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Capsella Newsletter . n. 4 December 2017 View this email in your browser
Capsella Newsletter n. 4 December 2017
As 2017 comes to an end CAPSELLA’s adventure is starting. In the lastmonths some of the new pilot products we have been nurturing havecome to fruition. Through listening to user communities and their needsand by combining the know-how of our own IT and agri experts we havetested some compelling product ideas.
The results? The only people who are well placed to judge are the usersthemselves and the feedback from them has been excellent. From thespade test app and storytelling tool, to the seed data entry interface andfood prediction tool, the CAPSELLA ‘field’ is yielding data technologieswhich promise to reinforce agro-biodiversity. So, while the farmers in Lyon(read article below) endorsed the value of the spade test, the 'successfuldigital communication from farmers to consumers' was nominatedfrom among 240 contenders to win The European Digital Skills Award2017, whose Award Ceremony took place in Brussels on December the7th 2017.
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We hope you enjoy reading more about these exciting developments inthis newsletter. As ever your feedback and comments are welcome!
More inspiring outcomes from CAPSELLA and its Collaboration projectsfollow below
The importance of diversity.
2017 was welcomed with a wave of angst about fake news. These worrieswere quickly accompanied by fears that the digital revolution is creating echochambers which reinforce divisions in society. Widely shared interviews fromFacebooks former head of growth have showed that even former Big Techdirectors are fearful of the fault lines that technology can create. The commondenominator among these worrying trends is ‘exclusion’ and contempt fordifference. Fake news, as well as being fake, tends to exclude any otherpossible truth or nuance in a zero-sum game. It is anti democratic. Likewise,online echo chambers exist naturally to the exclusion of those who holddifferent opinions. Debate and scrutiny are left out of this societal ‘softwareupdate’. Digital society is just starting to respond to these trends however, andwe hope 2018 will see some positive corrections. This is all relevant for CAPSELLA because our purpose - the ultimate outcomewe want to see in the world - is a strong, resilient and vibrant agrobiodiversity.There are parallels between the suffocation of diversity online and in theenvironment. Just as new laws and initiatives are responding to the onlineflaws, so CAPSELLA is responding online to the degradation in our naturalworld. Agrobiodiversity is the result of natural selection processes and the carefulselection and inventive developments of farmers, herders and fishers overmillennia. As a confluence of culture and nature, the history of agrobiodiversityis also the history of civilisation. By implication the future of agrobiodiversity isalso the future of civilisation. This makes our future bleak if we see reports suchas that published by biodiversity international last July. the same pressuresthreatening wild animals are also endangering humanity’s food supply, with atleast 1,000 cultivated species already endangered. And with three-quarters ofthe world’s food today coming from just 12 crops and five animal species this ismore than cause for concern. Moreover, a reduction of diversity in field, seedand food type causes a poverty in culture and local land-based knowledge.Without a vibrant and diverse culture, just as without an abundance of food,humanity in will starve. Capsella is responding with an online innovation lab to boost agrobiodiversity.Our e-infrastructure is enabling open- data based innovation to yield newpractices which will - we hope – lead to system-wide changes and herald newparadigms that reinforce agrobiodiversity. As with all successful scaled up
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social-innovations, we start small but meaningfully and concretely. Our spadetest app has been widely applauded by users and the story telling app was partof a package of a comms toolkit nominated for an award by the EC. Our otherpilots are maturing fast and will soon be ready for wider market testing.Together they will create a swathe of open data about field, seed and foodtrends which will spark further innovations in the area. These pilots will come to fruition in the new year and make a difference directly,as well as provide a platform for others to innovate within, for agrobiodiversity. How can we be so sure? Because they are being developed by, with and forthe users. This bottom up participatory approach to innovation is what definesour approach. Ultimately this will yield a more robust agrobiodiversity and amore vibrant, diverse and humanity. And with that we can wish you andabundant and hopeful 2018!
