MIDAS aims to develop, evaluate and optimize sustainable low-ILUC feedstock by developing selected industrial crops and cropping systems on European marginal agricultural land in a climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly way to support feasible bio-based value chains. Mapping of the actual and future marginal lands that may be certified as low-ILUC, including current and future expectations on soil erosion and water stress as well as biodiversity challenges and potentials, ecosystem services, and guidelines for enhancing co-benefits will improve understanding of the available marginal land for “low-ILUC” biomass production. Selected industrial crops, already adapted to marginal lands, will be optimized through modern biotechnology tools - particularly for water-use efficiency - and through tailored agronomic practices towards improved resource efficiency. Case studies of innovative farming systems (intercropping, agroforestry) established on marginal land at farm level will improve harvesting solutions, biodiversity data and guidelines while relevant actors (farming community, bio-based industry & academia) will be engaged through Regional Advisory Groups. From the produced biomass innovative bio-based products (biochemicals, composites, and elastomers) will be developed, following the biorefinery and the circular use concept. Potential biomass-to-product(s) pathways will be identified, leading to value chain/ web concepts that will be assessed for sustainability and will produce a multi-criteria tool for the design of sustainable bio-based value webs while enhancing regional biodiversity. Finally business plans to foster circularity at farm level by engaging the farming community, industrial actors and academia through the projects’ Case Studies will be developed. Moreover, through international cooperation (Brazil, Canada) on crops, cropping systems and bio based products MIDAS allows best practices exchange and contributes to win-win scenarios development.

NUTRI2CYCLE will use an integrated approach to enable the transition from the current (suboptimal) nutrient household in European agriculture to the next-generation of agronomic practices, characterized by an improved upcycling of nutrients and organic carbon. The project is deeply rooted in pevious national and European projects, in which the consortium members were actively involved. The underlying principle is that Nutrient Use Efficency can be significantly improved by integrating on-farm techniques and systems that allow better reconnection between 1) animal husbandry provided flows and 2) plant production requirements. At the same time this reconnection itself will serve a better C-return to soil and GHG-reduction by avoided emissions optionally combined with energy production for self-consumption on-farm. NUTRI2CYCLE aims to (i) benchmark mass flows of nutrients, organic carbon and GHG-footprint, (ii) provide an assessment frame (toolbox) for evaluating potential impact of proposed innovations, (iii) actively support concepts, techniques and scenarios put forward in EIP-Operational Groups, (iv) optimize these (+ in-consortium developed) scenarios using the toolbox, (v) showcase the most promising developments via prototypes and demos. Finally, using the experience gained at a local/regional scale, NUTRI2CYCLE will elaborate strategic scenarios to identify the effect of these innovations at European scale. NUTRI2CYCLE brings together the extensive expertise of leading experts in the field of nutrient cycling. This collaboration originates from the EIP-Focus Group on Nutrient Recycling, closely interacting with the EIP Operational Groups in the individual EU member states. Better nutrient stewardship engaging all actors across the value chain as envisaged in NUTRI2CYCLE will increase the C, N and P recycling rate significantly and will improve the overall sustainability and innovation capacity of European agricultural systems.