In this session, we invite contributions that focus on sustainability assessments within the agricultural sector. The methods and results used can either take all sustainability dimensions into account or focus on one sustainability dimension or even a single indicator (e.g. nitrogen surpluses, greenhouse gas emissions). To specify, we accept contributions focusing on the economic or social dimension alone if the used framework tackles sustainability as a whole (e.g. improving an animal welfare indicator in a sustainability tool). Studies using satellite data are welcome as long as the remote sensing product has a direct link to sustainability. Contributions may focus on pixels to parcels, from farms to landscapes, and from regions to continents.
This study was executed in a service contract with DG-Agriculture and generated many insights in how agricultural land use has evolved in the EU27 over the last 30 years and how it can evolve in the next 30 years. Agricultural land was analyzed in relation to changes in use and land management, competition, and, synergies of agriculture with other land use sectors and also between food, feed, energy, and non-food biomass production. In this contribution we will focus on presenting the results in relation to future land use developments in the context of the Green Deal (GD) and the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy, and the potential impacts these may have for environmental key performance indicators (KPIs). Modelled land use changes for two scenarios show that by 2050 it can be expected that farmland area loss can be limited with active policy interventions to reach the F2F goals and broader Green Deal goals. However, if no active policy interventions take place, as modelled in the BAU scenario, the decline of farmland will be more than 8 Mha. In the two land use change scenarios the effects on KPIs such as for nitrogen emissions to water and air, GHG emissions, soil health, pesticides use, agricultural land abandonment, land take by built-up area and calories produced are different. They show diverse trade-offs in KPI scores between European regions. KPI scores confirm that in the scenario with active policy interventions towards F2F goals (SA scenario), the lowering of fertilizer and pesticides inputs, more organic land use, and lower livestock numbers, are likely to lead to better water quality, lower ammonia emissions, reduction in GHG emissions on agricultural lands, most strongly caused by reduction of enteric fermentation (livestock-based emissions) but not necessarily to GHG emissions related to land use shifts expected between 2020 and 2050.
The study makes several recommendations specific to the EU27 regional profiles. All the territorially different conditions intrinsically influence agricultural dynamics and drive territories to answer in a possibly different way to policy stimuli.
How to cite: Berien, E., Ceccarelli, T., van Eupen, M., van Haren, C., Koper, M., Peeters, S., Toop, G., Salvati, L., Hazeu, G., Staritsky, I., Snethlage, J., Verzandvoort, S., and Boogaart, H.: Competition for land use and sustainable farming in EU27: perspectives from the past and expectation for the future, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-21579, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-21579, 2025.
The global food system, whose role is to nourish humanity, has significant environmental impacts. Through greenhouse gas emissions, disruption of the nitrogen cycle, depletion of water resources and biodiversity degradation, it is not only the health of the Earth System but also food production itself that are threatened when sustainability thresholds are crossed. Without action, due to projected population growth and dietary changes, this situation can only worsen. It is therefore essential to implement profound changes, which require assessing the sustainability of the food system on a global scale and at high spatial resolution to take into account the different pratices and local conditions.
We assess the various footprints of the food system (GHG emissions, water, nitrogen, biodiversity) on a global scale, at high resolution (5’ arcmin i.e 10 km at the Equator), and specifically for 25 crops in 2000 and 2020. Then, by comparing these footprints to various local or regional limits, we similarly evaluate the sustainability of the food system. The comparison between 2000 and 2020 allows us to track the temporal evolution of the sustainability of crop production. This assessment highlights regions where multiple limits are exceeded and whether the situation is worsening, indicating production systems that are particularly unsustainable.
Such study considering multiple environmental dimensions at high resolution paves the way for analyzing synergies and trade-offs to bring the global food system back within environmentally sustainable boundaries.
How to cite: Guilbert, M., Dalin, C., Ceausu, S., Cao, P., and Tuninetti, M.: How far are food systems from sustainability?, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-2526, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-2526, 2025.
