EIT Food, Foodvalley and Food Innovation Hub Europe launch their first landscape initiative to help farmers implement regenerative practices
- Navarra 360º is the first landscape project to be launched under the Regenerative Innovation Portfolio, an ecosystem collaboration established as a Food Innovation Hub Europe initiative of the World Economic Forum, financed by EIT Food and delivered by EIT Food and Foodvalley NL
- The project aims to improve the quality of the soil, biodiversity, carbon footprint, water use, and social and economic indicators
- €3M will be invested over three years with the aim of creating a model that can be replicated elsewhere in Europe
- The Navarra 360º project will support 80 farmers in northern Spain to transition to regenerative agriculture practices
EIT Food, the world’s largest innovation community, has launched Navarra 360º, the first landscape project of the Regenerative Innovation Portfolio. The project will invest €3 million over three years to support 80 farmers in Navarre, northern Spain, to implement regenerative agriculture in their crop rotation systems. EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
Navarra 360º will combine financial support with training in technical aspects of regenerative practices, with a focus on oat, wheat and barley crops. The project will take a holistic approach, studying more than 60 key indicators including soil quality, biodiversity, water use, carbon footprint, as well as social and economic indicators.
The expected results include a 20% reduction in the use of phytosanitary products and a 40% reduction in mineral fertilisation. The project will conclude in 2026 and will inform the design and delivery of further landscapes in other parts of Europe.
The launch of the project was attended by José María Aierdi, Regional Minister for Rural Development and the Environment of the Government of Navarre, who described the project as “pioneering in Europe” and emphasised “its contribution to making green agriculture profitable”. The Minister pointed out “the interest from industry and cooperatives, as well as the direct involvement of the producers themselves”, as well as valuing the knowledge accumulated in the region “thanks to the INTIA trials”.
EIT Food will act as general coordinator for the project, having trained more than 2,000 farmers in nine European countries since 2020, and delivered more than 30 workshops a year for professionals in the sector.
Foodvalley partners in the Portfolio programme management and has supported bringing partners to the landscape. Foodvalley coordinates and implements a broader community around the Regenerative Innovation portfolio, which unites key players from across the landscape, industry partners, startups, research centers, and universities. The aim is to facilitate the exchange of inter-landscape knowledge to foster innovations and collaboration, thereby accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture in Europe and sharing experiences from the Navarra 360º landscape.
The Food Innovations Hub (FIH) strengthens national and regional innovation ecosystems by convening stakeholders, mobilizing partners, and facilitating knowledge exchange at both regional and global levels. Many inspiring food innovation initiatives are learning valuable lessons. By creating connections between these initiatives and ensuring the sharing of best practices, FIH aims to contribute to a strong movement towards sustainable future food systems.
“When this project came about over a year ago, it was essential to convince the most pioneering companies in this field to work together, because together we can make more progress than individually.
“We know of no other similar initiative in Europe with public-private collaboration. We are grateful to Danone, Cargill and Intermalta, as well as the Government of Navarre, for their involvement in bringing this to life.”
“Farmers are the basis of the project: their involvement is the key to everything.
“Each activity has been designed with them, with a participative process, to help them in their transition, and is aligned with the values we want to transmit.”
“This first landscape is the beginning of many more landscapes to be developed across Europe. These landscape partners collaborate and demonstrate viable pathways in various European ecological and economical settings, showing how we can scale regenerative practices and support farmers in their transition, with the involvement of all value chain parties and beyond. The formation of the consortium and the development of the regional programme in the Navarre have already been a valuable learning experience in social innovation.”
“It is exciting to see this cross-value chain collaboration on regenerative agriculture becoming a reality. Creating sustainable future food systems requires multiple innovations, from new ways of farming to new ways of financing or processing. At the basis of these innovations are pioneers with the vision and courage to venture into the unknown and create new sustainable solutions. At the Food Innovation Hub Europe, we are proud to support and learn from initiatives like Navarra 360º."
The project will involve a broad range of actors across the food system, including Danone Ecosystem, Cargill, Danone and Intermalta, which are providing financial support and liaising with the entire value chain, as well as service providers Navarra Institute of Food Technologies and Infrastructures (INTIA), Agropec, and Lursare Ekosistemas, which are contributing training, advice and supporting the impact measurement of the project. Navarra 360º is a pilot case for SAI, which will help enable scalable monitoring and prove the impact of the programme. The Government of Navarra and Caja Rural de Navarra are offering expert support, and Harivenasa, independent farmers, AN Group and others from the agricultural sector are involved.
About the Regenerative Innovation Portfolio
The Regenerative Innovation Portfolio is an ecosystem collaboration established as a Food Innovation Hub Europe initiative of the World Economic Forum, financed by EIT Food and delivered by EIT Food and Foodvalley NL. It brings together a wide array of actors within Europe to action the critical systemic shifts we need to transition our food system to be more sustainable and fair while producing healthier food for the future.
About EIT Food
EIT Food is the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community. We accelerate innovation to build a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all.
Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, we invest in projects, organisations and individuals that share our goals for a healthy and sustainable food system. We unlock innovation potential in businesses and universities and create and scale agrifood startups to bring new technologies and products to market. We equip entrepreneurs and professionals with the skills needed to transform the food system and put consumers at the heart of our work, helping build trust by reconnecting them to the origins of their food.
We are one of nine innovation communities established by the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.
Find out more at www.eitfood.eu or follow us via social media:
X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.
About Foodvalley
By 2050, the food system must provide food security for 10 billion people worldwide. Tasty, affordable, healthy and sustainable food produced with respect for animals and our planet. It’s a big challenge, but achievable if we join forces to shape the future of food together. The urgency is clear, but there are obstacles that individual parties cannot overcome alone.
Foodvalley guides parties from ideas and ambitions to practice. We are an independent organization, based in Wageningen in The Netherlands, that promotes collective action with frontrunners from different sectors and countries. We strengthen the international ecosystem from farm farm to fork by providing access to the right people, financial resources, shared facilities and best practices. The result: viable businesses and new healthy, sustainable sectors.
Find out more at https://foodvalley.nl/en/ or follow us via LinkedIn
About Food Innovation Hub Europe
The Food Innovation Hub Europe aims to provide scalable, socially accepted, tangible results via interventions, under the themes Nutrition & Health, Protein Transition and Circular Agrifood for the global society and the planet, co-created with game changers and frontrunners through the entire value chain in order to create a fair food system which is ecologically sustainable.
To achieve this goal, the Food Innovation Hub Europe generates, facilitates and supports international, multi-stakeholder initiatives that potentially have a high impact on the challenges of the food system in Europe.
More information via https://fiheurope.org/
