Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía (CTA) publicly presented the agroBRIDGES Toolbox at the Fruit Attraction fair in Madrid (3-5 October). This series of technological tools aimed at strengthening the Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) are the result of the European project agroBRIDGES, an initiative funded with almost 3 million euros by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

The agroBRIDGES Toolbox is the result of research carried out in the agri-food systems of 12 European regions, including Andalusia. Available in 12 languages, the Toolbox targets a wide range of stakeholders, including producers or farmers, consumers, members of the agri-food industry, distributors, retailers, wholesalers, public bodies, food buyers and participants in the HORECA business.

The tools focus on promoting SFSCs by training farmers to strengthen their knowledge in different areas, such as product labelling or communication. In addition, different platforms are available for consumers to express their needs, so that producers can detect consumers’ impulse opportunities.

To access them, it is necessary to register with an email address from the agroBRIDGES Toolbox website. User guides are available to learn how to use these tools. All the tools, which are free of charge, are grouped into four categories:

1. Digital tools: This category includes the Decision Support Tool, Net, Smart Delivery and Hear my Voice tools.
2. Communication tools: In this section there are five interesting resources such as Why am I special?, Yes, you can!, Label me, Know your local food and #WeNeedLocalFood.
3. Training tools: This category contains the Support for food procurement tool. This is an online training and awareness programme to guide policy makers and public food procurers, such as hospitals and schools, to include more food produced by Short Food Supply Chains.
4. Event organisation: Materials to support the organisation of events to promote the SFSCs, like Let's build our SFSCs and Let's meet.
   

The novelty of the European agroBRIDGES project is its ability to be replicated in different European regions in order to raise awareness of the advantages of SFSCs. Throughout its final phase, regional and national events have been held in 12 countries, connecting agri-food producers and distributors with consumers.

In addition, the Toolbox has been tested and validated as a way to generate transparency and trust between producers and consumers. In this project, technology has shown itself to be an ally in promoting local business models that are committed to sustainability and the local economy.

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How to use the agroBRIDGES Toolbox:

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