DID YOU KNOW?
The FAO’s World Soil Day will be held on 5 December. It aims to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. Did you know the EIP-AGRI has done a lot of work on the topic of soil? This includes Focus Groups on Carbon storage in arable farming, Grazing for carbon, Soil organic matter, events and publications, inspirational ideas from Operational Groups and other innovative projects and much more.
Find a summary here.
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To find out more about EIP-AGRI soil activities, follow the hashtag #EIPagriSoil on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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EIP-AGRI NETWORK ACTIVITIES
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Soils are important for our well-being and keep terrestrial ecosystems in balance. Soils are the very basis for the food we grow as well as for the production of feed, textiles, wood and other materials. They provide us with clean water, host biodiversity, cycle nutrients, regulate climate and are part of our landscapes and cultural heritage. The EU’s soil health and food “mission” aims to raise awareness on the importance of soils, engage with citizens, create knowledge and develop solutions to address the various types of soils, soil uses and soil challenges in Europe.
At political level, a mission in the area soil health and food will contribute to implementing the new priorities of the European Commission (a “Green Deal”) as well as to meeting international commitments on Climate and Sustainable Development.
Find out more about the EU’s Horizon Europe soil health and food mission.
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Would you like to know more on EU-sponsored research and innovation on soils? You can check out DG AGRI’s AgriResearch factsheet on Soils.
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Irish Operational Group DANÚ Farming is working on a programme to enable the transition to biological farming. “Biological farming is a holistic approach to soil, crop and pasture management that accounts for the agronomic, environmental, nutritional, physical, chemical and biological components of what constitutes a healthy soil.” Says David Wallis from the OG. Read about more Irish Operational Groups in a recent booklet published by the Irish National Rural Network. |
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“New nutrient recovery technologies and innovative fertilisers are crucial for our safe food production and supply security” states Edward Someus, coordinator of NUTRIMAN, Horizon 2020 Thematic Network. He explains “NUTRIMAN is providing practical information during online and field demos.” They have published user-friendly and practice-oriented information on more than 100 new solutions. Find out more.
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Horizon 2020 multi-actor project LANDMARK’s “ Soil Navigator” takes into account: primary productivity, water purification and regulation, carbon sequestration and climate regulation, nutrient cycling and biodiversity and habitat provision. The Decision Support System (DSS) is able to assess these aspects simultaneously and to provide management recommendations for improved soil functions. Read more and watch the video tutorial. |
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The rice fields in the Spanish Ebro Delta produce 90,000 tonnes of rice every year. But the future of this rice is threatened by soil salinisation, caused by rising sea levels and erosion of the Delta. The apple snail is also ravaging the rice crops. A local Operational Group tested if dry seeding can be a solution. Read on. |
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FERTIBIO is an Italian Operational Group using microorganisms and biomaterials to develop innovative biological fertilisers for the cultivation of food and feed crops. The aim is to reduce the use of mineral fertilisers and environmental pollution, maintain crop productivity and improve production quality, safety and soil fertility. Read more. |
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EIP-AGRI Inspirational video on soil salinisation
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EIP-AGRI SERVICE POINT ACTIVITIES
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The EIP-AGRI Brochure “Soil organic matter matters” has been translated by members of the EIP-AGRI network into Hungarian and Lithuanian. Many EIP-AGRI publications have been translated into different languages by members of the network find out more.
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New EIP-AGRI Focus Groups – topics
Here is a sneak preview of the up-coming topics for 5 new EIP-AGRI Focus Groups:
- Combining wildlife with improving agricultural production
- Growing industrial crops for non-food use, while not replacing food crops
- Reducing the use of plastics in agriculture
- Innovative practices for sustainable beef production
- Climate-smart (sub)tropical food crops in the EU outermost regions and continental EU
The call will be announced before the end of the year. Watch this space!
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Call for interest: Coordinating experts and main facilitators
Would you like to contribute to the EIP-AGRI as a temporary consultant for the EIP-AGRI Service Point? The EIP-AGRI Service Point is looking for coordinating experts for the new Focus Groups (see topics above) and for upcoming workshops and seminars. If you are interested then please complete the application form and submit your Europass CV. The deadline for applications is 9 December 2019. Details here.
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The EIP-AGRI Focus Group - Protecting fruit production from frost damage has produced its final report. In the European Union, the fruit and vegetable sector is particularly affected by frost and, despite global warming, the risk of frost damage in the growing season may increase. The report summarises a set of good practices, success factors and failure factors for selected passive and active methods of frost protection. Read the report and factsheet. |
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Organic Innovation Days
On 3-4 December, the Organic Innovation Days 2019 will be held in Brussels. The Organic Innovation Days are TP Organics’ annual public event that brings together stakeholders of the organic sector, from companies and researchers, farmers and farmer organisations to policy-makers across Europe. The winners of the LIAISON project’s EU Rural Innovation Contest will be presented. Registration is still open.
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The ERA-NET co-fund ICT-AGRI-FOOD will launch a joint call addressing the challenge of transforming the European agri-food systems into sustainable, resilient, transparent and fair systems. The aim is to bring researchers and engineers together with actors from across the entire agri-food systems including farmers, SMEs, food processors, food retailers, consumers and the public sector. More information.
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SEND US INPUT FOR THE EIP-AGRI NEWSLETTER
If you have relevant information for the EIP-AGRI network based on innovation in agriculture - a video, a funding opportunity, an inspirational idea, a call for contributions, a survey, a report, then please do send it to us servicepoint@eip-agri.eu.
Newsletters go out on the second Tuesday of every month, so please send the info to us at least 4 weeks before that date.
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