The Horizon 2020-funded project SHOWCASE is proud to announce the publication of four practice abstracts on the EU CAP Network platform, a significant step forward in promoting biodiversity integration within European agriculture. These findings reflect the project’s mission to support farmers in adopting sustainable practices that enhance native biodiversity while maintaining productive, resilient farming systems.
The inclusion of these practice abstracts on the EU CAP Network platform is a milestone not only for dissemination but for impact. As a core hub for sharing knowledge and innovation under the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the platform ensures wide accessibility of SHOWCASE’s results to farmers, advisors, policymakers and other stakeholders across Europe. These abstracts deliver practical, evidence-based insights, offering both strategic guidance and actionable solutions that align with the CAP’s evolving goals for sustainable agriculture.
The first abstract provides insight into the comprehensive understanding of the social, economic, ecological and policy-related factors that influence biodiversity management on farms. Across 10 EU countries, socioeconomic research has revealed the complex motivations and trade-offs farmers face when considering biodiversity-enhancing practices. While many farmers recognise the functional benefits of biodiversity - such as improved pollination and soil fertility - these are often weighed against costs, administrative burdens and uncertainty in outcomes. Farmers who value biodiversity for its intrinsic worth are more likely to adopt holistic, long-term conservation strategies, but knowledge gaps and lack of support frequently hinder implementation.
The importance of well-designed incentives and policy instruments is zeroed on in the second practice abstract. Despite the presence of regulatory frameworks like the EU Nature Directives and CAP conditionality rules, much of their potential to support biodiversity-positive farming remains underutilised. However, the future CAP’s eco-schemes show promise: 20 out of 45 proposed practices directly target biodiversity through approaches like agroecology, agroforestry and high nature value farming. Financial incentives - particularly those that are flexible, locally tailored and result-based - can help overcome barriers and encourage widespread adoption of biodiversity-friendly practices.
Understanding farmer behaviour is equally crucial. Hence, the third practice abstract provides insights from a survey of 700 farmers across Europe, identifying strong environmental motivations, but also the need for structural support. Recommendations from this work include strengthening cooperation across the food value chain, such as through local food hubs; implementing agglomeration bonuses and spatial coordination in biodiversity measures; and offering independent, on-the-ground advisory services to bridge information gaps. While there is limited enthusiasm for biodiversity-specific product labels, there is growing interest in business models that use measurable biodiversity indicators, suggesting a future path for integrating biodiversity into broader sustainability standards like organic certification.
Finally, the fourth practice abstract emphasises the importance of bridging the science-policy gap. Research only has transformative potential when it informs real-world decisions. To that end, scientists involved in SHOWCASE have outlined a strategy for effective policy engagement: embedding policy needs into research design, co-producing outcomes with stakeholders, communicating across sectors and translating complex findings into clear, actionable insights for decision-makers. This proactive, collaborative approach is essential in making biodiversity research relevant, accessible and influential in shaping future agricultural policy.
The publication of these practice abstracts not only reflects the depth and breadth of the SHOWCASE project, but also serves as a tool for empowering Europe’s farming communities. By addressing key challenges and proposing scalable, context-sensitive solutions, SHOWCASE supports the EU’s broader ambition for a sustainable transition in agriculture - one where biodiversity is not a barrier to efficiency, but a core component for achieving sustainable farming.
Read all the abstracts here.