluntary carbon-market pathways. Exploitation and business-model tasks are led by REFARM.
Objectives
- Develop a scaling roadmap to replicate practices beyond the pilot communities
- Engage policymakers to embed recommendations into agricultural policy
- Disseminate knowledge to farmers, scientists, policymakers and the public
- Plan post-project exploitation, business models and Living Lab continuation