Under the pressures of climate change and a growing population, traditional agricultural practices are increasingly insufficient to meet the rising demand for food and soil carbon sequestration. To address this challenge, regenerative agriculture has emerged as an approach—emphasizing the understanding of soil dynamics, promoting ecological restoration, and harmonizing with nature. However, transitioning from traditional methods to regenerative agriculture is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Achieving outcomes across all fields or applying uniform practices for all farmers is impractical. Instead, it demands robust monitoring of fields and their surrounding regions to tailor practices effectively to specific conditions. Remote sensing and advanced statistical techniques provide insights into agricultural practices, but these tools are largely confined to research-level applications and often cater to technical audiences. The most critical step in ensuring the success of regenerative agriculture lies in effective understanding of context and communication between farmers, farms and advisors. While remote sensing techniques are powerful, they are not always accessible or practical for end-users. To bridge this gap, we propose DORA—a user-friendly dashboard designed to make regenerative agriculture measurable and actionable. DORA provides outcome-based, benchmarked targets for sustainable agricultural practices, translating complex data into easy-to-interpret reports for farmers. With the images acquired from Sentinel 1, Sentinel 2 and landsat 7,8 and 9 satellites, DORA visualizes the adoption of regenerative practices on farms or within sourcing districts. It generates annual metrics for plant performance and soil cover for each field, including fields within a buffer zone. Furthermore, DORA prepares an eight-year field map, showcasing the stability of different zones and identifying problematic or high-performing areas. For instance, when a farmer delineates field boundaries on the platform, the system analyzes satellite data to compare biomass and soil cover trends. DORA f.e. can reveal that a farm generally performs above the region but produces less biomass during dry years, suggesting a need to improve drought resilience. An overall positive trend and increased soil cover compared to plant performance might indicate a shift from main crops to catch crops, pointing to issues with cover crop management or weed infestations. It can also point to unsuccessful fertilization, tillage or similar activities. Historical analysis of crops, such as sunflowers or potatoes, might highlight practices that reduced performance unless mitigated with vegetation between ridges or no-till methods with cover crops. With DORA, farmers and advisors can make data-driven decisions to optimize performance, enhance soil health, and align with regional sustainability goals. By combining innovative technology with practical application, DORA ensures regenerative agriculture is not only measurable but also accessible and impactful for farmers worldwide.
How to cite: Froehlich, P., Uenalan, U. B., Fajraoui, N., and Caballero, M.: DORA - A new process and metric to measure ecosystem performance of farms, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-16452, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-16452, 2025.
The transition to sustainable food systems requires a comprehensive understanding of how agricultural land use impacts climate change and biodiversity. Land resources face increasing demands due to agricultural expansion driven by population growth and the need for food security. However, agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from livestock and soil management, posing challenges to achieving climate neutrality. At the same time, agricultural practices influence habitat quality, playing a pivotal role in biodiversity conservation.
Sustainable land management strategies are essential to balance these competing demands. Our study assesses the multifunctionality of agricultural land by evaluating its economic, social, climatic, and biodiversity contributions through a comprehensive framework that integrates quantitative indicators across these dimensions. We analyse economic, social and climate and habitat quality across different farming systems and land use scenarios at parcel level. The analysis highlights opportunities to improve farming sustainability through practices such as afforestation of organic soils, precision farming, and the adoption of diverse cropping systems.
By providing a detailed comparison of agricultural land use at the parcel level, our approach supports policymakers and stakeholders in designing strategies that optimise agricultural productivity while mitigating climate impacts and preserving biodiversity at the national level. This methodology fosters balanced decision-making, ensuring that agricultural land management aligns with climate goals, supports biodiversity, and sustains rural livelihoods.
How to cite: Valujeva, K., Veipane, U. D., and Nipers, A.: Assessing agricultural multifunctionality from parcel to national scale: a quantitative framework for sustainable agriculture, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-4304, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4304, 2025.
The iMAP-FP project 1, conducted by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre from 2019-2025, aims to assess the sustainability of farming practices (FPs) using meta-analyses (MAs). The core objective is to create a comprehensive, evidence-based resource to inform European agricultural and environmental policies, particularly within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The project seeks to identify practices that can mitigate environmental impacts while maintaining or improving agricultural productivity.
The iMAP-FP dataset encompasses 570 MAs published since 2000, analysing the impacts of 34 categories of FPs on a broad range of different environmental and agricultural outcomes, including GHG mitigation, soil health, water use, pollution control, biodiversity, and productivity. The dataset covers a broad range of geographic regions, and includes >5000 estimated effect sizes comparing sustainable interventions against conventional practices.
