Crop-MATCHING’s first EU Policy Exchange Hybrid Workshop

As part of its policy and governance needs analysis activities, the Horizon Europe project Crop-MATCHING will organise the first of its two planned EU policy exchange hybrid events on 9 September at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (CIHEAM MAICh).

This hybrid event aims to review EU, national, and regional policies relevant to smallholder farming and to assess governance frameworks supporting the adoption of crop-matching practices, identifying key gaps, barriers, and enabling factors, while also collecting stakeholder feedback to validate the project’s findings.

At least one representative from each target country as well as at least one representative from each partner organisation (Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Norway, Romania, Poland, and Portugal, Denmark, Cyprus and the Netherlands), will participate in the event. EU, national, and regional policymakers, local and regional authorities, agricultural and environmental experts, researchers, and project partners are invited to contribute to the discussions on existing policies and governance frameworks related to smallholder farming and the adoption of crop-matching practices.

This hybrid event offers an opportunity to exchange experiences on policy and governance approaches across Europe, discuss challenges and enabling conditions for smallholder farming, and share best practices and successful policy initiatives supporting sustainable agriculture. It will further contribute to validating the project’s policy analysis and informing recommendations for future policy and governance improvements.

The programme will include keynote presentations, expert interventions, interactive roundtable discussions, and a cross-country policy dialogue.

Participation in this important exchange will help shape future policy and governance frameworks that better support Europe’s smallholder farmers and the wider uptake of sustainable crop-matching practices.

In addition, the timing of this hybrid event on 9 September provides a valuable opportunity for further exchange, as it is held back-to-back with a side event on Matching Natural Solutions and Practices, organised on the same day under the framework of the 194th Seminar of the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE)  entitled “Matching Agri-Food Systems and Ecosystems via AI: Aligning Digital Innovation with Sustainability and Policy Goals,” which will be held on 10–11 September 2026, at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh) in Crete, Greece.

Event Details

Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme

Grant Agreement No. 101182980

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