ACTIVITIES
CAPSELLA in the Netherlandsbridging precision andsustainable agriculture
On December the 1st hosted by theinnovative Dutch potato producerJacob van den Borne, who hasexperience in measuring potatogrowth, the Scuola SuperioreSant’Anna and ZLTO Teamsorganised a stimulating meeting thatbrought together farmers from bothprecision and organic agriculture.These group of friends through openand frank discussions paved the wayto bridge these two worlds,apparently far away from each otherbut with common interests: makingagriculture more sustainable. This workshop was also theoccasion to test the compost
How CAPSELLA played a roleat the first AgroecologyEurope Forum in Lyon
Scuola Sant’Anna and Rete SemiRurali teams were present at the firstAgroecology Europe Forum, held on25-27 October in Lyon, France. Theevent, organised by the EuropeanAssociation for Agroecology,involved researchers, NGOs andfarmers from all over Europe andbeyond on the theme “Fosteringsynergies between movements,science and practice”. Both the “Soilhealth” and “Data Management forEU Seeds Networks” pilots werepresented at the workshop on“Digital and technological revolutionin the agricultural sector: Fitting inthe Agroecological approach?”. Thisworkshop was a great opportunity fordiscussing the perceivedopportunities and risks of digitalinnovation in the context ofbiodiversity based agriculturalsystems. Diverse positions emergedin the discussion, highlighting theimportance to enlarge the practicalexperiences, such as the onesconducted in CAPSELLA, for having
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calculator and soil health apps. Inthe compost calculator pilot the effectof adding compost was measured.By means of a soil scanner, which ismounted behind the tractor, Van denBorne measures the organic matterin the soil. He applies compost in 3ways: no compost, standardapplication and precision applicationon basis of soil data. Watch thisspace for further developments!
CAPSELLA Story telling app
for sustainable farmingnominated for digital skills
award in BrusselsA new story-making app to helpfarmers inspire their consumers,which is part of the programme'successful digital communicationfrom farmers to consumers' hasbeen nominated from among 240contenders to win The EuropeanDigital Skills Award 2017. Developedunder the CAPSELLA project by thecoordinator ATHENA RESEARCHCENTRE, the app – similar to avirtual tour - has a triple socialimpact. It helps drive sales of thefarmers’ goods, boosts digital skillsand encourages consumers toparticipate in agrobiodiversityprojects. This ‘story telling’ app allows farmersto easily create a story out of thedaily decisions they take, scenesthey witness, and updates they wantto share as they manage their farmsalong agrobiodiversity principles.Thanks to the app’s user-friendlyprompts and templates, farmers canweave their photos, videos and textinto stories which inspire consumersand make compelling content forsocial channels. Full article available on theCAPSELLA website.
feedback from practice to direct thediscussion.
Image of courtesy Marateresa lazzaro Scuola Superiore
Sant’Anna Pisa
The forum included also visits offarms in the area of Lyon. On thevisit of an integrated crop-livestockfarm, we tested on field the “SPADETEST app” (soilhealth.capsella.eu)for visual observation of soilconditions. The participantsperformed the visual evaluation ofthe soil and used CAPSELLA app ontheir own devices for recording theobservations. The field demo wasalso a good occasion to present theGreek (Aegilops) and Italian(Esapoda) farmers associationscollaborating to the pilot and todiscuss about the overall experienceof co-innovation with them. Thefeedback on these pilots has beenexcellent and we have seen furtheruptake of the app from othercommunities, such as in Germany(see next article).
CAPSELLA Soil health apptested in Germany by the
Institute for Soil Conservation& Sustainable Agriculture
The CAPSELLA Consortium wouldlike to thank very much the Institutefor Soil Conservation & SustainableAgriculture located in Germany forhaving run a pilot to test its soilhealth spade test app andprovided some key and usefulfeedback. Institute for Soil
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Our project also present at theMulti-actors InnovationWorkshop in Milan, ItalyThanks to the proactive behavior ofits partners, the new CAPSELLAapps related to the DataManagement and Soil Health spadetest were presented during the Multi-Actors Innovation Workshop held inMilan on Monday the 11th ofDecember. The event brought together localentities active in the agrifooddomain, farmer networks, agrifoodconsultant, Universities and researchcentres with a focus on innovation inagriculture and citizens interested inlearning more of what it is happeningin the innovative and vibrantagriculture world. Further informationavailable in Italian athttp://www.semirurali.net/notizie/progetti-multi-attore-per-la-ricerca-e-l-innovazione
Conservation & SustainableAgriculture is an independentService Institution based in Germanythat offers a series of on-line and off-lines tools such as consultancy,trainings and publications around soilconservation and sustainableagriculture management practice. Specificallytrainings andconsultancyare offered forand toEuropeaninstitutions, research-projects,universities, nature conservationorganisations, NGO's as well as foodindustry, farmers, privates andgardeners. For further informationplease visit the websitehttp://www.gesundeerde.net/homekontaktenglisch.htm and/or contact Dr.agr. Andrea Beste with: [email protected]
COLLABORATION CORNER… news from the related projects
News from the HNV Project
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The conservation of biodiversity in Europe depends, among other, on thecontinuation of traditional low-intensity farming systems – on High NatureValue (HNV) farming. Modern pressures on farmers to either abandon orintensify their production threatens biodiversity as well as livelihoods andheritage. To find ways to improve the social and economic sustainability ofHNV farming without losing the HNV characteristics, a Horizon2020project HNV-Link aims to identify and share innovations that supportfarming systems in areas of high biodiversity across Europe. It supportsefficient innovation transfer between its 10 Learning Areas. Each LearningArea has unique characteristics and, therefore, needs, capacities andskills. These characteristics have been mapped in the first phase of HNV-Link and summarized in 10 Baseline Assessments and the Atlas. TheHNV-Link multi-actor teams have then collected existing innovations andinnovation needs for each Learning Area.