A free online evidence library 2 provides access to the synthesized evidence on specific FPs and their impacts. Farming practices have also been classified merging nomenclature found in the literature with the European policy contexts 3. An analysis of the MAs trends shows a quality improvement in meta-analysis standards but highlights key remaining deficiencies, including reporting biases and insufficient data sharing. Furthermore, the project identified frequent trade-offs between productivity and environmental outcomes, demonstrating the complex nature of agricultural sustainability. Quantitative effects assessing the climate and environmental impacts of many specific FPs, useful to assess CAP interventions, have also been provided 4,5, as well as a policy-brief report focusing on FPs improving water management 6. A promising pilot trial in merging primary data from 15 MAs focusing on organic vs conventional farming, overcoming methodological limitations, is another output of the project. These outcomes provide policymakers with tools to assess the environmental impacts of specific practices and identify areas where further research and policy intervention are needed.
Future developments of the iMAP-FP framework could focus on incorporating new MAs as they are published, updating the dataset with emerging FPs and agroecological systems, and exploring primary-literature data to better reflect context-specific effects. The creation of interactive tools and visualizations could also facilitate access and understanding for policymakers and stakeholders. The use of machine learning tools is also foreseen to automate data extraction, analyze trends, and identify potential research gaps. Finally, the scientific community might engage with the JRC to promote data sharing according to FAIR principles and enhance training in meta-analysis methodologies to inform future agricultural policies.
1. 10.1038/s41597-024-03682-6
2. https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/IMAP/
3. 10.2760/33560.
4. 10.2905/b097f5ed-7eba-4ee0-87a5-a582425eba3b.
5. 10.2760/20814
6. JRC137742
How to cite: schievano, A., bosco, S., perez-soba, M., Chen, M., Montero-Castaño, A., Tamburini, G., Guerrero, I., Maria, B., Van der Velde, M., Landoni, B., Mantegazza, O., Paracchini, M. L., Rega, C., Terres, J.-M., and Makowski, D.: Building an evidence base for sustainable agricultural policies: the iMAP-FP project, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13566, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13566, 2025.
Resilience is a cornerstone of the European Green Deal, essential for ensuring food security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability amid challenges such as climate change, market volatility, and socio-political disruptions. To tackle these challenges, the European Commission developed the EU Food System Sustainability Model (https://datam.jrc.ec.europa.eu/datam/mashup/EU_FOOD_SYSTEM_MONITORING/), a fit for purpose framework that integrates environmental, social, and economic dimensions. With 37 headline and supporting indicators, the framework monitors the transition toward sustainable food systems within planetary boundaries. Resilience is emphasized as a key horizontal thematic area, reflecting the system's capacity to absorb, adapt to, and recover from shocks while maintaining functionality and ensuring long-term sustainability.
However, existing frameworks for assessing food system resilience often rely on indicators that fail to fully capture the unique aspects of resilience within the European context and lack integration across key dimensions. To address this limitation, we propose an innovative methodology that integrates the four key aspects of resilience - preparedness, shock resistance, adaptation, and transformation - each linked to specific capacities and vulnerabilities. Indicators are carefully selected, categorized as either capacities (positive trends like crop diversity) or vulnerabilities (negative trends like soil erosion), and scored relative to the EU median. These scores are aggregated and normalized to produce a composite resilience score ranging from 0 to 1, offering a robust metric to evaluate resilience across Member States and the EU27. This score supports targeted strategies and interventions, enabling policymakers to strengthen the adaptability and sustainability of the food system.
While the proposed methodology marks significant progress, its full potential relies on addressing critical data gaps, particularly in underrepresented areas of the food supply chain and sustainability criteria. We will discuss the need for improved data availability and greater collaboration among public and private stakeholders at national and regional levels. Addressing these challenges is key for refining the framework and strengthening evidence-based policymaking.
How to cite: Catarino, R., Dentener, F., Smallenbroek, O., and Toth, K.: Towards a novel framework for measuring the resilience of the EU Food System , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19605, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19605, 2025.
Within the NCCS programme «Decision Support for Dealing with Climate Change in Switzerland» (NCCS-Impacts) actionable climate services for the environment, economy and society will be developed from 2023 to 2026. The aim of the project «Impacts of climate change on ecosystem services in Switzerland» is to describe the projected changes in ecosystem services and functions caused by climate change for the forest, agriculture and aquatic ecosystems.
