Author: Serafín Pazos-Vidal (AEIDL)
On 28 January 2026, Tools4CAP contributed to the ECO‑READY workshop in Brussels dedicated to shaping the project’s policy legacy and long‑term impact on European food systems. The workshop brought together research partners, Living Labs and selected external initiatives to jointly explore how research results can be translated into robust, operational policy recommendations.
AEIDL represented Tools4CAP in the workshop and participated actively in the two afternoon policy co‑creation sessions, where discussions focused on turning analytical results into concrete recommendations for public authorities.
Bringing tools and governance perspectives into the debate
Tools4CAP contributions centred on a key question shared with ECO‑READY: how to equip Member States with the right tools, data and capacities to design, monitor and adapt CAP Strategic Plans in a context of increasing climate and systemic risks.
Drawing on its work supporting the 2023–2027 CAP Strategic Plans and preparing the ground for the post‑2027 period, Tools4CAP highlighted the importance of combining:
- quantitative modelling tools for ex‑ante and ex‑post assessment,
- participatory and multi‑level governance methods, and
- novel data and monitoring solutions capable of integrating climate, environmental and socio‑economic dimensions.
These elements were discussed in relation to ECO‑READY’s thematic strands, notably climate and data & indicators, where the need for credible, interoperable and policy‑relevant evidence was a recurring theme.
Climate, data and indicators: operationalising ambition
In the climate‑related discussions, AEIDL shared how Tools4CAP deliverables position climate not as a stand‑alone objective, but as a mandatory dimension of CAP governance. Modelling tools such as CAPRI, GLOBIOM or farm‑level simulation models were discussed as practical instruments to support:
- climate impact assessments,
- evaluation of mitigation and adaptation measures,
- analysis of trade‑offs between environmental, economic and social objectives.
From a data and indicators perspective, Tools4CAP contributions focused on data architecture and governance: how to integrate heterogeneous sources (administrative data, farm‑level data, Earth observation, sensors) and how to translate them into indicators that are meaningful for monitoring and decision‑making, rather than purely reporting.
These reflections resonated strongly with ECO‑READY’s ambition to develop an integrated, data‑driven Observatory capable of supporting early warning, policy learning and long‑term resilience.
Capacity building and advisory systems: a critical missing link
AEIDL also drew attention to the role of capacity building and advisory systems, an area where Tools4CAP has developed concrete solutions through the Tools4CAP Academy. The Academy’s modular training programme illustrates how administrations, advisors and other stakeholders can be supported to:
- understand and use complex analytical tools,
- work with integrated datasets and indicators,
- engage in participatory policy design and multi‑actor coordination.
In the workshop discussions, this experience helped underline a key message: tools only deliver impact if institutions and people have the capacity to use them effectively.
Contributing to a shared policy legacy
By participating in the ECO‑READY co‑creation workshops, Tools4CAP contributed a governance‑ and implementation‑oriented perspective to the debate, complementing ECO‑READY’s work on food system resilience and observatories.
This exchange confirmed the added value of closer dialogue between Horizon Europe projects working at different points of the policy cycle—from data and modelling to governance, capacity building and implementation—when shaping future EU agri‑food and climate policies.