During the most recent GUARDIANS project workshops, organised by SHINE 2Europe, discussions among partners and stakeholders revolved around addressing challenges and creating strategies to empower small and medium-sized rural farmers, thereby bridging the technological gap with larger food producers.
The first session was held in November 2023, where the project partners identified the main obstacles and ways of implementing the project. The second meeting, with 55 participants, put together partners and stakeholders creating practical plans in line with the needs identified. The third session, scheduled for March or April 2024, will already present prototypes of the project’s digital tools.
The purpose of these workshops was to implement a user-centered methodology that facilitates communication between end-users and technological partners. The overarching goal was to align their perspectives, ensuring a shared understanding and discovering improved ways to implement the project objectives.
During the upcoming session, that will also count with external stakeholders, participants will have the chance to watch the presentation and evaluation of the prototypes of the technologies that will be used in the pilots. This evaluation holds significance in the process of turning ideas into tangible solutions. Stakeholders will be encouraged to share their opinions on the technology and their experiences with its practical application on real farms.
GUARDIANS is a project funded by the Horizon Europe programme and is committed to creating an innovative agricultural ecosystem. In addition to SHINE, partners from Spain, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic are involved. They will assess the acceptance of 9 innovative digital solutions, involving a total of 95 farmers from small and medium-sized farms, including different types of crops, pastures and livestock. . SHINE is leading the involvement of the various relevant actors, in order to understand what incentives and barriers need to be overcome for the acceptance and adoption of these innovations.
The GUARDIANS project continues its mission of social innovation in agriculture, remaining committed to re-empowering small and medium-sized rural farmers through a people-centred approach, taking advantage of digital solutions and promising significant advances towards a sustainable agri-food system. Updates and news will be coming soon.