The two-year project addresses small-medium farms by stressing the environmental and safety aspects related to food and the potential of technological and organisational solutions which will be able to increase their competitiveness. Traceability is seen as a prior sensitisation, education, management and information solution which allows an integrated vision of environmental and safety aspects related to food obtained from agriculture (e.g. use of pesticides).

   The project is necessary because the European Farms must increase their capacity of innovation and their competitiveness since their traditional activity will not yet economically sustained by the Common Agricultural Policy. Innovative and added value solutions are required but farms are very weak from this point of view since normally they are assisted and they have not a proactive role.

    The in-food network project will plan and implement an user friendly information system based on (and valorising) existing knowledge on aspects and solutions related to food environmental quality and safety. Among solutions, priority is given to traceability. The information system consists in a communication platform and practical tools tailor-made on farms needs and shared by farms.Farmers will find in it solutions for food related environmental and traceability aspects and to reach new opportunities.

   The concept of sustainable environment expresses a fundamental interdependence between the agricultural policy and the environmental policy; EU farms have to become more aware of the issues and the externalities related to their production. They will be able to do this by adopting proactive and appropriate preventive pollution control measures, research activities, operational control and improving and strengthening the Environmental Management System of products and organisations by setting and reviewing objectives and targets. The majority of these problems could not be easily managed by a single enterprise, also because a high level research is complex, costly and interdisciplinary. To face these issues EU farms need synergies with local and major stakeholders (the first ones are the Associations which are partners in the project) and new bottom-up actions to fill the gaps and to develop new environmental tools.

   You can do the same considerations for traceability that can be a part of a management system together with the environment. Both affect the supply chain and the information to consumers. The project is potentially addressed to a wide spectrum of agricultural activities. A first selection is made considering the vegetable, fruit and herbaceous production (cattle breeding is not included in this first project).

    The following support action will define a scenario aimed at spotlighting problems and opportunities in small-medium farms and at rising questions that need decision-making and problem solving activities. By stressing a large spectrum of questions and problems, the project will mobilise a critical mass of information that will be essential to lay the ground for further co-operation and Collective research projects. As a matter of fact, the project will facilitate the communication between small-medium farms managers, Research Organisations, Associations and technologies developers in different EU countries, the exchange of practical experiences and the identification of new opportunities and research projects.

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