Typology of diversification experiences with description of driving factors to support crop diversification - Deliverable 1.1

The EU Horizon 2020 project DiverIMPACTS aims to promote the realisation of the full potential of crop diversification through rotation, multicropping and intercropping by demonstrating technical, economic and environmental benefits for famers, along the value chain and for society at large, and by providing innovations that can remove existing barriers and lock-ins of practical diffusion. DiverIMPACTS does so by combining findings from several participatory case studies with a set of field experiments across Europe, and translating these into strategies, recommendations and fit-for-purpose tools developed with and for farmers, advisors and other actors along the value chain.

To first gain a good overview of the current situation, i.e. the existing success stories and challenges of crop diversification in Europe, Work Package 1 (WP 1) aims to identify and analyse factors of success and failure associated with a variety of crop diversification experiences (CDEs) outside those already represented in the consortium. WP 1 will thus make sure that the rich experience with crop diversification initiatives across Europe (e.g. from other Horizon 2020 projects) is taken into account for developing strategies, recommendations and tools. To collate and characterise these CDEs a survey on diversification experiences was performed in the participating and other European countries, such as Denmark and Spain. This task (T1.1) provides i) a list of key drivers (ex ante occurrence of market opportunities, environmental constraints, availability of enabling advisory services, land and workforce availability etc.) to be further considered in WP3, and WP5; and ii) a comprehensive and exhaustive description of the links between key factors and CDE types. This analysis will be the basis for consolidating or updating the tentative typology of crop diversification situations used for setting up DiverIMPACTS (case studies), and selecting experiences for more detailed investigations. It will also complement the identification and characterisation of lock-ins and barriers to crop diversification that will be further addressed in DiverIMPACTS. Based on this survey, most relevant CDEs will be selected for further analysis through open-interviews that are foreseen in the second year of DiverIMPACTS. Finally, the online survey remains active as communication on this first report is likely to trigger interest and help identify additional experiences. The maintenance of a database updating this survey on a regular basis is b eing considered by the consortium.