As part of this broader initiative the EGU presentation will focus on the impact of climate change on wild-bees and pollination service in Switzerland up to 2074 as one of the most important ecosystem services and additionally related to other ecosystem services such as agricultural production. We will demonstrate how we model a high-resolution index of pollination service using a hierarchical framework at local scale considering species occurrence data from species distribution models, habitat indices related to floral resources and nesting habitat, pollination relevant species traits and pollination dependent crops. For future ESS projections we use the CH2018 climate scenarios that are based on socioeconomic mitigation pathways. Wild-bee monitoring data from the Agricultural species and habitats’ monitoring programme in Switzerland is used to validate the pollination service index. Preliminary results show that the impact of climate change on pollination service is strongly influenced by the pollination dependent crop, the region and pollination relevant species traits.
How to cite: Stöckli, S.: Impact of climate change on wildbeesand pollination service, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1696, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1696, 2025.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas emitted during soil nitrogen cycling. Excess nitrogen fertilization leads to increased N2O emissions, which is a waste of applied nitrogen. Optimized nitrogen fertilizer management (4R nutrient management: right product, right rate, right time, right method/place) can enhance nitrogen use efficiency and reduce N2O emissions without reducing crop yields, mitigating the climate impact of agriculture. This is particularly relevant in developing regions like sub-Saharan Africa where fertilizer use is expected to increase over coming decades. Effective fertilizer management offers multiple benefits: Boosting food security while safeguarding the environment and minimizing input costs for farmers.
Quantifying N2O emissions at the field and farm level is challenging. Therefore, N2O is often not included in agroecosystem assessments, which may focus on variables such as the CO2 budget or soil carbon balance. Typical methods to quantify N2O fluxes – such as automated chamber measurements and eddy covariance – are expensive and require advanced knowledge and infrastructure. Moreover, N2O emissions are highly heterogeneous in space and time, thus many measurements are needed to quantify emissions. Novel measurements, models and machine learning can be used in combination with existing techniques to understand drivers, increase spatial coverage, and extrapolate to new locations.
Measurement innovations focusing on low-cost sensing of N2O will provide much needed data in remote and developing regions. Low-cost sensing is particularly suited in direct soil gas measurements, where N2O concentrations and variability are much higher than in free air. Specialised algorithms are needed to estimate fluxes based on soil gas measurements. Machine learning and process modelling approaches can furthermore be used to understand drivers and create simple simulations of N2O emissions, to extrapolate in space and time based on existing (sparse) measurements. These approaches can also leverage proxies, such as isotopic composition, to estimate emissions. Measurement campaigns in data-poor regions should prioritise calibration, collection of ancillary data (such as soil moisture, temperature and nitrogen content), robust metadata reporting, and open data sharing, to maximise the impact of measurements and facilitate data-driven analyses. Development of these tools and approaches will allow N2O emissions to be estimated for different sites and scenarios, opening the way for simple emission accounting and the inclusion of N2O in agroecosystem assessments.
How to cite: Harris, E., Barthel, M., Leitner, S., Ouma, T., Agredazywczuk, P., Otinga, A., Njoroge, R., Oduor, C., Oluoch, K. C., and Six, J.: Bringing together measurements and data science for better nitrous oxide emission accounting in data-poor regions, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-5654, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-5654, 2025.
Posters on site: Thu, 1 May, 16:15–18:00 | Hall X1
The Swiss agricultural system still faces challenges in becoming sustainable. For example, most environmental targets have not been met, farm incomes are still low compared to other Swiss salaries, and the workload of many farmers is above average. The concept of agroecology tries to transform both the agroecosystem and the food system to become more sustainable. In this project, we are trying to put the concept of agroecology into practice with 40 selected farms and several hundred consumers. The farms can choose from a range of measures to become more agroecological. Their performance will be assessed using a wide range of indicators, such as greenhouse gas emissions, soil structure, income, or workload. The environmental performance of the farms will be rewarded with results-based payments. Each farm will be linked to a number of consumers, who will visit the farm on a regular basis. Consumers will take measures to reduce the environmental impact of their diet, reduce food waste, and eat healthier. The project only started in July 2024. So far, the farms have been recruited and initial data collection has been carried out.
How to cite: Gilgen, A. and Togni, N.: Agroecology Switzerland: Sustainable from farm to fork, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1645, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1645, 2025.
