Carina Project’s Kick-Off Meeting Unveils Ambitious Plan to Transform EU Farming Systems

In collaboration with ahighly experienced team of partners, on 24th of November 2022 in Bologna, Italy, we have announced the launch of the “CARINA: CARinata and CamelINA to boost sustainable diversification in EU farming systemsproject. This initiative, funded by the European Commission under its Horizon Europe programme (HORIZON-CL6-2022-CIRCBIO-01-04), marks a significant step towards revolutionizing European agriculture. 

At the heart of CARINA are two novel oilseed crops, carinata and camelina, uniquely positioned to provide low iLUC feedstocks for the bio-based economy. Their adaptability allows successful cultivation across Europe and northern Africa. Extracting high-quality oils from these crops opens doors to innovative bio-based products, including bioherbicides and bioplastics. The project strategically plans to capitalize on the co-product – a protein-rich cake – as animal feed, alongside numerous high-value products derived from mucilage and glucosinolates. 

CARINA aims to achieve specific objectives by October 2026: 

  1. Identify and promote innovative, diversified, and sustainable farming systems. 
  2. Produce innovative biochemicals (monomers and polymers) from camelina and carinata. 
  3. Provide policy recommendations to encourage sustainable agricultural systems for the bioeconomy. 
  4. Evaluate economic profitability and environmental impacts associated with new cropping systems. 
  5. Showcase the replicability potential of CARINA systems across Europe. 
  6. Promote awareness along the value chain through direct engagement in social innovation. 

The project envisions establishing 9 lighthouses, 5 living labs, and 9 policy innovation labs in Europe to drive project activities and findings. Collaboration of over 20 partners from 13 European and associated countries is aiming to bring social innovation to 3 million farmers. 

CARINA is set to be a game-changer, steering European agriculture towards a sustainable and diversified future. 

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.