LIFE-AGREMSO3IL final meeting

LIFE-AGREMSO3IL final meeting


An event aimed at the transfer of the results obtained in the LIFE-AGREMSO3IL project (agrochemical remediation of farm soils by combining solarization and ozonation techniques) was held at the Scientific Park of University of Murcia on December 14th. The event was associated with the World Soil Day (#WorldSoilDay).

The loss of soil quality is a degradation process recognized as one of the most important global issues for food security and sustainability worldwide. World Soil Day 2022, promoted by FAO with the theme “Soils: Where Food Begins” was celebrated on December 5th to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining ecosystem health and human well-being byaddressing the growing challenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness and encouraging societies to improve soil health.

The results obtained over the course of the four years that the project has been up and running were made public. Other soil related projects – LIFE-GEOCARBON, EJP Soil SOMMIT and EJP Soil MINOTAUR – were also present to contribute their experience to the event. During the meeting, it was emphasized the great importance of generating and expanding the scientific knowledge since it will help us to implement all the practical actions necessary to ensure the protection of soils as well as the maintenance of food production and quality in the long term.

LIFE-AGREMSO3IL project, which is co-financed by the European Commission through the LIFE programme, began in July 2018 and is nearing conclusion on 31th December. The project is coordinated by the Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Medioambiental (IMIDA) with the cooperation of the Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS-CSIC), Novedades Agrícolas, S.A. (NOVAGRIC) and IDConsortium, S. L., and has counted with the collaboration of the Expo-Águilas cooperative.

 

LIFE-AGREMSOIL in the V CIPOA Conference

LIFE-AGREMSOIL in the V CIPOA Conference

AGREMSOIL participated in the 5th Iberoamerican Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies, held in the Convention Center of the Municipality of Cusco (Peru), from November 7th to 11th 2022. The goal of CIPOA conference is to gather scientists, scholars, and professionals to present their research findings and discuss future directions and opportunities concerning the fundamentals and application of Advanced Oxidation Technologies in the environmental, energy and climate sectors, towards a sustainable and carbon-neutral circular economy. The meeting is an international forum of discussion on breakthrough science and technology on themes related to advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs), high-frequency ultrasound, ozonation processes, and their integration with other physical/chemical and biological processes. IMIDA partner presented the communications:

Combined Solarization-Ozonation Treatment for Remediating Metribuzin Polluted Soils in Controlled Conditions’, and

Degradation of Metribuzin and its Primary Transformation Products in Soil by Combining On-site Solarization and Ozonation Techniques’.

LIFE-AGREMSO3IL in the Second EUSO Stakeholders Forum

LIFE-AGREMSO3IL in the Second EUSO Stakeholders Forum


 

After the publication of the EU Soil Strategy and with the EU Soil Health Law being developed, the European Commission has confirmed the paramount importance of healthy soils and their crucial role in tackling major societal challenges such as climate change, biodiversity decline and food security. Building on the EU Soil Strategy, the EU Soil Health Law is expected to include legally binding obligations to achieve healthy soils in the EU by 2050. In this context, the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) is convening its second Stakeholder Forum, an annual event organized by the JRC whose purpose is to actively engage and exchange with the soil community, in a broad sense – from policy makers, soil and soil-related scientists, local actors, civil society representatives and citizens. This on-line event took place from Monday 24th to Wednesday 26th October 2022.

The EUSO aims to become the principal provider of reference data and knowledge at EU-level for all matters relating to soil. It is a dynamic and inclusive platform that supports EU soil-related policymaking by providing knowledge and data flows needed to safeguard and restore soils. EUSO is in close interaction with the soil-related research activities and aims to raise the public’s awareness of the need for soil protection.

Several themes were updated during EUSO second Stakeholders Forum: the latest developments in soil policy, the state of soil science, new and ongoing soil research projects as well as methods to assess soil health in the EU and beyond. Fulgencio Contreras (IMIDA), as LIFE AGREMSO3IL representative, explained the Project objectives and achievements during the Soil Pollution Session.

 

               

The LIFE AgRemSo3il project was present at the latest edition of the Fruit Attraction 2022

The LIFE AgRemSo3il project was present at the latest edition of the Fruit Attraction 2022

Fruit Attraction has become the main commercial tool of reference for the global marketing of fruit and vegetables. Its capacity to promote the sector’s exports worldwide makes it the nexus of commercial connection for the entire group of professionals that make up the value chain, while at the same time consolidating itself as the scenario for innovation in the fruit and vegetable market.

This annual fair has become the largest platform and meeting point for fruit and vegetable operators. In this way, new business opportunities are created and new markets are opened up.

In addition, Fruit Attraction has become the innovation event of the fruit and vegetable sector where all the innovations in products and services of the companies in the industry are presented. For this reason, this fair holds the Innovation Hubs Awards for being a fundamental event to support entrepreneurship in the sector.

Our partner, NOVAGRIC, has once again participated in the event presenting the new products and technological innovation developed by their company. Among the novelties, they have unveiled the prototype developed in the LIFE AGREMSO3IL project and the results that are being obtained in the experimental farms.

Undoubtedly, an ideal place to show the objectives and progress of the project aligned with the objectives of FRUIT ATTRACTION. The impact of this edition has been very great as there has been a large number of visitors and there has been a lot of interest in the implementation of the decontamination of agricultural soils.