India faces a critical challenge in balancing its rising food demand with environmental sustainability. While the nation has achieved agricultural self-sufficiency, the environmental costs of production are escalating, with severe implications for soil, air, and water quality. The increasing reliance on interstate trade to meet growing consumption has further intensified the environmental burden on key agricultural regions. We herein investigate the environmental footprint of India's interstate agricultural trade network by analyzing the gross within-India trade network for cereal crops and disentangle underlying drivers resulting in environmental impacts. Using a recently developed pan-India nutrients data over the last decades, we found that excess nutrient pollution pressures are disproportionately concentrated in major production hubs such as north Indian food-bowl states like Punjab and Haryana, which simultaneously bear the brunt of air pollution (e.g., increased PM2.5 emissions) from agricultural residue burning and soil and water pollution from excess nutrient flows. Along with facing increasing mounting pressure of declining key (ground) water resources, these regions, though pivotal to national food security, face mounting environmental degradation that threatens their long-term integrity and viability. For example, at the current trend, trade-related burdens in these regions would demand over 350 billion cubic meters of (gray)water annually to maintain groundwater-related nutrient levels within safe limits. Our analysis highlights the challenging aspects of internal trade, which is undoubtedly a critical yet largely overlooked factor in developing effective regional air and water quality management strategies for India. We further present viable strategies based on nutrient-focused restructuring of India’s agricultural system, offering significant socio-environmental benefits by reducing nitrogen surplus by 16–24%, water use by 20–40%, and greenhouse gas emissions by 28% (113 Mt CO₂ eq), while enhancing farmer incomes and calorie production. Overall our research underscores the necessity for regional cooperation and targeted interventions to mitigate the environmental costs of agricultural trade while ensuring sustainable food security for India's growing population.
How to cite: Goyal, S., Dave, R., Bhatia, U., and Kumar, R.: Towards Disentangling Environmental Costs of India's Agricultural Trade Network, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-776, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-776, 2025.
Rice cultivation is a significant source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for approximately 24% of global agricultural emissions. Methane emissions are particularly high in rice fields compared to other crops due to the anaerobic conditions created by continuous flooding. The adoption of alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is an approach to reduce these emissions significantly. However, AWD can also increase nitrous oxide emissions during drying phases. Therefore, farmers and their decisions play a central role in mitigating emissions from rice cultivation. In this study, we analyse the factors influencing the farmers’ behaviour by using the COM-B model to identify the key drivers and barriers affecting farmers' adoption of AWD practices. The COM-B model explains human behaviour (B) as the result of physical and psychological capability (C), physical and social opportunity (O), and reflective and automatic motivation (M). Data were collected through face-to-face surveys with 150 rice farmers in central region of Thailand between July and October 2024. Overall, farmers have positive attitudes toward AWD, with strong motivation to adopt this practice. This is seen in their agreement with statements about AWD's potential to reduce costs (96.7%) and save water (98%). Furthermore, farmers consider their current irrigation systems (96%) and terrain (87.3%) as feasible for implementing AWD on their fields. These findings align with the motivation and feasibility factors identified through factor analysis. Regarding barriers to adopting AWD, most farmers believe they know how to implement AWD, and these practices do not require significant investment, equipment, or additional workforce. However, operational factors highlighted challenges such as water availability (50%) and water monitoring difficulties (42.67%), which significant barriers to implementation. These findings indicate that farmers recognize their capability to adopt AWD practices, and the adoption does not significantly affect yield. Nevertheless, barriers such as limited water availability and insufficient social support hinder adoption.
How to cite: Sudto, T., Vetter, S., McBey, D., and Smith, P.: Understanding farmers’ perspectives and barriers to adopting alternate wetting and drying (AWD) in Thai rice cultivation using the COM-B model., EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-12741, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-12741, 2025.
The last European agricultural census, organized by Eurostat, took place in 2020, collecting more than 300 variables on agriculture and farm structure from 9.03 million farmers in the EU (and EFTA countries Iceland, Switzerland and Norway). Data are aggregated to NUTS 2, NUTS 1 or national levels before they are publicly released on the Eurostat website due to confidentiality regulations that do not allow individual data to be disclosed.
With a newly developed methodology, it is now possible to create multi-resolution grids of these variables, where the size of the grid cells depend on the spatial density of the data. All grid cells respect a series of confidentiality rules, such as a minimum number of farms per grid cell (at least 10) a dominance rule (the largest contributes cannot have more than 85% of the total production in a grid cell) and a quality rule (estimates must have an estimated coefficient of variation less than 35%).
