In an interview published by the project Restoring Pollinator Habitats Across European Agricultural Landscapes (RestPoll), VALOT project coordinator Tom Breeze (University of Reading) explained how the two initiatives intersect and differ. 

According to Breeze, VALOR and RestPoll share several consortium partners and are part of a broader research effort to address the decline of pollinators across Europe. Their alignment reflects the need for continuity in pollination research. Both initiatives, VALOR and RestPoll, contribute to building comprehensive datasets and developing tools that support farmers, policymakers and businesses.

A key link between the projects is the use of Living Labs (LLs), dynamic and collaborative research environments where innovations, experimentation and knowledge co-production take place in real-life settings. LLs' use is now being extended in VALOR to support more interdisciplinary engagement and stakeholder-driven insights. 

While RestPoll is focused on developing actionable tools and best practices for pollinator-friendly farming, VALOR complements and expands this work by examining how pollination services affect entire food systems, value chains, markets and consumer behaviour. 

Both projects are also actively exploring how scientific findings can be translated into effective policy and regulation. VALOR aims to contribute new models and metrics that can support both public and private sector decision-making around pollination-related risks and benefits.

Read the full interview here.