COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION of the CAP's impact on knowledge exchange and advisory activities
Date: 2022-05-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, agricultural advisory services, agricultural performance, aid to agriculture, common agricultural policy, consultancy, forestry policy, innovation, rural development, sustainable development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 2.5.2022  SWD(2022) 138 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION  of the CAP's impact on knowledge exchange and advisory activities  {SWD(2022) 137 final}  
 
 
The evaluation  assessed the effectiveness,  efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU value 
added of relevant CAP instruments and measures1 and their impact on knowledge exchange, 
advisory activities and innovation in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas in 
the EU-28 from 2014-2020.  

The evaluation faced a number of inherent challenges and limitations, in particular given the 
lack of certain data (e.g. on the uptake of measures) and the lack of impact indicators (e.g. on 
changes in agricultural practices). Its focus was thus on policy outcome in terms of trainings, 
advisory  and  cooperation  activities  rather  than  on  the  impact  on  farming  sustainability  and 
innovation. 

The  evaluation  shows  that  the  relevant  CAP  instruments  and  measures  are  effective  in 
addressing the objective of creating knowledge exchange, fostering  advisory activities and 
innovation  and  helping  build  knowledge,  in  particular  on  technology,  cross-compliance  and 
environmental sustainability. The level of basic training farmers received increased from 12% 
in  2010  to  23%  in  2016.  Advisory  services  contribute  to  farmers’  lifelong  learning,  but 
Member States’ responses to the obligation to establish a Farm Advisory System have varied 
in  scale  and  over  time.  The  evaluation  confirms  that  CAP  instruments  and  measures 
contribute to Member State Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS). 

A  considerable  drawback  of  the  policy  is  its  limited  uptake,  reaching  about  10%  of  EU 
farm  holdings.  1.22  million  farmers  were  trained  up  to  2020  (42%  of  the  target)  and  the 
number of farmers receiving advice increased from 178 500 in 2007-2013 to 643 741 in 2014-
2020, 54% of the target. 

Implementation  of  the  CAP  measures  for  knowledge  exchange,  advisory  activities  and 
innovation  suffered  from  delays  and  low  spending  due  to  administrative  burden.  The 
average  execution  rate  for  all  measures  combined  amounted  to  27%  at  the  end  of  2020. 
Spending  rates  excluding  national  top-ups  at  the  end  of  2020  stood  at  24%  for  knowledge 
transfer, 31% for advisory services and 29% for cooperation. Uptake of the measures was low 
due to farmers’ lack of interest and the lack of opportunity costs for them, but participating 
farmers considered the measures useful.  

The CAP policy on knowledge exchange and advisory activities is relevant as it enables 
the identified needs to  be met in  the various areas covered. The policy is deemed to  have a 
significant  role  in  helping  farmers  make  the  transition  towards  a  green  and  sustainable 
agricultural sector. 

Coherence  between  the  EU  measures  on  knowledge  exchange,  advisory  activities  and 
innovation is lacking. Advisory services supported through the Farm Advisory System  and 
rural  development  are  managed  by  different  authorities  and,  in  regional  Member  States,  by 
authorities  with  different  jurisdictional  powers  and  objectives.  This  produces  a  lack  of 
coherence between the two policy instruments. As a result, AKISs are not functioning as they 
should do. 

By  fostering  knowledge  exchange,  advice  and  innovation,  the  CAP  provides  EU  added 
value,  thus  enabling  additional  achievements  (above  and  beyond  what  would  have  been 
achieved with national budgets alone) and extended services. CAP instruments and measures 
have  created  considerable  added  value  in  relation  to  innovation,  for  example  EIP-AGRI, 
through the approach allowing to co-create bottom-up innovation.  

1 Set out under Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, No 1306/2013, No 1308/2013 and No 1307/2013.