On May 11, 2022, from the University of Leeds and iCASP organized the roadshow as part of the CONSOLE project.
The event took place at Hebden Bridge in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England. The Roadshow aimed to inform participants about the CONSOLE project and to present the results of surveys conducted among landowners, stakeholders in the 13 countries.
The meeting discussed the increased adoption of results-based agri-environmental schemes and advocated for farmers to enroll in short-term contracts with adequate (higher) payments than other agri-environmental contracts, with simple contract requirements and with the support of independent consultants and organizations as a means to achieve this goal.
Conclusions
The Roadshow aimed to inform participants about the CONSOLE project and to present the results of surveys conducted among landowners, stakeholders in the 13 countries. Case studies were presented, such as: the humus-Program of the Ökoregion Kaindorf, Austria and the delivering multiple environmental benefits in the south Pennines, United Kingdom. In addition, views were shared on how value chain and collective implementation contracts seem more feasible for this group (participants were members of the CONSOLE UK1 case study from WP2).
Participants also stated that the short duration of contracts and the opportunity to receive advice and support during the application and implementation phases are critical to the success of a contract and would influence the choice of contract. In addition, participants expressed a strong interest in attracting private/commercial funding, but it seems to be difficult to obtain or find partners interested in investing in such initiatives.