We will here present a range of thematic maps based on the 2020 European agricultural census to highlight regional and country differences, giving a new insight in the geographical patterns of agriculture in Europe, some expected, some more unexpected. All of them correspond to contextual indicators for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and are divided into three broad categories: structural components (i.e., agricultural holdings, land use, livestock patterns, and labor input); the demographics of farmers (i.e., age, gender, and skills); and agricultural production methods (i.e., irrigation and organic farming).
For example, our analysis shows that high farm densities occur in plains and fertile valleys, while organic farming is concentrated in areas with high grassland proportions. Young farmers' holdings are located in a belt from France through Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia and Poland. These data sets allow for more local policy evaluation and offer researchers opportunities to draw causal spatial inferences. The data are available through the Gisco viewer:
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/experimental-statistics/geospatial-data-agricultural-census
How to cite: Skøien, J. O., Lampach, N., Ramos, H., See, L., Gaffuri, J., Koeble, R., and van der Velde, M.: High resolution maps of European agricultural indicators, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-16510, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-16510, 2025.
The substrate used for mushroom cultivation is primarily based on sawdust. In Korea, waste wood (domestic waste wood, construction waste wood, and forestry waste wood) is utilized as the raw material for sawdust production. However, due to the insufficient production of waste wood, the supply of high-quality sawdust required for mushroom cultivation is limited, leading to reliance on imports. Furthermore, when sawdust-based substrates are used, the sterilization process generates unpleasant odors, causing complaints from local residents. Additionally, only about one-third of the nutrients in sawdust are utilized by mushroom mycelium during the cultivation process. To address these issues and enhance the nutrient utilization efficiency of sawdust, this study aims to develop a mushroom mycelium and fruiting body cultivation technique using a mineral-based substrate.
Eringi mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) was used as the test species, and vermiculite with a particle size of 1.0–1.5 mm was employed as the mineral matrix. Flour was used as the nutrient source for mycelial growth. The experimental conditions for optimal mycelial growth included pH (4–7), C/N ratio (10–30), flour content (10–30 wt%), moisture content (40–70 wt%), and sawdust content (0–75%). The base substrate consisted of a mixture of 75% vermiculite and 25% sawdust, with pH 5.5 and a moisture content of 67%. The control group used a traditional sawdust substrate composed of sawdust mixed with rice bran. The spawn used for inoculation was prepared by cultivating P. eryngii on a sawdust substrate, and approximately 10 wt% of the substrate was inoculated with the spawn. Mycelial growth characteristics were observed by placing the prepared substrates in cultivation molds of a fixed shape and incubating them at 22°C for 7 and 14 days under the specified experimental conditions.
The optimal conditions for mycelial growth were found to be a C/N ratio of 20, flour content of 30 wt%, and pH 6. Although mycelial growth showed a slight decrease with an increasing vermiculite content (and corresponding decrease in sawdust content), no significant difference was observed within the range of 25–75% vermiculite. Additionally, the effects of pH, C/N ratio, flour content, and sawdust content on the growth of Eringi mushroom fruiting bodies were investigated, using the same conditions as those for mycelium cultivation. Fruiting body cultivation was conducted in cultivation bottles with a capacity of 850 mL. The fruiting body yield from the sawdust substrate was 100 g. In contrast, fruiting body yield from the base substrate increased linearly with higher flour content, reaching approximately 49 g at 30 wt% flour content.
These findings suggest the potential of cultivating mushrooms using a mineral-based matrix, such as vermiculite, instead of organic materials. Although further research is required to enhance the growth of mycelium and fruiting bodies, this approach could significantly reduce waste generation by enabling the recovery and reuse of the mineral matrix after mushroom cultivation.
Acknowledgement
This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2020R1A6A1A03044977)
How to cite: Jang, J., Yoo, J., Cho, K.-S., and Ryu, H.-W.: Cultivation of Mycelium and Fruiting Bodies of Eringi Mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) Using a Recyclable Mineral-Based Substrate, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-14941, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-14941, 2025.
Plant protection products (PPP) must be registered before they can be marketed and used. During registration, they are tested for efficacy and side effects, and can only be authorised if they do not pose unacceptable risks to humans, animals or the environment, as assessed by the regulatory authorities. In Switzerland, PPP authorized for use are listed in the Swiss Register of Plant Protection Products (SRPPP), which provides detailed information on active ingredient content, uses, and associated restrictions. These data are publicly available online through a dedicated website and are published in a custom format based on Extensible Markup Language (XML).