An example is the GPS-tracking system from the Learning Area ofThessaly, Greece. By tracking the moving sheep flocks, farmers obtaindata needed to control the grazing pressure in the hilly and fragmentedterrain. The pasture quality is further monitored by drones. The systemalso helps avoiding conflicts with forest management. And finally, it is usedfor verifying the origin of farm products: do they really come from farmsrespecting High Nature Values of the area? This contributes to thereinforcement of trust between small producers and consumers who localproducts with multiple values. The example thus combines technologicaland social innovations in a successfully model that can be replicatedelsewhere.
The examples will become available in Innovation Reports and InnovationCompendium. Finally, to adapt and transfer innovations among theLearning Areas and beyond, the project will organize cross-area visits anddisseminate the results according to the area-tailored action planswww.hnv-link.eu
Focus on the GODAN open data at 2017 Meeting ofG20-Agricultural Chief Scientists
On November 14 and 15, the Agricultural Chief Scientists of the G20countries met for their annual meeting in Potsdam under the GermanPresidency. Johannes Keizer from the GODAN Secretariat and DanielMartini from the German MACS delegation presented the results of theLinked Open Data workshop, which was jointly organized by GODAN andthe German Ministry of Agriculture and Nutrition. The presentation
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emphasized the FAIR principles as a framework to help improve datasharing practice and move to achieve open data.
Many delegates reacted positively on this report and confirmed theircommitment to open data. Full article on the GODAN website
What it is going on in the SAVINGFOOD project?
Do you know how much you through away, in termsof food and money? SavingFood, a CAPS projectthat offers a socially responsible solution to fightfood waste has developed a self-assessment tool forbusinesses like supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries
etc, in order to help them understand the financial and environmentalimpact of their food waste activities. Such organisations are now able to use this tool forfree and estimate what food wastage currently coststhem in terms of lost revenue and wastemanagement expenses. It’s free, it’s quick and easy to use! Calculate yourwaste, now! https://savingfood.eu/food-waste-calculator/
COMING SOON
CAPSELLA FINALWORKSHOP The final project event will beorganised within the Food Week inMilan next May 2018 in
CAPSELLA Bootcamppart of the AccelerationProgramme has kickedoff! Capsella is more than aninfrastructure for innovation online:it also provides an incubationservice for great new ideas comingfrom user communities. Thewinners of the Capsella Hakathaonof November – and other selectusers, will participate in the threemonth training (December 2017-February 2018), offered onlinethrough the CAPSELLA trainingplatform. It is designed to supportparticipants to turn their initial
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conjunction with the ItalianObservatory ofAgrobiodiversity. Amid mounting evidence of thedegradation of global biodiversity,Policy makers have called forgreater resilience and riskmanagement in agrobiodiversity sothe planet can feed its people in asustainable way. Likewise,Scientific advocacy groups havecalled for more diversified anddecentralized innovation inagrobiodiversity, to put us on amore sustainable trajectory. The CAPSELLA event will helpyou both understand the problemand how to become a change-maker by turning these calls forstrengthening agro-biodiversity intoa reality. Further information will beavailable by mid January 2018
concept in the agri-food sector intoa Start-Up. The aim of this phaseof the CAPSELLA AccelerationProgramme is not only to provideparticipants with the neededknowledge background in order toinnovate in the agri-food sectorand succeed as entrepreneurs, butalso facilitate their interaction byhaving the chance to play, create,learn and invent, thus preparingyou in the best possible way forthe business plan competition. If you are interested in joining theCAPSELLA Bootcamp, fill in theOpen Call template, sent it [email protected] and applyto become part of an existing teamor to participate with your ownteam. Further information athttp://www.capsella.eu/acceleration-programme/
The CAPSELLA consortium wishes you a joyful holiday season!
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