 

 

LIFE-AGREMSOIL in the Pesticide Behaviour in Soils, Water and Air Conference

LIFE-AGREMSOIL in the Pesticide Behaviour in Soils, Water and Air Conference

 

LIFE AgRemSO3il participated in the Pesticide Behaviour in Soils, Water and Air Conference, held in the Ron Cooke Hub, University of York (UK) from August 31th to September 2nd 2022. The conference was a face-to-face event, where the latest research into the environmental behaviour of pesticides and its application in assessing and managing risks to the environment and human health were presented to the pesticide fate community (environmental scientists from research organisations, industry, government and NGO’s and to those in related disciplines seeking a concise overview of the state-of-the art). The event´s presentations included from research into basic processes at lab, field and landscape scales, through monitoring and modelling of environmental behaviour and pathways of exposure, to development of practical management strategies to reduce contamination and new science to address a range of emergingchallenges. IMIDA partner presented the communication ‘Remediation of soils polluted with triazole residues by ozonation technology at laboratory and field scale’.

 

Networking with UPCT (Polytechnic University of Cartagena)

José Fenoll and Fulgencio Contreras, representing the project LIFE AgRemSO3il, held a meeting with Raúl Zornoza and Francisco Alcón, professors of the UPCT. They are leaders of the project DIVERFARMING as well as partners of the project SOILDIVERAGRO, both funded by Horizon 2020.

During the meeting we had the chance of exchanging objectives and results of the named projects and other lines of research and innovation regarding the environmental effects of agriculture, in special on soils, according to the approach of the EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe.

We could appreciate that those three projects tackle environmental problems from different perspectives, providing the opportunity of integrating complementary results and a wider solution to avoid or mitigate negative effects of agricultural practices on the soils.

Remarkable results

The main agreement was the decision to arrange an event in Brussels next November with the aim to present our project results and policy recommendations to policy officers or other relevant stakeholders we could reach.

We also agreed to involve the research group on soils of CEBAS-CSIC, participating in the EJP Soil.

In this way, we can join three important research institutions developing works in the scope of: “Innovations in agriculture to protect soil in the EU. A contribution to the EU Soil Strategy.”

LIFE AgRemSO3IL in WCSS 2022 conference

 

LIFE AgRemSO3IL participated in the 22nd World Congress in Soil Science, organized by the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) and the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS). This hybrid event is focused on significant issues that continue to affect our natural environment, particularly on soil: deterioration, vulnerability, loss of soil resources and biodiversity, impacts on food security and mitigation and adaptation to the climate change. It was held in Glasgow (UK), from July 31st to August 5th.

IMIDA partner presented the communication ‘Enhanced degradation of strobilurin fungicides residues in soil by ozonation treatment’ that was streamed to the on line/in person audience.

 

AGREMSOIL project participated in PestNu workshop

On July 7th, AGREMSOIL took part in the 1st workshop on clustering activities of PestNu’s sister Projects co-organized by the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) and the Information Technologies Institute (ITI). During the event, speeches, presentations & posters of the relevant EU research projects, discussions on strategies concerning the Green Deal objectives, as well as round tables for broadening policy context took place.

Fulgencio Contreras (IMIDA) presented an overview of the project and the activities and results up to date and participated in the Round Table related to ‘Pesticides free agriculture & Organic Farming’ together with representatives from other European Projects (PestNu, Organic PLUS, CasH, FoodOASIS, NeoGiant, Algae4Fuel&Aqua, VIRTIGATION, NOVATERRA, SPEL and BPI).

PestNu Project targets the field -testing and demonstration of digital and space based technologies (DST) and agro-ecological and organic practices (AOP) under a systemic approach to reduce the pesticides and fertilisers use, and loss of nutrients. It aims to revolutionize novel, digital and space-based technologies (DST) with agro-ecological and organic practices (AOP) in a systemic approach which can be applied in novel circular economy food production, such as aquaponics, as well as in hydroponic greenhouses and open-field vegetable cultivation for reducing the dependence on hazardous pesticides; reducing the losses of nutrients from fertilisers, towards zero pollution of water, soil and air and ultimately fertiliser use. The PestNu consortium consists of 20 partners from 9 EU countries (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Austria, Ireland, Sweden, UK). It includes 2 Industries, 10 SMEs, 5 NGOs & Agricultural, Environmental &Food Associations, 1 University and 2 Research Centers.

Link to the PestNu Project: https://pestnu.eu/

As a result of the participation in this event, the Benaki Phytopathological Institute has contacted the LIFE AgRemSo3il project to assess possible future collaborations. Benaki Phytopathological Institute was the first Greek research institute to have a broad scientific basis in plant health and plant protection. The Institute has earned itself a reputation as a guardian of quality, safety and sustainable development in agriculture.

LIFE AGREMSOIL PARTICIPATED IN THE EAIC WEBINAR: The LIFE Programme: What are the benefits for companies?

The European Association of Innovation Consultants (EAIC) organised a hybrid webinar on 29 June to present the LIFE programme and to discuss some of the projects funded by this programme.

The event was organised by Life AgRemSo3il partner, IDConsortium, among others. Therefore, the Life AgRemSo3il project participated in the event with the presence of its coordinator, Fulgencio Contreras, and Macarena Sanz, IDConsortium. The objectives and results of our project were presented to the audience of more than 80 people online and 20 attendees at the event venue.

The event organised by EAIC was honoured with the presence of Mr. Angelo Salsi, Head of Department of CINEA, the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment in charge of managing the LIFE programme. Mr. Salsi gave an overview of the LIFE programme as well as useful tips for applicants.

The LIFE programme offers EU funding opportunities for environmental, climate and energy impact projects. Companies can apply for this programme to co-finance the testing and scaling up of solutions they intend to implement, which can have a positive impact on the environment or can address climate change/mitigation challenges.

He also showed the results and shared the experience of the implementation of other projects already funded under this programme:

– Natural HVACR 4 LIFE (DAIKIN-Belgium)

– LIFE F3 (TROTEC-Belgium and France)

if you were unable to attend, you can watch the full session here.