Research
ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECT
Advice in bee health – part of the Competence Hub
Aims to strengthen the beekeeping knowledge and innovation system and thereby contribute to more sustainable beekeeping. In 2022, a network for Regional Bee Health Advisors was created based on this, a result of cooperation between beekeepers, their organizations and various authorities. The goal is to increase beekeepers' conditions to maintain healthy and strong bee colonies.
"Competence Hub and Quality-Assured Knowledge Platform for Beekeeping and Pollination - Research-Based Advisory Services in Sweden" is the full name of the project.
The project ran from 2021 to 2023.
Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.
Funder: Support for the Beekeeping Sector.
Strengthening the links between pollination and honey production in areas with insecure food production
Case studies are being carried out in Sri Lanka and India.
Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.
Funder: SLU Global.
B-THENET
Best beekeeping practices in the EU are identified and linked
B-THENET (Best Practices and Innovations for a Sustainable Beekeeping) is an EU-funded project that will work to identify best practice methods in beekeeping and help modernize the beekeeping sector by promoting innovation.
Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.
Funder: Horizon Europe.
Citizen research for increased pollination
About involving beekeepers and a nature-interested public to gain better knowledge about what is required for both honeybees and wild pollinators to have suitable habitats and food supply throughout the year.
Project title is "Citizen research for the evaluation of pollinators' access to nectar and pollen plants in a landscape perspective. Voluntary involvement and the driving force for local change".
Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.
Funder: Support to the Beekeeping Sector.
AgroBioConnect
The project aims to investigate the effect of landscape complexity and connectivity over time, and the importance of land use on ecosystem services.
Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.
Funder: SusCrop– ERA-NET.
Support for soil health pioneers
From wanting to dare and be able – how can we better support agricultural entrepreneurs to promote the long-term sustainability of arable land
Contact person: Jenny Höckert and Christina Lundström.
Funder: The Kamprad Family Foundation.
KliMATspelet
SLU Competence center on Advisory Services, together with 4H, Svenska Kyrkans Unga, Sverok Väst, WWF Sweden Youth, SLU Holding, Bioresurs, NTA-skolutveckling and the University of Skövde, has received funding from the Inheritance Fund to develop a digital game. Here, young people are given the opportunity to test various issues and goal conflicts that affect climate, biodiversity, plant nutrient management and the consumption and production of food.
Contact person: Christina Lundström.
Funder: Västra Götaland Region, Future Foods, Formas.
COREnet – how knowledge and support create shorter paths between food producers and consumers.
A European project, which will map and strengthen actors who act as advisors to companies in so-called short food chains or local food supply. COREnet includes 13 partners from 11 EU countries, including SLU.
COREnet will compile and present good practices and success stories in local food supply and support the development of more effective knowledge support, including through a pan-European learning network for knowledge actors and advisors. The project will promote knowledge exchange, disseminate innovative solutions and engage producers, advisors and other relevant actors. In addition, the project will promote the integration of knowledge actors and advisors for local food supply in the national AKIS work.
Contact person: Lisa Blix Germundsson,
lisa.germundsson@slu.se
Project website: shortfoodchain.eu
LivestockSense for sustainability
LivestockSense aims to improve the sustainability of pigs and poultry by facilitating the introduction of information technology. The project runs from 2020 to 2022.
Contact person: Christina Lundström.
Funder: Formas.
Sustainable beef farming – from theory to practice
How to conduct sustainable beef farming is largely already known from research and practice. The focus of the project is that this knowledge will now be translated into practical action on a larger scale at farm level. The effect will be better resource utilization, which will lead to more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable beef companies.
Contact person: Jenny Höckert.
Funder: "Tillämpningsklivet", an agreement between the Västra Götaland Region and SLU.
Milk producers' experiences of the work environment and work performance in robotic systems
The study aims to evaluate milk producers' experiences of the digital work environment in the use of milk robots in their work practice.
