What can support services do to stimulate innovations at farm level? This is the central question in AgriSpin. The Cross Visits aim at collecting information about innovations that have taken place or that are in progress. The members of the visiting team are predominantly support agents themselves, which allows for vivid exchanges of experiences. A cross visit creates space for intensive informal interactions between colleagues from different corners of Europe. This provides a basis for continuous contacts after the project.

• Cross-visits
• methodology
• methods
• tools
• advisors
• innovation
• farmers

The inspirational booklet is a guide. It offers a collection of examples of good working practices involving different types of actors such as advisors, researchers, technology suppliers, retailers, civil society groups and administrators. The examples are from the 12 different European countries participating in the AgriSpin project and represent different stages of an innovation process. The booklet also presents some tools and lessons learned, which can help the innovator better understand the innovation process in order to anticipate possible pitfalls.

• innovation
• best practices
• social innovation
• agricultural production
• advisors

A Training Toolkit on Innovation - Why is it important? Advisors as well as other professionals (e.g. leaders of operational groups in EIP) who are supporting innovators and innovations have usually a technical background and technical skills. This is important in order to get acceptance and a good contact and to give technical support. However, we saw in a lot of cases during the AgriSpin cross visits, that technical knowledge was not the bottleneck during the innovation process. Often the non-technical issues (e.g. relationship between key persons, creativity and energy in the team, network – contacts, planning skills, space and resources for trial and error, communication skills etc.) were crucial.

• Innovation
• advisors
• toolkit

In Denmark, 4 innovation cases have been visited: 1. Chemical Control – and app. 2. SOP and LEAN – labour organisation and continuous improvements. 3. Mini Wet Lands – reducing the leaking of nitrogen 4. The SWAP-pen – securing animal welfare and survival of the piglets. The aim of this cross visit was to better understand these four innovative cases, the innovation process behind the cases, and the involvement of an innovation support service. Therefore, at each case the different actors were interviewed.

• AKIS
• innovation
• crossvisit
• advisors

In Latvia 4 innovation cases have been visited: 1. Teamwork for farm advice 2. Herbivorous project 3. Promotion of Youth entrepreneurship in rural areas 4. Development of economic activities (support for entrepreneurs) in rural areas The aim of this cross visit was to better understand these four innovative cases, the innovation process behind the cases, and the involvement of an innovation support service. Therefore, at each case the different actors were interviewed. The information gained during these interviews and the whole visit was used for the purpose of making a timeline for each case on which the crucial moments in the innovation process were indicated

• Cross-visit
• innovation
• AKIS
• advisors

It summarises the reports from all Cross Visits. During the Cross Visits the AgriSpin team gradually learned how to capture what really matters in the cases that were visited. It is important that the characteristics in the overview are helpful for: ● deepening the understanding of the individual cases and the effect of particular innovation support actions; ● making comparisons between cases, even though they represent different sectors and cover different types of innovation.

• Cross-visit
• innovation
• support service
• advisors

Tuscany Region hosted the Cross Visit from 7 th to 10th March 2016. The visit agenda was designed following the previous cross visits scheme: a. the first morning was dedicated to present Tuscany region and the activities of the host partner organization (Regional Government of Tuscany), the methodology to be used during the following days was explained ; 2. the afternoon and the next two days were dedicated to visit innovation cases and 3. the last day in the morning an event on the "The Innovation Broker : a new professional figure in agriculture" was organized and in the afternoon the cross visit ended with the AgriSpin symposium, which allowed the host partner and other invited relevant stakeholders to get feedbacks on what the team and the participants observed during the week

• Cross-visits
• AKIS
• innovation
• advisors

In Belgium - Flanders, 4 innovation cases have been visited: ‘Belgicactus – Agrocoach, innovative labour organization’, ‘De Polle – Distrikempen, a logistic innovation model’, ‘De Polle – Advisory Board” – strategic innovation’ ‘ Belgische Saffraan – Food Innovation Academy on Tour, product innovation”. The aim of this cross visit is to better understand these four innovative cases, the innovation process behind the cases and the involvement of an innovation support service. Therefore, at each case three different actors were interviewed.

• Farms
• AKIS
• innovation
• advisors

During the cross-visit in the Netherlands a total of 9 cases were visited: (1) Dutch Quinoa Group, (2) Keten Duurzaam Varkensvlees [Sustainable Supply Chain Pork], (3) VAIR Pigs, (4) MS Schippers [agri equipment], (5) Jacob van den Borne [precision agriculture], (6) Philips Fruit Garden, (7) VIC Sterksel [Pig Innovation Centre], (8) Roundel Poultry Housing Systems and (9) ‘‘t Schop’ [New Business Model]. The aim of this cross visit is to better understand these nine innovative cases, the innovation process behind the cases and the involvement and added value to this process of the innovation support services. Therefore, at each case different actors, which played a role in the specific innovation process, were interviewed.

• Cross-visit
• AKIS
• innovation
• advisors

The Agrispin Project aims at creating space for agricultural innovations, “through amplifying good examples of innovation support systems and through multiactor learning about ways to stimulate innovation and remove obstacles” (AGRISPIN Grand Agreement). The research approach for achieving such an aim is based on the in-depth exploration of a number of selected innovation cases during 13 cross visits (CV) in the project partners’ countries. Participants/ project partners in each CV endeavour to gain a deeper understanding of innovation processes and inspiration for improvements of the services being offered, finding a method for exploring innovation practices and the role of support service providers and contributing to the creation of a professional network of innovation support agents(Grand Agreement). During the Greek four innovative cases were studied: Case 1: Agricultural Stevia Cooperative (ASYST) Case 2: Energy Cooperative of Karditsa (ESEK) Case 3: PSYHANTHOS, Agricultural Cooperative of Pulses and Food Items Case 4: EFKARPON -Hellenic Super foods

• Cross-visits
• AKIS
• innovation
• advisors