The EU-FarmBook initiative is fast becoming Europe’s central gateway for practical knowledge from EU-funded agricultural and forestry research. Using AI-powered tools, a growing database of research outputs and strong national and international networks, it helps farmers, foresters and advisers apply scientific insights directly in the field.
Already, EU-FarmBook hosts a substantial and expanding collection of evidence-based, applied resources for practitioners, researchers and educators. Development continues at regional, national and EU level, with a range of new features—including AI-driven enhancements—planned in the coming years. This forward trajectory was confirmed at a consortium meeting in Brussels in December 2025.
The initiative is led by a consortium of 29 organisations from 18 countries, spanning universities, farmer associations, advisory bodies, research institutes and public authorities. Their shared aim is to create an interactive, multilingual knowledge network serving Europe’s agricultural and forestry sectors.
An overview, along with news, upcoming events and background information, is available at welcome.eufarmbook.eu. The linked core site, eufarmbook.eu, ensures that innovative results and best practices from EU- and nationally funded initiatives reach practitioners on the ground. It also serves as a reference for researchers and agricultural journalists. All static content is accessible in the EU’s 24 official languages.
Making Research Visible
EU-funded studies under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe can upload their field-focused outputs to the site. Operational Groups (OGs) within the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) play a key role. These multi-actor teams bring together farmers, foresters, researchers, advisers, companies and civil society organisations to develop and test innovations under real-world conditions. Although many results are traditionally shared only nationally, EU-FarmBook ensures they are visible and accessible across Europe and beyond.
AI Tools Supporting Decision-Making
A standout feature is the AI-powered Farm Assistant, accessible for free via the main menu of the platform after registration. The chatbot answers specialist questions in English, German, French, Italian and Dutch. Its responses are drawn exclusively from content uploaded to EU-FarmBook, ensuring transparency and traceability. The system improves continuously as new resources are added. To refine the search experience, the team plans structured feedback collection and formal user testing.
Alongside this, the dedicated “Projects” portal allows users to explore outputs by custom search terms, EU-funding programmes and country. Around 2,130 projects are currently listed, with more than 1,800 providing field-focused resources such as documents, datasets, charts, audio files and videos. Text-based content can currently be translated into six languages, with full EU-language coverage planned by 2026.
Welcoming Additional Contributors
Participating initiatives can create their own micro-sites on EU-FarmBook to share results, news, partner profiles and events. By 2026, numerous additional EU-funded research and innovation initiatives are expected to join. Priority is given to Horizon Europe multi-actor projects, alongside efforts to broaden geographical reach and strengthen ties with national rural networks in seven more Member States.
A network of national and sectoral ambassadors covering all EU Member States helps contributors upload content. They support coordinators, link EU-FarmBook to national Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS), and adapt approaches to local needs. Potential contributors can find their appropriate contact person in the “Ambassadors” section of the project homepage (https://welcome.eufarmbook.eu/).
Between February 2024 and July 2025, almost 7,000 contributions were uploaded from 21 countries. Spain led with 499, followed by Italy (165), France (110), Germany (92) and Poland (77). Another 336 contributions from the Netherlands are accessible via Groen KennisNet.
Quality and Continuous Improvement
All content undergoes an annual quality assessment. In 2024, 98 outputs—mainly documents, videos, presentations and diagrams—were rated for relevance and usability on a 1–5 scale. The average score was 2.9. Detailed analysis identified weaknesses and informed improvements, ensuring the hub maintains practical value. It is planned that the quality assessment will be supported by AI in the future.
Building a Long-Term Knowledge Network
At the EU-FarmBook launch in Brussels in December 2025, Professor Pieter Spanoghe of Ghent University, project coordinator, emphasised its network-driven approach: “We want to build a research community, connect initiatives, link people and share contacts—giving users access to those who know what they need to know and can provide answers.” He stressed that the focus is on reliable, practical information funded by public research, not commercial interests.
Diego Canga Fano, Acting Deputy Director-General at the European Commission’s DG AGRI, highlighted the platform’s potential as a gateway for SMEs and start-ups to scale innovations from EU-funded research, supporting the full pathway from research to market uptake.
Paul Webb, Head of the “Green Europe” Research Department at the European Research Executive Agency (REA), thanked the Horizon projects that have already contributed to the platform. He stressed the importance of synergies between projects. The EU-FarmBook project started in August 2022 and runs until July 2029, with a Horizon Europe budget of €15 million. While governance after 2029 is still under discussion, the consortium is committed to ensuring long-term public access, backed by a sustainability strategy to keep knowledge available for future users.
Fonte: EU-FarmBook
