AREFLH and NUTRIMAN invite you to participate to a short survey on biofertilizers.

ECO-ZEO was a FP7 European Project which aimed at developping a new pool of GREEN CROP PROTECTION PRODUCTS (efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable) for agriculture, to be used as a coating of leaves and fruits in different type of vegetable and fruit crops: tomato, apple, citrus and table grape. The products are based on zeolite

Such green products are aimed at delivering a wide range of beneficial effects in terms of water use efficiency, control of pests and diseases, reduction in pesticides use, increase of crop yield and tolerance to abiotic stress (water and heat stress).

A complete multidisciplinary Consortium composed of 10 partners from 8 different countries (European Union and Associated countries) has joined to reach all these challenges. An alliance of academia (4 research organizations), 4 agro-biotech SMEs, plant protection product industry and the important contribution of end users represented by an association of fruits and vegetables producers.

The UE funding amounts a total of 2,014 M€ and the project will last 4 years starting 1st March 2012.

For more information : www.ecozeo.eu

The consortium's partners :

EUFRUIT is an EC H2020 funded, three year project to establish a framework and a systematic approach that together bridge the ‘valley of death’ for the European fruit sector by taking a multi-actor approach and thereby increasing the connectivity and efficiency between research outcomes and implementation of knowledge and outcomes.

The project consortium consists of 21 members, including research institutes, universities, and industrial partners who represent key parts of the fruit supply chain, from 12 European countries.

Project dates : 2011-2014

Assisting SMEs to participate in digital food supply chains.

The permanent need for innovation is one of the most important challenges faced by the agro-food sector. Innovation and new information technologies have become determining factors for its competitiveness and for strengthening exchanges with other sectors linked to it. Innovation requires better collaboration not only between the public and private sector but also between different business sectors. In this respect an increased use of ICT and the emergence of innovative B2B (business-to-business) services can help achieve this goal.

The eFood Chain Solution

The eFood Chain project was an important step towards the promotion of innovation in the food supply chain. Its main goal was to improve the competitiveness and efficiency of this industry by stimulating an innovative and seamless use of ICT along its value chain. SMEs are at the centre of interest of this action, as it aims to facilitate their participation in global digital food value network and reinforce business relationships between SMEs and their business partners across borders.

Through its framework for a digital food supply chain the project was expected to identify and diminish the existing technical and organisational barriers, as its ultimate goal is to create an innovative, seamless eBusiness environment that will stimulate the uptake of ICT and eBusiness technologies in this highly SME-intensive sector.

The eFood Chain project’s key objectives were to:

• Provide an in-depth market analysis in terms of the current use of ICT and eBusiness solutions in the agro-food sector.
• Develop a framework for a digital food supply chain, which will set the principles and rules for interoperability among business processes and data exchange models in order to allow for seamless, paperless information and data flows.
• Demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the framework through sectoral and cross-border pilot-prototypes.
• Promote awareness raising and dissemination of the framework and the results achieved.
• Establish a governance model for future maintenance of the framework and propose policy recommendations for mass market adoption.