The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) invites eligible Irish Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) to submit joint research proposals under the Joint Call on Circularity in mixed crop and livestock farming systems, with an emphasis on greenhouse gas mitigation.
This research call is organised through the ERANET Cofunds SusAn (Sustainable Animal Production Systems), FACCE ERA-GAS (Monitoring & Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases from Agri- and Silviculture), ICT-AGRI-FOOD (ICT-enabled agri-food systems) and SusCrop (Sustainable Crop Production).
The call contributes to the overall objectives of ERANETs to enhance European collaborative research between countries and thereby increase the quality of European research and innovation actions and their implementation in the agri-food-forest and biobased sectors.
This is a single stage competitive submission process. The deadline for the submission of proposals is 26th May 2021 (15:00 CEST) . Projects are expected to start late 2021.
The primary purpose of the call is to promote research proposals on (re-) integration of crop and livestock farming systems with the aim to enhance circularity between these systems and thereby improve the sustainability of farms. Research proposals must cover all four points of the call scope outlined below:
1. Focus on mixed crop-livestock farming systems.
These systems can occur within single farms or can be achieved by connecting separate crop and livestock farms.
– Livestock farming includes the major terrestrial species (e.g. beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, pigs & poultry), but may include other (e.g. rabbits or honey bees)
– Crops are primarily meant to be arable crops here, but cropping systems may include grassland swards, horticulture, biomass crops and agroforestry
2. Address the monitoring and/or mitigation of GHGs from agriculture or agroforestry.
3. Contain an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) dimension
For example the use of sensors, communication technologies, data analytics, modelling, robotics, precision farming or decision support systems.
4. Take a systems approach.
The circular economy approach to mixed crop-livestock production will include synergy and complementarity with environmental protection measures. As appropriate, this may mean addressing other issues that arise from the individual project’s approach to mixed crop-livestock systems. These could include, for example, soil quality; biodiversity; adaptation to climate change; increased protein autonomy; business models and consumer oriented approaches; or the limitations or trade-offs that may occur within mixed systems.
Meaning: “in the case in which it is appropriate”
Additional information on the call scope, topics that are inside and outside of the scope of this call, eligibility criteria, submission procedures and the national annexes are provided in the Joint Call Documentation.
The ERANET Joint Call documentation and the electronic submission system for applicants are available at: https://www.suscrop.eu/2021-joint-call
Proposals must be submitted via the electronic submission system .
Irish applicants must read the ‘Guidelines for Irish Applicants’ in conjunction with the ERANET Joint Call Documentation, including the requirements set out in the National Annex for Ireland . The ‘Guidelines for Irish Applicants’ sets out in more detail the rules for Irish applicants seeking grant-aid from the Joint Call on Circularity.
