Boosting Circularity And Diversification Strategies Of Terrestrial Livestock Production Systems
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-05
- Programme
- Call 02 - single stage (2026)
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Open (31094502)
- Opening Date
- January 14, 2026
- Deadline
- April 14, 2026
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €11,800,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €5,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €6,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 2
- Keywords
- HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-05HORIZON-CL6-2026-02Agriculture related to animal husbandry, dairying, livestock raisingAnimal breedingCircular economyCrop and livestock productionData value chainsEcosystem-Based ApproachFeed productsWool producing animals
Description
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- farmers, rural communities, and agrifood or animal by-product value chain operators benefit from improved practices, technologies and validated tools that promote sustainability through the implementation of diversification and circularity in livestock farming systems, contributing to agricultural biodiversity;
- public authorities, consumers and other actors of the value chain are provided with evidence-based information on the socio-economic-environmental impacts of diversification and circularity strategies in the livestock farming systems to support their choices;
- tailored collective actions are implemented to support the organization of farmers, producers, rural communities and other value chain stakeholders into cooperatives, associations or community networks to enhance collaboration, resources sharing, market access, bargaining power, and sustainable development.
Boosting circularity and diversification strategies of livestock production systems by integrating for example diverse animal breeds and species, multiple animal products and by-products, and sustainable land-use approaches like mixed crop-livestock systems and agroforestry can help to reduce environmental ad climate impact, to increase biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, to minimize waste, and to enhance overall farming system resilience to environmental and economic shocks. Such strategies can provide alternative revenue streams (e.g., meat, dairy, wool, eggs, wood, fruit, manure, ecosystem services/carbon credits), improve farmers’ income stability, reduce dependency on external inputs and on single-product markets, and create more sustainable farms and rural economies.
Farmers are increasingly interested in diverse and circular livestock farming strategies, but the efficiency, profitability, trade-offs, interactions, and co-benefits of these strategies vary by region, farm type, and economic conditions. The aim is to assess the real short- and long-term impact and scalability of these strategies in different pedo-climatic regions and in various terrestrial livestock systems, including organic farming. It is important to investigate local agricultural and agro-industrial resources, including residues, by-products and co-products that are not valorised to produce energy or bio-based chemicals for the wider bioeconomy (such as bioenergy, biopolymers/biomaterials), but instead remain within the farming system for circular uses such as animal feed, soil amendments, organic fertilizers, and other innovative uses.
Proposals should address all the following activities:
- develop and validate innovative strategies and tools, including monitoring systems, to optimize diversification and circularity in terrestrial livestock farming systems at multiple levels (e.g., animals, products, by-products, farm, land) and scales (spatial, organizational and temporal). This includes valorising resources, by-products, residues and waste, closing the nutrient loops, and enhancing resilience, sustainability, biodiversity and profitability while considering the specific local context and needs of rural areas, and ensuring that food safety is maintained;
- foster the utilisation of locally available value-added products, co-products and by-products from terrestrial livestock farming systems, taking into account the EU regulatory framework and relevant standards, while assessing synergies, trade-offs, and possible interactions between resource use, efficiency, circularity and sustainability;
- enhance exchange among the participants along the value chain of information, good practices and innovations on circularity and diversification, including logistic, governance and business models that help in sharing local resources, aggregating supply, improving the bargaining power of farmers through cooperative structures and preserving the cultural heritage related to traditional local rural production;
- analyse the social and economic viability of the diversified and circular livestock farming systems, with particular attention to market trends and value chain analysis, including traceability, and their contribution to sustainable rural development;
- provide scientific evidence and policy advice that support the assessment of the current EU regulatory framework relevant to the sector and to existing or novel products derived from animal and agricultural by-products.
Proposals should either address Area A: any terrestrial livestock production system or Area B: production system on the wool value chain (i.e. fiber animal production systems). The area (A or B) should be clearly indicated on the application.
The projects under this topic are relevant to the EU policies related to the EU Green Deal’s objectives for resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Vision for Agriculture and Food, the EU climate policy and the EU Action Plan for the Development of Organic production[1].
Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach and ensure adequate involvement of the main stakeholders involved in animal husbandry in Europe, including farmers, shepherds and relevant organisations notably in the livestock sectors, territorial planners, advisors, private sector/industry (e.g. processors, retailers, distributors), policy-makers, consumers, etc.
