On June 10 and 11, 2026, the Region of Tuscany hosted an international Cross Visit in Pisa as part of STRATUS, a Horizon Europe project that connects agricultural advisors across Europe to improve integrated fertilisation management. Cross Visits are a core STRATUS activity: they bring advisors, researchers and regional representatives from the partner countries together to exchange good practices and research innovations that farmers can apply in the field. The Pisa Cross Visit focused on the experience of FERTIBIO, a Tuscan Operational Group — a partnership of farmers, researchers and advisors funded under the Tuscany Rural Development Programme — coordinated by Terre dell’Etruria, with the scientific contribution of the BioLabs research team at Scuola Sant’Anna, led by Dr. Elisa Pellegrino. FERTIBIO has shown how biofertilisers and microbial biostimulants — products containing beneficial microorganisms, such as bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, applied to crops or soil — can increase yields, improve long-term soil health and reduce environmental impact.
Designed to bridge regional public policies, scientific research and farming practice, the two-day event brought together researchers, regional institutional representatives and agricultural advisors from across Europe. The programme opened on June 10 at Palazzo Boyl, seat of Scuola Sant’Anna, with speeches by Irene Galletti, President of the European Policies Commission of the Tuscan Regional Council, who stressed the need for public policies to actively support sustainable innovation, and Elisabetta Cecchi, Head of Unit for European Cooperation Networks of the Region of Tuscany, who presented the activities of the ERIAFF network, a key tool connecting academic research, regional governments and agricultural advisory systems. Dr. Elisa Pellegrino (Institute of Crop Science of Scuola Sant’Anna) shared and discussed with participants the scientific evidence on soil biodiversity and its impact on agroecosystems — that is, on the overall health and productivity of farmed landscapes.
On June 11, activities moved to the field at Società Agricola del Bambù in San Giuliano Terme. Participants observed the direct application of microbial biostimulants, attended experimental demonstrations and discussed the results directly with the farm operators, in an open dialogue among researchers, advisors, regional actors and farmers. This closing session translated academic research into practical agricultural solutions — exactly the kind of knowledge exchange STRATUS aims to promote across Europe.
Author: Silvia Innocenti – Regione Toscana