The current formats of SRPPP data in Switzerland are difficult to analyse, hindering effective use by practitioners and researchers. To address this issue, we have developed two open-source R packages, srppp and srppphist, which provide user-friendly access to SRPPP data. The srppphist package contains annual SRPPP datasets from 2011 to the present, enabling time-series analysis of PPP authorization trends. These tools allow users to retrieve and analyse data on the active substance content of PPP, PPP categories, area of action, target organisms, and use restrictions. These tools assist in assessing sustainability in the context of PPP use by offering valuable support for developing indicators and metrics related to PPP sustainability.
In our first analyses, we provide an overview of the development of authorised PPP in Switzerland since 2011. We look at trends in the number and types of plant protection products and their active substances, as well as their modes of action and obligations. Between 2011 and 2024, 574 different substances were registered as active ingredients in the SRPPP. During this period, the number of authorised active substances decreased from 507 in 2011 to 321 in 2024 - a decrease by 63%. Of the active substances authorised in 2011, 51% were still authorised in 2024, while 81% of those authorised in 2024 were already listed in the SRPPP in 2011. These results illustrate the reduction in the availability of active substances over time. In this contribution, we show how different categories of active substances and plant protection products are affected.
How to cite: Mathis, M., Ranke, J., and Balmer, M.: Trends and Tools for Swiss Plant Protection Product Data, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-16258, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-16258, 2025.
Agriculture is the largest user of water in the European Union, accounting for up to 60% of total water abstraction. However, water scarcity and pollution from agricultural activities pose significant challenges to sustainable water management. This systematic review of meta-analyses aims to identify farming practices that can reduce water use and improve water quality. Based on the iMAP-FP dataset, a collection of 570 meta-analyses examining the effects of farming practices on the environment and climate, direct impacts on water management were assessed through several metrics related to water use efficiency, water consumed by the crop, soil water retention, water quality. Indirect effects on water quality such as nutrient leaching and run-off were considered as well. Results reported in 120 meta-analyses revealed that 15 farming practices can increase water use efficiency, reduce water pollution, and/or enhance soil water retention, including agroforestry, cover crops, crop residue management, mulching, and soil amendment with biochar. Notably, crop residue management, mulching, cover crops, landscape features, and water-saving practices have multiple positive effects. Our findings highlight the importance of adopting sustainable farming practices to mitigate water scarcity and pollution, and inform policymakers about the most effective policy measures in agriculture. Promoting these practices has the potential to contribute to the development of more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems and to address the pressing challenges of water scarcity and pollution.
How to cite: Bosco, S., Chen, M., Perez-Soba, M., Montero-Castaño, A., Schievano, A., Tamburini, G., Catarino, R., Guerrero, I., Bielza, M., Angileri, V., Dentener, F., Makowski, D., and Jean-Michel, T.: Sustainable Farming Practices for Improved Water Management in Agriculture: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17001, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17001, 2025.
The uptake of organic farming is heterogeneous across the European Union (EU) and across farming systems. According to the 2020 agricultural census, at 14.8 million ha, the area under organic farming accounted for 9.1% of the total EU agricultural land, and close to 20% of the area under organic farming in the world. The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy, aims to have 25% of the EU’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2030.
While the agricultural census from 2020 collected data on organic farming uptake by farming type, geospatial data was not available, so far. Disclosing census data at a more granular level is subject to confidentiality treatment as specified in the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1091 on Integrated Farm Statistics (IFS). Confidentiality requirements on the frequency and dominance of farm holdings must be applied to map the data. Following the recent implementation of a methodology that accounts for these requirements, spatial mapping of the 2020 census became possible, providing an unprecedented view on EU agriculture. In addition, this also increases the number of data points available for analysis by up to three magnitudes.
Using this data, we spatially map the shares of organic farming associated to permanent grasslands, green fodder, arable crops including cereals, and permanent crops such as fruit, olives, and vineyards. We quantify current levels and local uptake gaps, investigate which farming types are characterized by the largest share of organic farming, and identify the most important drivers of organic farming across the EU. To identify these drivers we distinguish natural factors such as physiography (soils), climate, but also socio-economic characteristics related to farm structure (e.g. farm physical and economic size, demography, labour), as derived from the new datasets. This is then compared to the commitment EU Member States have quantified up to 2028 in terms of the share of utilised agricultural area (UAA) supported by the Common Agricultural Policy for organic farming as part of the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
How to cite: Van Der Velde, M., Skoien, J., Lampach, N., Schievano, A., See, L., and Ramos, H.: Assessing organic farming uptake across Europe using census data from 9 million farms , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17372, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17372, 2025.
