OK-Net Arable: exchanging knowledge, enhancing farming

Posted on 13th June 2016

by organicresearchcentre

The OK-Net Arable project promotes exchange of knowledge among farmers, farm advisers and scientists with the aim to increase productivity and quality in organic arable cropping in Europe. Since the start of the project in March 2015, the following has been achieved:

• Scientific analysis of constraints in organic arable cropping
  Based on most recent scientific literature, OK-Net Arable identified the barriers for increasing productivity in organic arable cropping and made recommendations in the areas of soil fertility and nutrient management, weed control and pest and disease control. Read the report.
• Farmer innovation groups share common challenges
  OK-Net Arable works with 14 farmer innovation groups, located in 10 countries distributed throughout Europe. These are groups of organic arable farmers engaged in research and innovation. OK-Net Arable brought together the common challenges identified by the groups in a report. These include weed management, soil fertility, and pest and disease control. Data from the farmer innovation groups show a wide range of crop yields. This indicates there is need, but also a clear possibility to improve farm yields. The report gives a good overview of challenges faced by organic arable farmers in Europe and presents solutions that the farmer innovation groups have been working on. All those working on this topic may be interested. Read the report.
• Best methods for learning and knowledge exchange
  OK-Net Arable has analysed how farmers and farm advisers access information. The findings show that the use of printed media is still wide-spread and that physical meetings (e.g. field days) are preferred to anonymous online courses. Nevertheless, it was also found that social media is changing the way information is spread and highlights the importance of online videos in the exchange of knowledge across borders.

Share your innovative solutions

The findings mentioned above are now being used to identify advisory materials and solutions that respond to the farmers’ challenges. The farmer innovation groups will be fully involved in this, but you are also invited to contribute.

Share your innovative solutions for enhancing arable farming. Please complete the template and send it to Bram Moeskops (email bram.moeskops@ifoam-eu.org). The ideas and information collected will be made available on the OK-Net Arable knowledge platform which will be launched in the autumn.

Find out more at http://www.ok-net-arable.eu/