NBSOIL (Nature Based Solutions for Soil Management) is a four-year project coordinated by the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (PL). Its overall objective is to design an attractive blended learning programme to enable soil advisors to implement a holistic vision of soil health through Nature Based Solutions (NBS) and collaborate effectively across different temporal and spatial scales. NBSOIL will focus on 6 multifunctional NBS categories to develop a holistic approach to land management and soil health fully in line with the IUCN Global Standard for NBS (IUCN, 2020): organic fertilisers from locally available biowastes, cover crops, paludiculture, forest diversification, bioremediation, and blue - green infrastructure in urban and periurban areas. NBSOIL builds on previous research results and available Open Source technology to deliver the following NBSOIL thematic packs: Knowledge base, Academy, Soil Health assessment, monitoring and mapping resources, Policy Navigator, and Marketplace. Approximately 300 participants from 8 countries (PL, AT, CH, UK, FR, NL, IT, ES) are expected to complete the full 2 years training offered in 6 languages (English, Polish, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish). The 2 years training programme will provide an immersive, interactive, flexible learning experience, through an introductory Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) followed by four advanced modules on 1. Soil and NBS, 2. Living Labs facilitation, 3. Digital tools for Soil Health monitoring and 4.Improving soil related decision making in business and policy, and a Final Project. The NBSOIL consortium will deliver Impact and contribute decisively to achieve the Soil Health Mission by mainstreaming NBS knowledge and advice for soil management, providing Soil Health Living Labs facilitators, making soil monitoring and mapping tech user friendly and inclusive and embedding soil care across all land management and land related decision making processes.

FATIMA addresses effective and efficient monitoring and management of agricultural resources to achieve optimum crop yield and quality in a sustainable environment. It covers both ends of the scale relevant for food production, viz., precision farming and the perspective of a sustainable agriculture in the context of integrated agri-environment management. It aims at developing innovative and new farm capacities that help the intensive farm sector optimize their external input (nutrients, water) management and use, with the vision of bridging sustainable crop production with fair economic competitiveness. Our comprehensive strategy covers five interconnected levels: a modular technology package (based on the integration of Earth observation and wireless sensor networks into a webGIS), a field work package (exploring options of improving soil and input management), a toolset for multi-actor participatory processes, an integrated multi-scale economic analysis framework, and an umbrella policy analysis set based on indicator-, accounting- and footprint approach. FATIMA addresses and works with user communities (farmers, managers, decision makers in the farm and agribusiness sector) at scales ranging from farm, over irrigation scheme or aquifer, to river-basins. It will provide them with maps of fertilizer and water requirements (to feed into precision farming machinery), crop water consumption and a range of further products for sustainable cropping management supported with innovative water-energy footprint frameworks. All information will be integrated in leading-edge participatory spatial online decision-support systems. The innovative FATIMA service concept considers the economic, environmental, technical, social, and political dimensions in an integrated way. FATIMA will be implemented and demonstrated in 8 pilot areas representative of key European intensive crop production systems in Spain, Italy, Greece, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, France, Turkey.

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.