Knowledge Hub

Outcomes of the Knowledge Hub

FOSC organized a series of activities bringing together the 17 projects funded by the 2019 call and the 5 projects from the 2021 call. The aim of those activities was to valorise research results and to produce joint research products based on the shared knowledge and insights from the various projects. The Knowledge Hub produced five valorisation items engaging 13 FOSC-funded projects. These products include a manual on traditional ecological knowledge, two animated videos, a VR game and a paper on waste utilisation. The use of various formats ensure that the outcomes are tailored to different audiences across diverse regions.

Valorisation products

1. Manual: "Including Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Agricultural Research: Guidelines and Lessons Learned”

Developed by the MedAgriFoodResilience and NUTRIGREEN projects, this manual guides young researchers on integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into agricultural research. Published in April 2024 on Zenodo, it quickly became the most downloaded document on the FACCE-JPI profile, with 600 downloads and more than 860 views to date.

2. Animated Video on Solutions to Drought and Salinity Stress in Agriculture

Four FOSC projects—Bio-Belief, C4C, Trustfarm, and SALAD—collaborated to create this engaging animated video. The video presents the impacts of drought and salinity stress on crops like eggplants, tomatoes, and quinoa, offering concise, visually appealing solutions. Finalised in June 2024, it will be translated into multiple languages to reach a broader audience.

3. Animated Video on Diversifying African Food Systems for Resilience

The UrbanFOSC and SAFOODS projects worked together to produce an animated video highlighting the need for paradigm shifts in African food systems. The video illustrates the importance of crop diversification in building resilience, focusing on policy processes that can support this transformation.

4. Climate-Smart Farming Virtual Reality (VR) Game (VARM)

The VARM simulator is an innovative virtual reality (VR) serious game co-created by VU Amsterdam and the University of Twente (UT), incorporating insights from two FOSC projects: SALAD and Trustfarm. It has gained recognition through features in the Partners for Water podcast, The Salty Intruder, and the upcoming Climate Breakdown Podcast series.

During a hackathon co-organized by FOSC Projects (including Katarzyna Negacz, Osama Naser and Cristobal Marin-Rojas), the IVM VR Lab and Rick Hogeboom from UT, the concept evolved into a virtual farming game, merging agricultural, biodiversity, water, and climate insights into a cohesive challenge.

The primary objective of the VARM simulator is to convey cutting-edge research on sustainable agriculture and salinity issues exacerbated by climate change in an engaging and accessible format. It targets stakeholders such as students, farmers, and policymakers. To democratize science, students participated in a two-day hackathon to co-design the game. The winning team—Andres Lot Camarena, Li Pan, and Tim But—developed the simulator under SALAD and IVM team’s guidance.

5. Perspective Paper on Waste Utilisation in Food and Feed Production

Seven FOSC projects— AlgaeBrew, BlueCycling, CHIAM, ClimAqua, Olive3P, PHEALING, and TrustFarm—jointly produced a perspective paper in the Sustainable Chemistry One World (ScienceDirect, Elsevier) journal. This document focuses on the barriers to implementing circular bioeconomy practices in food systems and propose recommendations for waste utilisation in food and feed production. The paper will provide policymakers with evidence-based insights for building a more sustainable and circular food economy.

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