New project on intercropping for agrifood value chains & ecosystem services: IntercropValueES

As IFOAM Organics Europe, we are taking part in the new Horizon Europe project, IntercropValuES. With 7.4 million EUR funding, the project will promote intercropping for diversified, resilient, and environmentally-friendly cropping systems, sustainable for the entire the agri-food chain.  

IntercropValuES will develop both scientific research action for better understanding and modelling intimate intercrop functioning, as well as a detailed analysis of lock-ins and levers at the value chain level to identify credible solutions that farmers and value chain actors can adopt.  

IntercropValuES is a multi-disciplinary and multi-actor project, bringing together scientists and local actor of the agri-food chain. 27 participants, 15 countries and 3 continents from a wide diversity of organisations and stakeholders. 

The projects’ main objectives: 

• Support the design of local and innovative agri-food chains, through 13 co-innovation case studies; 
• Understand the functioning and different types of interactions in intercropping allowing selection of ideal varieties and optimization of machinery and management strategies; 
• Develop and assess improved methods and tools for intercrop management; 
• Unravel intercropping performance by modelling; 
• Analyse grain and sanitary quality of cereal-legume intercrops, functional qualities for food processing and new products; 
• Uncover key barriers and levers at value chain level to boost development and identify new market avenues. 

IntercropValuES is a multi-disciplinary and multi-actor project, bringing together scientists and local actor of the agri-food chain. 27 participants, 15 countries and 3 continents from a wide diversity of organisations and stakeholders. IFOAM Organics Europe will play a key role in coordination the research and disseminate the findings of IntercropValuES. We will communicate the project findings to actors of the value chain and consumers. We will also identify the exploitation routes for the results, to generate impact beyond the project. Follow the project on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn (@IntercropValuES). Its website will be launched soon.