The new European GRAZING 4 AGROECOLOGY (G4AE) project – a new pan-European initiative aimed at reversing the decline of grazing in Europe – started in September 2022.

Funded by the EU under the Horizon Europe programme and coordinated by Grünlandzentrum, Germany, the G4AE project will run for 3.5 years (September 2022 – February 2026). The consortium includes 18 partners from eight EU member states (Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Sweden) to represent different pedoclimatic conditions in Europe and a wide range of grazing practices. The network is based on a multi-actor approach with representative farmers and farmer groups at its centre working together with applied research, advisory and industry.

CONSULAI, one of the Portuguese partners, has as main task the coordination of the young farmer groups that will be created in the various countries and that will have biannual meetings. These groups will interact directly with the project and discuss the project results, to ensure that they are useful for the young farmers. It will also actively participate in the creation of an inventory of practices used on farms to promote grazing for agro-ecology, through the creation of a network in Portugal. The facilitators will also promote the creation of a list of national farmers’ needs and expectations, which will be used to guide learning and knowledge exchange. Another objective is the strengthening of national grazing and cross-border AKIS, linking them to an international grazing AKIS. CONSULAI also has a key role in the communication and dissemination of the project and its results, through the management of social networks and development of materials.

MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development of the University of Évora, also national partner of the project, has as main task within this project the creation and dissemination of a digital knowledge reservoir, integrated with the main platforms of reference at European level, on good and innovative practices in grazing systems.

GRAZING 4 AGROECOLOGY (G4AE) will bring more updates soon!