The science base of a strategic research agenda: executive summary.

Identifying the challenges around soil organic carbon sequestration in agriculture. Questionnaire. Twelve Testable Hypotheses for Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture. Key research and innovation advances.European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme Grant Agreement No 774378. Coordination of International Research Cooperation on Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture

Resource Efficiency in Practice – Closing Mineral Cycles : Final report

Nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are essential elements for living organisms, including plants, animals and bacteria. They are used as fertilisers in agriculture to guarantee high yields and quality products. However, the increasing demand not only in food production, but also in feed, fibre and fuel, has resulted in an increasing use of N, P and K. The depletion of non-renewable resources (such as mined phosphates rock) jeopardises the viability of the current agricultural production systems in the long term. In addition, while progress has been made towards sustainable agricultural practices, a number of inefficiencies are observed in nutrient use which can lead to the degradation of land, soil and water resources. Ultimately, this can impede well-being and economic growth from farm level to EU level. In this context, the first objective of the project \u201cResource efficiency in practice \u2013 Closing mineral cycles\u201d was to identify the most promising measures at regional and farm levels, in particular in nutrient saturated areas, to improve the use of nutrients and to reduce their negative impacts. The second objective was to communicate the information gathered to farmers, farmers\u2019 associations, and regional decision-makers in an educational style to empower them to take action at their level. Communication channels included leaflets, a dedicated website (http://mineral-cycles.eu) and four regional conferences, as well as a final conference in Brussels

Resource efficiency in practice : closing mineral cycles : final report

Nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are essential elements for living organisms, including plants, animals and bacteria. They are used as fertilisers in agriculture to guarantee high yields and quality products. However, the increasing demand not only in food production, but also in feed, fibre and fuel, has resulted in an increasing use of N, P and K. The depletion of non-renewable resources (such as mined phosphates rock) jeopardises the viability of the current agricultural production systems in the long term. In addition, while progress has been made towards sustainable agricultural practices, a number of inefficiencies are observed in nutrient use which can lead to the degradation of land, soil and water resources. Ultimately, this can impede well-being and economic growth from farm level to EU level. In this context, the first objective of the project \u201cResource efficiency in practice \u2013 Closing mineral cycles\u201d was to identify the most promising measures at regional and farm levels, in particular in nutrient saturated areas, to improve the use of nutrients and to reduce their negative impacts. The second objective was to communicate the information gathered to farmers, farmers\u2019 associations, and regional decision-makers in an educational style to empower them to take action at their level. Communication channels included leaflets, a dedicated website (http://mineral-cycles.eu) and four regional conferences, as well as a final conference in Brussels

Collection of human and environmental data on pesticide use in Europe and Argentina: Field study protocol for the SPRINT project

Current farm systems rely on the use of Plant Protection Products (PPP) to secure high productivity and control threats to the quality of the crops. However, PPP use may have considerable impacts on human health and the environment. A study protocol is presented aiming to determine the occurrence and levels of PPP residues in plants (crops), animals (livestock), humans and other non-target species (ecosystem representatives) for exposure modelling and impact assessment. To achieve this, we designed a cross-sectional study to compare conventional and organic farm systems across Europe. Environmental and biological samples were/are being/will be collected during the 2021 growing season, at 10 case study sites in Europe covering a range of climate zones and crops. An additional study site in Argentina will inform the impact of PPP use on growing soybean which is an important European protein-source in animal feed. We will study the impact of PPP mixtures using an integrated risk assessment methodology. The fate of PPP in environmental media (soil, water and air) and in the homes of farmers will be monitored. This will be complemented by biomonitoring to estimate PPP uptake by humans and farm animals (cow, goat, sheep and chicken), and by collection of samples from non-target species (earthworms, fish, aquatic and terrestrial macroinvertebrates, bats, and farm cats). We will use data on PPP residues in environmental and biological matrices to estimate exposures by modelling. These exposure estimates together with health and toxicity data will be used to predict the impact of PPP use on environment, plant, animal and human health. The outcome of this study will then be integrated with socio-economic information leading to an overall assessment used to identify transition pathways towards more sustainable plant protection and inform decision makers, practitioners and other stakeholders regarding farming practices and land use policy