Contact person: Christina Lundström.
Funder: SLO.
Land Use Dialogues
The Land Use Dialogues project has been about restoring natural pastures. Now the work is entering a new phase where, together with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, we are investigating how the different tools in Natural Farming Dialogue can be made available to more types of places and more users.
Natural Farming Dialogue is a collaboration between SLU Competence Centre Advisory and the County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland. The person responsible at SLU is Magnus Ljung.
Contact: Lars.Johansson@lansstyrelsen.se.
SustAinimal
A center for sustainability and competitiveness in the food system led by SLU but with a number of partners in academia, industry and interest groups. SLU Competence Center Advisory leads WP7, in collaboration with the Swedish Society for Agricultural Economics.
Contact person: Magnus Ljung.
Funder: Formas.
COMPLETED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Farming methods for increased soil quality and higher crop stability during extreme weather
Climate projections for Sweden show that the future will involve higher temperatures during the summer and greater variations in precipitation between years. This will pose enormous challenges for Swedish agriculture. The main aim of the project is to shed light on the relationship between farming methods, soil quality and harvest.
Principal applicant: Thomas Keller, Department of Soil and Environment, SLU.
Funder: Agricultural Research Foundation.
Implementation of a risk assessment system for soil compaction
– users’ evaluation of potentials and obstacles
Soil compaction due to driving with agricultural machinery is one of the greatest threats to soil health. The main aim of the project is to integrate the Terranimo® decision support system into the farmer’s operational planning.
Contact person: Jenny Höckert and Christina Lundström.
Funder: Formas.
PREPSOIL
The EU Commission's Mission "Soil Deal for Europe" proposes a new approach to achieve broad impact: Research and innovation, based on Open Science and strong engagement from stakeholders and citizens.
Lead applicant in Sweden: Jennie Barron, Department of Soil and Environment.
Funder: Horizon Europe.
Service zoos
Service zoos are being established at four Skåne apple orchards, to counteract the challenges that today's agricultural landscape poses for biodiversity and to create benefits in apple farming.
Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.
Funder: Partnership Alnarp.
Beespoke
SLU Competence Center Advisory Services is the WP leader for issues regarding scaling up new working methods and evaluating communication and knowledge development.
Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.
Funder: Interreg North Sea Region.
SmartBees
An EU project where SLU Competence Centre Advisory contributes to developing a toolbox for advisory services for beekeepers across Europe.
Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.
What is required of and what drives a soil health entrepreneur?
The project aims to conduct complementary qualitative in-depth interviews for a study conducted by the Swedish Board of Agriculture in 2020–2021 (report not yet ready).
The aim of the Swedish Board of Agriculture's project was to describe the systems of some soil health entrepreneurs, from a technical and agronomic perspective.
Main applicant: Christina Lundström, SLU Competence Centre Advisory.
Financer: Fred med jorden.
Project duration: 2021–2022.
Improved soil health
Contact person: Jenny Höckert.
Funder: Ekhagastiftelsen
Analysis process of common knowledge needs in agriculture
Development and testing of a new method for compiling and analyzing farmers' knowledge needs at the national level.
Contact person: Magnus Ljung.
Funder: Formas, project owner RISE.
Waterdrive
Sustainable water management from a landscape perspective.
Contact person: Magnus Ljung.
Funder: Interreg Baltic Sea Program.
FutureEUAqua
On the future of aquaculture to effectively promote the sustainable growth of climate-resilient, environmentally friendly organic and conventional aquaculture of large fish species and organisms at low trophic levels in Europe, to meet future challenges regarding the growing consumer demand for high-quality, nutritious and responsibly produced food.
Contact person: Magnus Ljung.
Funder: European Union, Horizon 2020.
BioGov
About developing a collaborative management model for managing landscapes with high natural values and where different local actors should cooperate.
Contact person: Magnus Ljung.
Funder: Interreg North Sea Region, project owner County Administrative Board.