Call: Resilient livestock farming systems under climate change
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Programme | |||||||||
Acronym | HORIZON-CL6-CLIMATE | ||||||||
Type of Fund | Direct Management | ||||||||
Description of programme "Horizon Europe - Cluster 6 - Destination 5: Land, ocean and water for climate action" | Assessing the impacts of climate change on our land and marine environments, natural resources, agriculture and food systems, and identifying mitigation options and adaptation pathways, requires interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and investments across a broad range of activities. Research is needed to better understand who or what is exposed and sensitive to these changes, their underlying vulnerability, the associated costs and adaptive capacity. Research is also required to provide mitigation options that reduce the risk of long-term climate change The conservation and enhancement of Earth’s natural carbon sinks such as soils and plants, forests, farmed lands, wetlands and the oceans is crucial. The European Green Deal green oath to “do no harm”, requires a careful examination of the trade-offs and synergies among the sustainability goals, including health protection, food and nutrition security, ecosystem services and biodiversity preservation both on land and at sea. R&I has a significant role to play to support the design and implementation of policies that will ensure the achievement of EU climate objectives. Agriculture has a significant role to play to reduce and mitigate GHG emissions and to enhance carbon sinks. It also needs to strengthen its capacity to adapt to climate change and its resilience. The forestry sector faces similar challenges. Freshwater resources are increasingly under stress as a consequence of overuse and climate change with wide-ranging consequences for human societies and ecosystems. It is therefore necessary to define the safe operating space in terms of water quantity and availability, reduce the vulnerability to change and enhance our adaptive capacity. Strengthening the ocean and climate nexus is another priority for the EU. There is growing political awareness of the importance of ocean and polar regions as an integral part of the Earth’s climate system and of the need to ensure the integrity and resilience of these ecosystems. While new knowledge leading to a better understanding of the impacts of climate change is necessary, a strong priority needs to be granted to the large-scale deployment and uptake of solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation. Environmental observations and related solutions will be necessary throughout, from understanding to deployment. Understanding the impacts of climate change on primary production and natural systems is a pre-requisite for policy and societal action on climate change adaptation and mitigation. At present, our understanding of the interactions between climate change and ecosystem management, protection and restoration is limited, yet it is crucial to enabling sound decision making for mitigation and adaptation measures. Monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of climate change, land use change and associated biodiversity loss on a range of key issues related to agriculture and forestry are crucial with respect to the transition to net-zero emissions in the EU. R&I are also needed to close knowledge gaps in support of decision-making aimed at preserving the integrity of ocean and aquatic ecosystems through a better understanding of the drivers of change and of emerging threats. Moreover, since water availability is vulnerable to climate change, it is necessary to improve the projections of changes to the water cycle at different relevant scales and projections of the frequency and intensity of extreme events. We also require improved long-term observations and assessment of the effects of climate change on diverse water uses and on the state of ecosystems and their services. Reducing GHG emissions and enhancing carbon sinks in primary production and natural systems are key elements of the European Green Deal. Achieving sustainable land management and efficient use of natural resources that foster climate change mitigation implies finding the right balance between productivity, climate, biodiversity and environmental goals in the agriculture and forestry sectors, with a long-term perspective. R&I activities will support solutions for climate- and environmentally-friendly practices, to reduce emissions of major greenhouse gases and the environmental footprint of land use changes and agricultural activities. R&I, new technologies and business models are expected to unlock the full potential of LULUCF[[LULUCF stands for land use, land use change and forestry.]] activities in the mitigation of climate change. Results of funded activities will benefit land and forest management and the delivery of multiple services provided by land and forests, such as the provision of goods as long-term carbon stocks in harvested wood products, peatlands and wetlands, the protection of soils, water and biodiversity and finally climate change adaptation and mitigation. Ocean is also a large storage system for the global reservoirs of climate-regulating factors. R&I will advance knowledge innovations to foster ocean-based solutions/mitigation options, helping to close the emissions gap. Climate action calls also for fostering