The European Green Deal aims to help the EU become climate neutral and resource-efficient, ensuring economic growth within the planetary boundaries. It recognises the need for systemic changes in the key economic sectors, including those related to food. To measure progress, a monitoring system is needed that ensures systemic approach, including environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability in a cost efficient way. It is logical to reuse existing indicators, by assessing their relevance and completeness in terms of various sustainability aspects. However, integrating elements heterogeneous system involves resolving their interoperability. In practice, more than 300 indicators have been screened, documented according to a harmonised metadata schema and anchored to a food system model. The model includes the components of the food supply chain (primary production, food processing, distribution and consumption) and the three sustainability dimensions decomposed in 12 thematic areas and 37 indicator domains. This work has revealed important knowledge gaps. Earth observation data and other spatial information are essential to fill these gaps and provide meaningful analysis of food system sustainability in space and time.
How to cite: Toth, K., Puerta-Piñero, C., Guerrero, I., Catarino, R., Acs, S., Druon, J.-N., Ermolli, M., and Proietti, I.: EU food system monitoring in context of spatial sciences, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-21734, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-21734, 2025.
Posters virtual: Wed, 30 Apr, 14:00–15:45 | vPoster spot A
EGU25-20449 | Posters virtual | VPS4
Effects of Biochar Substrate and Microbial Inoculation on the Development of Raphanus sativus L.Wed, 30 Apr, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) | vPA.29
The use of substrates combined with biochar has been highlighted in agricultural and horticultural production, including the cultivation of Raphanus sativus L. (radish), due to the benefits in water retention, nutrient supply and stimulation of root development. This study evaluated the growth and development of radishes under different combinations of substrates with biochar, with or without microbial inoculation. The experiment was carried out between November 2024 and January 2025, in a greenhouse with automatic temperature control (18-42 °C) at the Federal University of São Paulo, São José dos Campos Campus. The treatments included: A) Substrate with biochar (SB-control); B) Substrate (S-control); C) Substrate with biochar inoculated with MELRC (SBI-MELRC); D) Substrate inoculated with MELRC (SI-MELRC); E) Substrate with biochar inoculated with MEU (SBI-MEU); F) Substrate inoculated with MEU (SI-MEU); G) Substrate with biochar inoculated with TSB (SBI-TSB); and H) Substrate inoculated with TSB (SITSB). The variables analyzed were number of leaves (NF), leaf area (AF), total length (CT), tuber weight (PT), tuber diameter (DT), root length (CR), fresh root mass (MFR), tuber height (HT) and root dry mass (MSR). Data were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression, and significant differences were evaluated by the F test at probability levels of 0.01 and 0.05. The results indicated that treatment D (SI-MELRC) had the greatest positive impact on all variables evaluated, standing out as the best combination for the development of Raphanus sativus L. The use of substrates combined with biochar and microbial inoculation showed promise in the cultivation of Raphanus sativus L. (radish), promoting significant improvements in the growth and development variables evaluated. Among the treatments tested, the substrate inoculated with MELRC (SI-MELRC) stood out, presenting the best results in all variables analyzed. These findings reinforce the potential of biochar as a substrate conditioner and highlight the importance of microbial inoculation to maximize the benefits of this system. Future studies can explore the replicability of the results under field conditions and with other agricultural crops.
Keywords: biochar, Raphanus sativus L., radish cultivation, microbial inoculation, substrate conditioner, agricultural production.
How to cite: da Paixão Oliveira, L. and Dos Anjos Verzutti Fonseca, J. and the OLIVEIRA, Lorena da Paixão1; FONSECA, Dos Anjos Verzutti; CORTEZ, Christian Zenichi de Oliveira Ueji 1, Alexandre UEZU2 , SANTOS, Erika³; ARÁN, Diego³ e ESPOSITO, Elisa1 .: Effects of Biochar Substrate and Microbial Inoculation on the Development of Raphanus sativus L. , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-20449, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-20449, 2025.
