TOOLS4CAP inventory of methods and tools
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This inventory of methods and tools is a searchable online database supporting the design, implementation and monitoring of common agricultural policy (CAP) Strategic Plans. Developed through the Horizon Europe TOOLS4CAP project, it brings together approaches already used by EU Member States alongside methods from research, previous programming periods and countries outside the EU that could potentially support CAP policymaking.
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Author: TOOLS4CAP project – Innovative Toolbox empowering effective CAP governance towards EU ambitions
Publication: 2023
The inventory was developed through desk research and interviews with actors at local, national and EU levels and was expanded throughout the project. It currently contains 87 tools and methods. Users can filter them by Member State, their role in the CAP Strategic Plan cycle, broad category and specific type of tool.
The database covers four main categories: stakeholder engagement tools; policy choices supporting tools; policy analysis tools for evidence-based decisions; and monitoring and data collection tools. More specific approaches include digital platforms, interviews, surveys, workshops, vision building, expert judgement, multi-criteria analysis, scenario building, modelling and statistical analysis, administrative databases and Area Monitoring Systems.
Tools are also classified according to the tasks they can support throughout strategic planning. These range from socioeconomic and SWOT analyses, needs assessment and stakeholder consultation, to intervention and target setting, financial allocation, ex-ante analysis and monitoring of compliance and performance.
Individual entries explain the rationale for using the tool, how it functions and the outputs it can produce, alongside information on where it has been applied and its relevance to CAP objectives. For example, the inventory includes participatory approaches combining Delphi, Quadruple Helix and stakeholder-selection methods to support vision building and CAP Strategic Plan preparation.
The inventory is complemented by TOOLS4CAP research assessing and benchmarking the identified methods and by 12 case studies across 11 countries, which test different combinations of quantitative models, data and monitoring systems, and qualitative and participatory approaches. These examine issues such as stakeholder involvement, data integration, intervention and target setting, and the scalability and cost-effectiveness of different tools.
Why it is useful for rural areas
CAP Strategic Plans are a major framework for supporting agriculture and rural areas, and the inventory provides practical methods for improving how these plans are designed and monitored. Rather than prescribing a single approach, it enables authorities and practitioners to explore tools suited to different policy tasks and national or regional contexts.
It is particularly relevant for strengthening evidence-based and participatory governance: users can identify approaches for analysing territorial needs, involving stakeholders, selecting and assessing policy interventions, integrating different data sources and monitoring results. The examples from Member States also facilitate exchange and potential replication of approaches across territories.
Who is this resource for?
The inventory is primarily relevant for CAP managing authorities and other national and regional policymakers, as well as evaluators, researchers, agricultural and rural development practitioners, stakeholder organisations and other actors involved in CAP Strategic Plan design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
About the organisation
TOOLS4CAP was a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action running from 2023 to 2026, coordinated by Ecorys and involving 21 partner organisations. It supported the design and monitoring of the 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plans and provided methods and tools that can be adapted and replicated across EU Member States, while contributing to preparation for the post-2027 policy framework.
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