European agriculture faces significant challenges: climate change pressures, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and the need to reduce chemical inputs while maintaining productivity. Research institutions have developed numerous sustainable practices that address these challenges, yet adoption rates among smallholder farmers remain disappointingly low.

The gap between research and practice exists for several reasons: information overload, language barriers, lack of localized adaptation, insufficient practical guidance, and limited peer support networks. Farmers often struggle to identify which practices are genuinely evidence-based, applicable to their specific context, and economically viable.

CROPMATCHING was conceived to systematically address these barriers. Funded under the EU Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme, the project brings together 13 leading agricultural institutions from 10 EU member states and 3 associated countries: Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Netherlands, Cyprus, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, and Turkey.

The consortium combines expertise in agronomy, soil science, climate adaptation, knowledge management, and farmer engagement to create a platform that is both scientifically rigorous and practically useful for the diverse conditions across European agriculture.

A Europe where every smallholder farmer has immediate access to validated, localized, and actionable knowledge for sustainable cropping.

We envision thriving regional communities where farmers learn from each other, research translates seamlessly into practice, and agricultural sustainability becomes the accessible default rather than the exceptional effort.

To curate, localize, and deliver evidence-based sustainable cropping practices through accessible training and vibrant regional networks, empowering smallholder farmers across Europe to adopt practices that improve soil health, enhance biodiversity, reduce inputs, and build climate resilience—all aligned with EU Common Agricultural Policy and Green Deal objectives.

Curate Evidence-Based Practices

Select and validate sustainable cropping practices from trusted sources including EIP-AGRI, FAO TECA, and Organic Farm Knowledge repositories.

Develop Training Materials

Create short-format training modules (10-35 minutes) with practical checklists, certification, and multilingual support for busy farmers.

Build Regional Communities

Establish and coordinate Regional Working Groups across 13 countries for peer exchange, local events, and advisory support.

Enable Knowledge Transfer

Bridge the gap between research-proven practices and on-farm adoption through accessible, localized, and actionable content.

Monitor and Measure Impact

Track adoption rates, environmental outcomes, and farmer satisfaction to continuously improve the platform and content.

Support Policy Alignment

Align content and outcomes with EU CAP, AKIS, and Green Deal objectives to support policy implementation at the farm level.