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Further information

Project Objectives

  • Practice-based conceptual development: PLAID will develop an analytical framework that combines innovation theory with recent social learning, social psychology and social capital theories. This framework will be developed through multi-actor and multi-stakeholder interaction, empirical  assessment  and critical evaluation of demonstration farming activities (WP2).
  • Produce a geo-referenced inventory and clickable map: PLAID will produce a comprehensive database and search tool that classifies and locates the numerous types of farms and supporting organisations engaged in agricultural demonstration activities in Europe. It will be searchable by demonstration topic, sector, cross cutting themes and type of organisation commissioning and organising the activities (WP3). The inventory will also be linked to a georeferenced clickable map located on the FarmDemo Hub.
  • Identify best practices in on-farm demonstration:  PLAID will identify the key elements of efficient and effective demonstration techniques, producing sets of best practices for different types of demonstration which are applicable across a range of European, national and regional settings. This will lead to guidelines, indicators and decision-support tools (WP3-6).
  • Assess governance and funding: PLAID will assess the utility of the governance and funding mechanisms supporting demonstration on farms across Europe and develop recommendations for policies on how to support effective demonstration, both within and outside of traditional agricultural knowledge systems (WP3, WP5, WP6).
  • Develop and promote innovations in demonstration: PLAID will identify, assess and publicise the innovative approaches to demonstration currently underway in Europe (WP3-7). In particular, PLAID will  assess  and further  develop the potential  of  ‘virtual  demonstration’  with commercial farmers (WP4).
  • Enable access to demonstration:  PLAID will assess the equity of access to demonstration activities, in relation to gender, age, location, employment status and farming type, leading to recommendations, evaluation indicators and targeted decision-support tools (WP3-6).
  • Add Value to EIP Agri:   PLAID will add value to the European Innovation Partnership “Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability” through integration of the inventory to its database and involving EIP Focus Groups, Operational Groups and Rural Development Plan Managing Authorities in PLAID activities (WP7).
  • Initiate a community of practice: PLAID will establish the foundations for a more integrated ‘demonstration’ community in European Farming Systems through multi-stakeholder activities and community-building activities (WP7).

The PLAID project will achieve these objectives through actively involving farmers; public, private and charitable agricultural advisors; agricultural educators; researchers from multiple disciplines; agricultural equipment and input suppliers; policy makers and NGOs specialising in facilitating demonstration activities (multi-actor approach).   The institutions in the PLAID consortium have their own demonstration farms and/or have substantial experience with organising demonstration activities on commercial farms.