Writing A Farmer’s Encyclopedia On Innovative Nutrient Management Solutions
In agriculture, fertilisers are used to supplement the natural supply of nutrients to ensure optimal growth. Improperly managed nutrients, however, can become pollutants that harm the environment. A new EU-funded project is helping farmers to have access to the knowledge of innovative solutions to make sure their crops receive the right nutrients for optimal growth and that the soil remains fertile for future harvests. This ultimately leads to a more sustainable and efficient farming system.
The new EU-funded project called NUTRI-KNOW aims to improve nutrient management practices in agriculture by gathering and sharing knowledge from multiple EIP-AGRI (European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability) Operational Groups from four EU member states. These projects grouped farmers, researchers, and other stakeholders to work together and develop and implement innovative solutions to practical problems in the agricultural sector.
Thus, NUTRI-KNOW aims to capitalise this knowledge of the EIPA-AGRI OGs in the field of nutrient management through the deliver easy-to-understand, practice-oriented information aiming at farmers and practitioners. Additionally, the added value of the project is to cocreate and codevelop and results amplifications methodology that can increase the impact and expand project results in all relevant areas.
The project knowledge to be capitalised focuses on innovative improving nutrient management practices in agriculture for the benefit of both farmers and the environment. It aims to bring farmers and scientists together to share knowledge and technology related to nutrient management, and to promote the wider dissemination and adoption of sustainable nutrient management practices.
Dr. Victor Carbajal Perelló, strategic project responsible at BETA Technological Centre in Vic, Spain and project coordinator of NUTRI-KNOW, sees this as a great opportunity for helping farmers and practitioners and the environment: “This project will allow us to gather, analyse, translate, and transfer generated knowledge of different innovative solutions in the field of nutrient management with the main aim of farmers and practitioners.”
NUTRI-KNOW also aims to create a platform and thematic network for collecting and providing information on agriculture. The platform seeks to connect stakeholders, strengthen knowledge flows, and deliver knowledge in a language that the recipients can understand. The overall goal of the project is to create more value for a sustainable agricultural sector, reduce reliance on imported mineral fertilisers, and improve the lives of farmers through better practices and access to information. Eventually, the focus is to reduce relying on chemical fertilisers, better use organic manures, and increasing efficient nutrient management.
As a safe and cost-efficient nutrient management is a strategic element for EU agricultural sector. Member states have an urgent need to optimise the use of resources and facilitate the transition towards a circular bio-based agriculture. In the past, a great amount of knowledge on managing choices in the primary sector has been developed by many EU funded scientific projects.
However, despite the continuous flow of knowledge about innovative technologies, products, tools and recommendations in the agri-food sector, new or improved managing choices and best practices have not been appropriated by practitioners as expected: “Therefore, we aim with NUTRI-KNOW’s project to support the modernisation and dynamisation of the agrifood sector through the broadening of EIP-AGRI Operational Group outcomes across borders. Thus, NUTRI-KNOW will contribute to foster and share of knowledge and innovation and aiming the most urgent needs, challenges, and opportunities for farmers”, says Victor.
He is also sure that: “Farmers and practitioners will be benefited through the access to customised knowledge and practical information that can be easy to adopt and implement. These outcomes from NUTRI-KNOW will assist in improving agricultural and environmental management and performance of the current agricultural practices, which eventually, will lead to a more sustainable and efficient European agri-food sector.”