On 31 March 2026, the RAINS project organized a European-level online co-creation workshop, coordinated by ELGO with the support of SAV, AIMPLAS, UMH, UPM and AgroApps, bringing together 43 stakeholders from 15 European countries.
The workshop was a key component of the project’s participatory and multi-actor co-creation methodology, complementing the regional activities carried out in Greece and Spain by extending stakeholder engagement to a broader European scale. Unlike the regional workshops, which focused on specific pilot conditions, the European session captured the diversity of agricultural systems, institutional environments and policy frameworks across the EU, while encouraging dialogue on the cross-context applicability of the 10 RAINS solutions. The event included an introductory session on the RAINS project objectives and co-creation framework, an informative session presenting all solutions to establish a shared knowledge baseline, and an interactive Mentimeter-based session for real-time engagement and structured data collection.
The participatory design enabled the integration of perspectives from farmers, advisors, researchers, policymakers, industry representatives, utilities, networks and civil society actors, aligning technological innovation with real-world agricultural practices, governance conditions and user needs. During the interactive session, stakeholders assessed the relevance, adoption barriers, trusted information sources and investment potential of the RAINS solutions. WaterIQ, Solid Water, Reclaimed Wastewater Reuse and Biofertilizers emerged among the most relevant solutions at European level, while cost, limited awareness, technical support needs and integration into existing farming practices were identified as recurring adoption challenges. Overall, the workshop strengthened the transnational dimension of stakeholder engagement within RAINS and will support the development of a coherent, scalable framework for adapting and implementing project solutions across diverse European contexts.
The RAINS project warmly thanks all EU stakeholders for their active participation, valuable insights and meaningful contribution to the EU Co-creation Workshop!
