Research project
CONSOLE: CONtract SOLutions for Effective and lasting delivery of agri-environmental-climate public goods by EU agriculture and forestry
- Start date: 1 May 2019
- End date: 30 April 2022
- Funder: EU Horizon 2020
- Value: €197,675
- Primary investigator: Professor Joseph Holden
The Horizon 2020 funded CONSOLE project brings together partners from 13 EU countries to design and support the implementation of innovative agri-environmental-climate public good (AECPGs) delivered through agriculture and forestry.
The project will improve understanding of the ways AECPGs are currently delivered in a range of different settings, and identify successful experiences and good practice. This improved understanding will support the creation of a framework that will support the design and delivery of improved and more innovative contract solutions to deliver AECPGs.
iCASP is leading the University of Leeds’ involvement in the project and brings together experts in sustainable agriculture, economics and agricultural law.
A key activity of the CONSOLE project will be to gather information on farmer and land manager views and preferences on novel AECPGs through various in-person surveys. This will then feed information into another part of the project: the formation of a Community of Practice (CoP) across the EU countries involved. Here in the UK the members of the CoP will be drawn from farmers and land managers involved in the Yorkshire Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund networks. The CoP will co-create a contractual framework for delivering AECPGs and design and test different models to ensure that they deliver in different settings and under a range of conditions.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 817949
Impact
The objective of CONSOLE is to boost innovation in the lasting delivery of agri-environmental-climate public goods (AECPGs) by EU agriculture and forestry. To achieve this objective, CONSOLE builds a Community of Practice (CoP) to cocreate an empirically validated contractual framework, design and test effective and efficient contract models and support their implementation by multiple actors. The CONSOLE multi-actor and multidisciplinary team brings together 24 partners in 13 countries, covering representative typologies of actors involved in AECPGs contracts design and implementation (farmer organisations, regional administrations, consultancy companies, research institutions and water and forest management bodies).
The CONSOLE framework will allow improved design and facilitate implementation of innovative contract solutions for the provision of AECPGs under various conditions across the EU. The CONSOLE framework includes
a) a catalogue showcasing successful experiences and good practices in AECPGs contracting and cooperation models
b) improved AECPGs contracts solutions and their assessment for different levels of governance
c) a comprehensive guide to the process for the design of AECPGs contracts
d) documentation, training and supporting materials
CONSOLE includes a comprehensive analysis of at least 52 case studies of existing experiences encompassing land tenure arrangements, result-based approaches, collective implementation and value chain-based remuneration, supported by surveys and modelling. Building upon these experiences, improved contract solutions will be developed in collaboration with the CoP.
The CONSOLE framework will be tested in real decision-making contexts and will develop into a supporting tool for actors in the field, enabling the delivery and sustainability of AECPGs. Insights will improve policy design towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular through environmental policies and the post-2020 CAP.