Shedding Light into the Need of Knowledge Sharing in H2020 Thematic Networks for the Agriculture and Forestry Innovation

Providing ready-for-practice materials in an easily accessible and user-friendly way is one of the challenges of Horizon 2020 Thematic Networks (TNs) to promote agriculture and forestry innovation. Those materials are the result of the co-creation and knowledge exchange among TN actors. Using a survey, we investigated the most efficient communication and dissemination (C&D) channels, types and formats of TN-produced data, as well as the involvement of TN actors. Additionally, we propose to collect TN outputs in a single digital platform, such that they are more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR), ensuring the TN's impact. An open and interactive platform may allow us to overcome challenging issues such as language barriers, limited Internet access and differing cultural backgrounds. The results obtained from the survey suggest which content should be stored in such a digital knowledge reservoir for agriculture and forestry. For example, newsletters and visual materials are often preferred by farmers and foresters. Additionally, face-to-face interaction is confirmed to be the most preferred way of retrieving information, especially by researchers and farmers/foresters. Future work will further investigate the variations in needs of different user profiles. As such, the proposed platform can stimulate knowledge exchange among all TN actors.

Automated summary

Providing readily accessible and user-friendly materials is a challenge for Horizon 2020 Thematic Networks (TNs) in promoting innovation in agriculture and forestry. This study investigates the most efficient communication and dissemination channels, types and formats of TN-produced data, and the involvement of TN actors. A proposed digital platform aims to collect TN outputs in a FAIR manner, overcoming challenges such as language barriers and limited Internet access. Results suggest that newsletters and visual materials are preferred by farmers and foresters, and face-to-face interaction is favored by researchers and practitioners. Further research will explore the varying needs of different user profiles, stimulating knowledge exchange among TN actors.