RESEAU INTERNATIONAL URGENCI

Their core work

URGENCI is an international network advocating for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and local food partnerships, connecting producers directly with consumers. In H2020 projects, they bring grassroots expertise on territorial food systems, seed diversity, and agroecological transitions. Their role bridges civil society movements with academic research, providing real-world knowledge on how short food supply chains and community-driven agriculture function across countries. They represent the voice of local food networks in EU research on sustainable food systems.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

URGENCI's earliest H2020 involvement (DYNAVERSITY, 2017) focused on seed diversity and genetic resource management — the agrobiodiversity foundation of local food systems. By 2020-2021, their focus shifted decisively toward territorial food systems, agroecological transitions, and collaborative agri-food chains (COACH and ATTER). This progression shows a move from biodiversity conservation toward systemic food system transformation, with increasing emphasis on action research methodologies.

URGENCI is moving from biodiversity-focused participation toward leading roles in action research on territorial food system transformation — expect future involvement in food sovereignty, agroecology policy, and community-driven food governance projects.

How they like to work

URGENCI consistently joins as a participant, never as coordinator — typical for a civil society network that contributes grassroots knowledge and practitioner connections rather than managing research logistics. With 47 unique partners across 15 countries, they operate within large, diverse consortia. This wide network suggests they are valued as a bridge between research institutions and on-the-ground food movement actors across Europe.

URGENCI has collaborated with 47 unique partners across 15 countries, reflecting their role as an international network. Their partnerships span a broad European geography, consistent with an organization whose membership includes CSA networks from many countries.

What sets them apart

URGENCI occupies a rare niche: they are the international voice of Community Supported Agriculture movements within EU research. Unlike universities or research institutes, they bring direct access to thousands of local food partnerships and producer-consumer networks across Europe. For any consortium needing genuine civil society engagement, practitioner validation, or dissemination into grassroots food networks, URGENCI provides reach that academic partners simply cannot replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• COACH
  Largest funding (EUR 402,550) and most directly aligned with URGENCI's core mission — collaborative agri-food chains and territorial food systems.
• ATTER
  An MSCA-RISE project combining agroecological transitions with action research, signaling URGENCI's growing role in participatory research methodologies.