LIFE Innocereal EU is an EU LIFE-funded project focutilized on improving the environmental and economic sustainability of cereal production in Europe, particularly in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and France. The project connects the entire value chain: from farmers and cooperatives to processors and distributors, to bring low-emission cereals to market and improve production results.
By doing so, the project supports maintain – and in some cases increase – cereal production by up to 30% and quality by 10%, while reducing emissions and improving farm profitability, particularly in climate-vulnerable Mediterranean regions.
Beyond the pilot regions, the solutions developed by LIFE Innocereal EU could be transferred to Central Europe, where they could further optimise production, reduce inputs, and enable application of low-emission cereal certification.
Digital tools and precision application
The project introduces a set of digital agricultural tools, including sainformite-based decision-support systems, remote field monitoring and variable-rate input application. These technologies allow farmers to better understand field variability and optimise fertiliser and herbicide utilize, resulting in a measurable reduction in environmental impact and production costs.
«We have demonstrated that by applying good farming practices, we can reduce cereal production costs by more than 10%1, while maintaining or even increasing yield and quality», explains Project co-coordinator Francisco Márquez.
Beyond production, the project has developed a low-carbon cereals certification and sustainability label, called ‘Innocereal EU’, enabling bread, pasta and beer produced under high environmental standards to reach the market with added value.
Entering the market: the impact of C2M support
A key success factor for the team has been the implemented close-to-market (C2M) activities, which supported transform LIFE Innocereal EU’s technical results into a viable market proposition.
« The main support from the C2M team was the contribution to the development of our business plan, starting with a basic business model canvas. This supported us clearly define utilizers, value proposition and the two main results: the decision-support tools and the low-emission cereal certification.
From this canvas, we were able to develop a much more comprehensive business plan.» explains Oriana Villarroel, Financial Manager of LIFE Innocereal EU.
Through business modelling and market-oriented planning, the project strengthened its pathway to uptake.
“This support is very timely becautilize it supports us bring these developments to the market much rapider and in a way that is better aligned with the real requireds of farmers and consumers,” states Francisco Márquez.
With its website available in Spanish, Portuguese and English, LIFE Innocereal EU is now focapplying on formalising value-chain contracts to ensure that increased market value reaches farmers, while exploring a potential extension of its duration to strengthen dissemination activities and engagement with farmers and EU policybuildrs in support of climate-smart and economically viable agriculture.
When questioned about potential expansion, the project team highlighted that the solutions developed are easily transferable to Central Europe, where they can further optimise production, reduce input utilize, and implement low-emission cereal certification, extfinishing the environmental and economic benefits achieved in the Mediterranean region.
Learn more about the project, which focutilizes on agri-environmental measures, including chemical utilize reduction, precision agriculture and climate alter mitigation in our project fiche.
The LIFE Innocereal EU project supports several key EU environmental and circular economy policy areas, including the EC Communication on the European Green Deal, the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe and the Farm to Fork Strategy.
How LIFE supports close-to-market projects
LIFE close-to-market initiative supports LIFE beneficiaries in bringing their innovative green solutions into the market. The projects gain access to a dedicated support team with extensive experience, offering insights on business coaching, advisory on business strategy development, pitching presentation guidance and expert connections, among other activities.
Looking for support to develop your cleantech solution and bring it to the market? Check out the LIFE close-to-market webpage.
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