adaptation to climate change of ecosystems, primary production, food systems and the bioeconomy. Climate change is exacerbating existing risks to livelihoods, biodiversity, human and ecosystem health, infrastructure and food systems. There are growing concerns regarding the role of climate change in the spreading of new plant and terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases, which can jeopardise food safety and security. Human activities relying on the availability and use of water are particularly impacted by variable and extreme weather events, which may at the same time lead to desertification. Agriculture and forestry in the EU are vulnerable to climate change. There is in particular growing evidence about the effects of climate change, and of extreme weather events, on agricultural production and crop yields, which need to be mitigated, and also on the forest sector. Coastal areas are also threatened by sea level rise, saline water intrusion, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, extreme events and a shrinking cryosphere. R&I will, therefore, be critical to foster adaptation and build resilience in agriculture, forestry and coastal areas. They will aim to deliver on the urgent need to foster the adaptation of primary production, notably by providing farmers and other actors in bioeconomy value chains with better-adapted crop varieties and animal breeds with lower impacts on the related ecosystems. R&I efforts are critical to avoiding, reducing and reversing desertification. Water adaptation strategies and approaches will be developed and tested. Appropriate solutions including water allocation schemes will be developed for businesses, farmers and ecosystems. Potential trade-offs, and measures to mitigate and avoid them, will be assessed to ensure environmental sustainability and to keep the objectives of enhancing soil fertility, increasing carbon storage in soils and biomass, benefitting agricultural productivity and food security and reducing biodiversity loss. R&I will also aim at better understanding how institutions and behaviour shape vulnerability and offer opportunities for adaptation. Expected impacts Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to climate action on land, oceans and water and more specifically to one or several of the following impacts:
When considering their impact, proposals also need to assess their compliance with the “Do No Significant Harm” principle [[as per Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment (EU Taxonomy Regulation)]] according to which the research and innovation activities of the project should not be supporting or carrying out activities that make a significant harm to any of the six environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy Regulation. This destination contributes to support R&I on climate for areas covered by Cluster 6 notably on the implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions while Destination “Climate sciences and responses for the transformation towards climate neutrality” in Cluster 5 concentrates on activities related to climate science and modelling. Topics under this destination will have impacts in the following impact areas of the Horizon Europe strategic plan for 2021-2024 [[Footnote indicating link to the document.]]: “Climate change mitigation and adaptation”; “Enhancing ecosystems and biodiversity on land and in water”; “Clean and healthy air, water and soil”; “Sustainable food systems from farm to fork on land and sea”; ”A resilient EU prepared for emerging threats”; “A secure and open EU society”; and “Inclusive growth and new job opportunities”. | ||||||||
Link | Link to Programme | ||||||||
Call | Resilient livestock
farming systems under climate change | ||||||||
Description of call "Resilient livestock farming systems under climate change" | Expected Outcome: A successful proposal will contribute to the European Green Deal and international objectives to foster climate change mitigation, pollution prevention and control, and adaptation in agriculture. It will in particular support the farm to fork strategy objective for a transition to a fair, healthy and resilient European agriculture. It will contribute to climate action on land and more specifically towards climate neutrality by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing natural carbon sinks: better understanding and mobilising the mitigation and adaptation potential of livestock farming and related sectors based on the sustainable management of natural resources. The following outcomes are expected:
Scope: Terrestrial livestock production is considered a large contributor to anthropogenic GHG emissions worldwide and emissions of pollutants to air and water. Although emission intensity in Europe is lower in comparison to many other regions of the world, options to better assess and improve the emissions balance of terrestrial livestock production, weather intensive or extensive/low input, including organic, are necessary, including the evaluation of appropriate indicators of GHG emissions in different breeds, environments and production systems, in order not to rely solely on a reduction of the demand in food of animal origin to improve the emission balance of the sector. A variety of options have been identified, but are not yet common practice, and the potential of breeding to contribute to an improved GHG balance was not much investigated