ROTATES First Training Workshop

The ROTATES project (Minor ROot and Tuber crops fostering AgrobiodiversiTy and Ecosystem Services) aims to enhance agrobiodiversity and ecosystem services across Europe by integrating underutilized starchy root and tuber crops – specifically sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.), yam (Dioscorea spp.), cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), and taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) – into conventional and organic farming systems. To achieve this, ROTATES diagnoses adoption barriers across the value chain, focusing on farming practices, genetics, and plant health. It applies agroecological practices like crop rotation and intercropping to boost soil health and biodiversity while maintaining yields, evaluated directly through pilot Living Labs to measure management practices, agronomic performance, and ecosystem impacts. The project establishes breeding hubs and clean seed certification to supply climate-adapted varieties. Additionally, it develops high-value food and livestock feed products from these crops and residues, while supporting market integration through targeted marketing, training, and the pilot Living Labs network. Management practices, agronomic performance, and ecosystem impacts will be co-developed and evaluated across six pilot Living Labs – located in continental Europe (pLL1-Cyprus, pLL2-France, pLL3-Portugal), overseas Europe (pLL4-French Guiana, pLL5-Madeira), and the Republic of the Congo (pLL6-Congo) – where each targeted MRT crop is tested to address specific key challenges: taro regarding climate change and water scarcity (pLL1, pLL2, pLL5), sweet potato regarding pests and weeds (pLL2, pLL3), and cassava regarding deforestation (pLL4, pLL6). To directly address these site-specific challenges, three face-to-face training workshops on innovative agroecological practices will take place in each pilot Living Lab, as part of Task 4.6: Training of farmers in the use of novel agroecological practices co-created and validated within WP4. Each training session will involve at least 25 value-chain participants across key sectors, including farmers, agricultural advisors, and representatives from farmers' associations, with the following order: The first face-to-face training workshop, scheduled from July to September 2026 (Months 13– 15), focuses on local agronomic diagnosis and initiates the co-design of innovative agroecological practices. The second face-to-face workshop, running from October 2026 to October 2027 (Months 16–28), serves as a mid-term milestone to demonstrate agroecological practices under development in both experimental (on-station) and practical (on-farm) settings, collecting farmers' feedback to refine this agroecological methodology. The third workshop, taking place from November 2027 to December 2028 (Months 29–42), will use field demonstrations to deliver training on the most promising innovative practices developed in ROTATES, including the provision of ecosystem services in collaboration with WP6. The Deliverable 4.6 seeks to address the first face-to-face training workshop across the six pilot Living Labs, by registering the establishment of a multi-actor co-construction platform for knowledge exchange between local communities and agricultural experts; and to how participants had the opportunity to evaluate key practices – such as crop rotation and intercropping systems – within the ecological, cultural, and socio-economic contexts of local MRT cultivation. With this, this foundational workshop had the main objective to understand the local farming practices, while also fostering a collaborative environment to support the effective dissemination and adoption of MRT crop solutions. This deliverable presents a comprehensive summary of each workshop across the six pilot Living Labs. It includes details on dissemination and visibility, agendas and training materials, event photos, participant turnout and represented organizations, alongside other relevant supporting materials. Additionally, it captures the workshop impact and lessons learned through participant feedback and concluding insights. This work belongs to WP4 Task 4.6, which is closely linked within other work packages in the project, namely the ROTATES Multi-Actor Approach & Living Lab Methodological Framework with WP1 and WP7, and well as the assessment of ecosystem services and crop management impacts on soil health within the WP6.