Proposals should capitalise on relevant research findings and tools, included those developed under previous research projects, where relevant.
[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0141R%2801%29
Destination & Scope
This destination will support the EU Commission priority ‘Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature’.
R&I will provide new knowledge and innovation in support of the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food, built on the recommendations of the Strategic Dialogue on Agriculture, to ensure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our farming, fisheries, aquaculture and food sector within the boundaries of our planet. The implementation of the Green Deal actions will continue to guide R&I in this destination to foster sustainable food systems, addressing potential trade-offs between economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability.
The R&I activities under this Destination will contribute to the ambitious objectives of the current CAP concerning the competitiveness and sustainability of feed, food and non-food production as well as additional future CAP policy priorities. More specifically, actions will contribute to the specific objectives of the CAP; EU action plan for the development of organic production; food safety regulations; sustainable use of pesticides requirements under the plant protection products framework; action plan against antimicrobial resistance; animal health and welfare legislations; legislative and non-legislative initiatives to enhance cooperation of primary producers and improve their competitiveness and position in the food chain; protein strategy; contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security and communications on food security and fertilizers, the Nature Restoration Regulation, the Zero Pollution Action Plan.
R&I will also support the announced Vision for the Fisheries Sector with a 2040 perspective and the European Ocean Pact, a framework of coherence across all policies linked to the ocean. R&I will also be relevant to the outcomes of the evaluation of the common fisheries policy (CFP) and will support its placement under this Pact, as fisheries and aquaculture are affected by other ocean related policies.
An important driving force of food systems transformation should be the integration of sectors, actors (including citizens and consumers) and policies. This will involve a better understanding of the multiple interactions between the components of current food systems, to foster solutions that maximise co-benefits with respect to the priorities of Food 2030[1].
The EU Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the[2] EU provides an overview of the application of biotechnologies in several sectors including food and feed. R&I activities in this destination will also contribute to achieving the objectives of the Strategy for European Life Sciences, the EU Biotech Act, and the new EU bioeconomy strategy.
The Destination supports unlocking the unique assets for research and innovation of the EU outermost regions, in line with the EU strategy for outermost regions[3].
Expected impact: Proposals for topics under this destination should set out credible paths to “ensuring healthy food and nutrition security by making agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems sustainable, resilient, inclusive and within planetary boundaries”. More specifically, proposed topics should contribute to one or more of the following expected impacts:
- agriculture and food systems contribute to ensuring a secure, safe, sustainable, nutritious, and affordable supply of healthy food in Europe and beyond by fostering its long-term competitiveness, resilience, scalability and sustainability within the boundaries of our planet with the One Health approach;
- farmers are empowered to ensure the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the farming sector, through increasing knowledge, tools, innovative solutions, and advice that allow efficient productivity, working for and with nature, preserving and restoring biodiversity within agricultural ecosystems and helping to decarbonise the EU economy;
- sustainable fisheries and aquaculture (in marine, brackish and freshwater) contribute to fair, healthy, resilient and environment-friendly food systems in healthy aquatic ecosystems with thriving diversity of species and habitats providing ecosystem and climate services and triggering growth and jobs’ creation in coastal and rural areas;
- tools are provided so that citizens and communities are empowered to make the sustainable food choices and move towards safe, healthy, nutritious, accessible, affordable and sustainable diets. Insights and advances in life science and digital & data technologies are valorised to deploy solutions in practice across the EU;
- food businesses, including food processing industries and SMEs, are supported to increase their resilience and competitiveness, while ensuring resource efficiency and sustainability, and human, animal and ecosystem health is preserved.
[1] The four priorities of Food2030 are: 1) nutrition and health; 2) climate and environmental sustainability; 3) circularity and resource efficiency; and 4) innovation and empowering communities.
[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52024DC0137.
[3] COM(2022) Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligible Conditions
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: the proposals must apply the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in this work programme part.
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
To ensure a balanced portfolio covering systems and products, grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but at least also to one application within the wool value chain (i.e. fiber animal production systems) that is the highest ranked, and one application highest ranked within another relevant value chain, provided that the applications attain all thresholds.
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Frequently Asked Questions About Boosting Circularity And Diversification Strategies Of Terrestrial Livestock Production Systems
Support & Resources
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