so far. In addition, the likelihood of further climate change occurring, and the increasing scale of potential climate impacts require addressing agricultural adaptation of the livestock sector as well. The proposals should investigate at different levels (animal, herd, farm and sector, region) and with a coherent approach, practices and innovations that enable a reduction of the net GHG emissions by terrestrial livestock, while striving to ensure farm viability and resilience of productions systems, including adaption to climate change, and taking into account the impact on the environment and biodiversity. Trade-offs within and between the different levels should be addressed. At animal level, the research should use systems biology to study interactions between host and environment (e.g. feed and microbes) and how this interplay affects the efficiency of feed utilisation (energy and proteins) and GHG emissions, not least methane. Proposals should define and investigate traits/phenotypes, and the potential of breeding, to reduce GHG animal emissions or/and adapt to climate change. At farm level, different husbandry practices should be addressed. At sector/regional level, a system approach should investigate how different actors can cooperate to improve the GHG balance of livestock production, optimising the use of resources, including feed (e.g. production and origin), improving circularity. In addition to biophysical research, the proposals should address the potential socio-economic impact of the proposed practices and innovations, and look at options to facilitate their uptake. Proposals should develop or refine related tools for a proper assessment of practices and proposed innovations. Proposals should take into account novel farming systems and future scenarios, different breeds, particularly local breeds, various management approaches, climatic conditions and regional specificities. Proposals should address at least cattle and pigs and may address any other relevant species. In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement. Proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach’ and ensure adequate involvement of the farming sector, terrestrial livestock breeders, advisers and other relevant actors. The proposals should take into account other EU-funded projects, including those funded under the ERA-NETs SusAn and ERA-GAS. |
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Link | Link to Call | ||||||||
Thematic Focus | Research & Innovation, Technology Transfer & Exchange, Capacity Building, Cooperation Networks, Institutional Cooperation, Clustering, Development Cooperation, Economic Cooperation, Climate, Climate Change, Environment & Biodiversity, Circular Economy, Sustainability, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Forestry, Fishery, Food, Green Technologies & Green Deal, Administration & Governance, Competitiveness, SME, Health, Social Affairs, Sports, Disaster Prevention, Resiliance, Risk Management | ||||||||
Funding area | EU Member States Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) | ||||||||
Origin of Applicant | EU Member States Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) |
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Eligible applicants | Research Institution, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, SMEs (between 10 and 249 employees), NGO / NPO, University, Enterprise (more than 250 employees or not defined), Public Services, Microenterprises (fewer than 10 employees), Start Up Company, International Organization, Lobby Group / Professional Association / Trade Union | ||||||||
Applicant details | eligible non-EU countries:
At the date of the publication of the work programme,
there are no countries associated to Horizon Europe. Considering the Union’s interest to retain, in principle, relations with
the countries associated to Horizon 2020, most third countries associated to Horizon 2020 are expected to be associated to
Horizon Europe with an intention to secure uninterrupted continuity between Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. In addition,
other third countries can also become associated to Horizon Europe during the programme. For the purposes of the eligibility
conditions, applicants established in Horizon 2020 Associated Countries or in other third countries negotiating association
to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country, if the Horizon Europe association agreement
with the third country concerned applies at the time of signature of the grant agreement.
Legal entities which are established in countries not listed above will be eligible for funding if provided for in the specific call conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority. Specific cases:
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Project Partner | Yes | ||||||||
Project Partner Details | Unless otherwise provided for in the specific call conditions , legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes:
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Further info | Proposal page limits and layout: The application form will have two parts:
Page limit - Part B: 45 pages | ||||||||
Type of Funding | Grants | ||||||||
Financial details |
The proposals must use the multi-actor approach. | ||||||||
Submission | Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are NOTpossible. |
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