Covering the entire spectrum from farm to fork, Europe’s agri-food systems are evolving and embracing more innovative approaches to increase productivity and sustainability. Therefore, redefining the agri-food value chains is key. To assist in this process, the EU-funded CO-FRESH project will develop techniques, tools and insights centering on the redesign of fruit and vegetable value chains. With a consortium that brings together farmers, cooperatives and consumers as well as technological, environmental and economic experts, the project will study models of collective innovation action within and across organisations. The aim of the project is to design innovative systemic approaches to improve the economic, social and environmental performance of these value chains and ensure sustainability through the smart integration of innovations.
The CO-FRESH project aims to provide techniques, tools and insights on how to make agri-food value chains more environmentally sustainable, socio-economically balanced and economically competitive. The project will implement technological and non-technological innovations in several pilots of agri-food value chains (Pilot Cases included in the CO-FRESH consortium), to test how the combination of technological and non-technological (i.e. organisational) innovations at several levels and steps (from farmer to the food-processing to consumer) can improve environmental and socio-economic benefits impact in terms of sustainability.