Land abandonment is defined as the complete cessation of agricultural activity on land previously used for agriculture. This is a current and expanding problem globally and in Europe. In 2018 the JRC projected that in 2015-2030 more than 20 million ha of agricultural land in the EU are under risk of abandonment. The reasons for LA depend on many economic and environmental factors. The environmental consequences of LA also depend on local conditions - in highly fragmented landscapes, LA contributes to the restoration of natural non-agricultural habitats. It has also been observed that LA provides habitats for breeding and migrating birds and leads to a reduction in the exposure of ecosystems to residues of fertilizers and chemical plant protection products, an increase in soil organic matter and a reduction in erosion. We used several approaches to identify the public perception of LA, the effectiveness of implemented policies and the research trends and gaps. Additionally, we performed a spatial analysis of LA in Europe on data form LUCAS observations form 2006 - 2018.
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It summarises the reports from all Cross Visits. During the Cross Visits the AgriSpin team gradually learned how to capture what really matters in the cases that were visited. It is important that the characteristics in the overview are helpful for: ● deepening the understanding of the individual cases and the effect of particular innovation support actions; ● making comparisons between cases, even though they represent different sectors and cover different types of innovation.
What can support services do to stimulate innovations at farm level? This is the central question in AgriSpin. The Cross Visits aim at collecting information about innovations that have taken place or that are in progress. The members of the visiting team are predominantly support agents themselves, which allows for vivid exchanges of experiences. A cross visit creates space for intensive informal interactions between colleagues from different corners of Europe. This provides a basis for continuous contacts after the project.
The inspirational booklet is a guide. It offers a collection of examples of good working practices involving different types of actors such as advisors, researchers, technology suppliers, retailers, civil society groups and administrators. The examples are from the 12 different European countries participating in the AgriSpin project and represent different stages of an innovation process. The booklet also presents some tools and lessons learned, which can help the innovator better understand the innovation process in order to anticipate possible pitfalls.