STEP UP Project Showcased on the EU CAP Network Platform!
STEP UP is taking a major step forward in transforming European livestock farming, now featured on the influential EU CAP Network platform, strengthening its visibility among agricultural and rural stakeholders across the EU Member States and Associated Countries. This promotion marks a significant milestone in STEP UP’s mission to advance eco-friendly livestock practices and foster data-driven agricultural development.
About EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Network:
The EU CAP Network is a key platform established to support the effective implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) across the European Union. It facilitates knowledge exchange, collaboration, and the dissemination of best practices among stakeholders involved in agriculture, rural development, and sustainable resource management. By connecting farmers, researchers, policymakers, and rural communities, the network fosters innovation, enhances environmental and economic performance, and promotes sustainable rural development, contributing to CAP objectives such as climate action, biodiversity preservation, and rural resilience. Financed by DG AGRI and implemented through the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD), the network also supports the design and implementation of CAP Strategic Plans for 2023-2027.
The EU CAP Network operates through several key components 1) to enhance knowledge-sharing and 2) collaboration across agricultural communities.
The first key component is the National Contact Points (NCPs) act as national-level experts, bridging local agricultural stakeholders with EU-wide initiatives to ensure effective and tailored implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The second component consists of Specialized Working Groups that focus on crucial CAP themes such as environmental sustainability, rural development, CAP governance, and agricultural innovation, identifying challenges, proposing solutions, and shaping policy advancements.
Additionally, the EU CAP Network provides a range of services, including databases of best practices and case studies, as well as interactive learning opportunities through webinars, workshops, and online training sessions. Conferences and networking events further facilitate discussions and foster the continuous development of CAP-related strategies, strengthening collaboration among policymakers, researchers, and agricultural practitioners.
The EU CAP Network aims to:
Enhance communication between the European Commission, Member States, and CAP stakeholders to ensure coordinated policy implementation.
Promote synergies between various agricultural projects and initiatives, optimizing collaboration and resource use.
Facilitate knowledge dissemination by sharing innovative agricultural practices, emerging technologies, and research-driven solutions to drive sustainable farming.
Provide practical examples of best practices in agriculture, enabling widespread adoption of effective and sustainable farming methods.
About STEP UP:
STEP UP aligns closely with the EU CAP Network’s mission by addressing critical gaps in data on environmentally sustainable livestock practices. The project evaluates innovative livestock production systems that integrate technological solutions to enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and improve animal welfare. Through this approach, STEP UP generates robust data on externalities and sustainability indicators, providing policymakers, researchers, and farmers with actionable knowledge to support evidence-based decision-making and refine CAP implementation.
Models like CAPRI (Common Agricultural Policy Regionalised Impact Modelling System) play a crucial role in STEP UP by assessing the economic, environmental, and social impacts of both innovative and traditional livestock systems. CAPRI is a comparative static partial equilibrium model designed to evaluate the ex-ante impacts of CAP and trade policies on production, income, markets, trade, and the environment at global, national, and regional (NUTS2) levels. It provides detailed insights into nutrient balances, greenhouse gas emissions, and the effects of CAP subsidies, enabling a comprehensive assessment of livestock production systems.
The Impact of STEP UP’s Promotion on the EU CAP Network:
Being featured on the EU CAP Network amplifies STEP UP’s reach and impact, fostering knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement through webinars, workshops, and collaborative policy forums. It also strengthens the project’s capacity to influence policy by delivering data-driven insights that can inform CAP Strategic Plans, promoting sustainable livestock systems and driving agricultural innovation across Europe. Some of the significant STEP UP results showcased online through Practical Abstracts provide better insight for stakeholders and similar initiatives to learn more about the project’s mission.
For more information about STEP UP and its activities, visit project’s official page or Explore how STEP UP is shaping the future of sustainable livestock production and visit our page on the EU CAP Network!
