The region of Navarra, in northern Spain, has recently hosted the launch of the STRATUS project, whose main objective is the creation of a technical advisory network on the optimal use of fertilisers. This project, coordinated by the public company INTIA, reunites 18 entities from 11 European countries. Funded by the main European Union Research and Innovation program, Horizon Europe, the project has a duration of five years and a total budget of almost four million euros.
The STRATUS project aims to connect advisory bodies across Europe to accelerate the creation and sharing of knowledge on Integrated Fertilisation Management, helping the agricultural sector to put this knowledge into practice to achieve the objectives of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies, thereby reducing nutrient losses to the environment and maintaining soil fertility.
By applying a multi-stakeholder approach, and with most of the partners being agricultural advisory bodies with strong expertise in different areas of fertilisation, STRATUS will create an advisory network reaching out to all EU countries, thus mobilising advisory services across the EU and implementing measures for their effective integration into the respective national/regional “AKIS”_Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems. The network will comprise three sub-networks: one on precision agriculture, one on organic fertilisers and one on soil quality.
STRATUS will support the transition to more sustainable nutrient management by ensuring access to innovative solutions that optimise fertiliser use, reducing reliance on mineral fertilisers while guaranteeing yields. This new knowledge will result in 60 demonstrations, training materials and visits involving actors from all Member States. In addition, a digital platform will be created to collect all the information, interoperable with other advisory platforms and the EU-FarmBook.
In Navarra, the partners were able to see in situ the organic fertilisation trials being carried out by the coordinating partner on one of its experimental farms, specialised in horticultural-fruit crops, where different initiatives and strategies were also presented.
The rest of the 2 day program was devoted entirely to workshops where the project partners, more than 30 people coming from different European countries such as Sweden, Latvia, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, and Croatia, were able to get to know each other, share their expectations, present the first activities, and define through participatory methodologies the action plan for the first year of the project.
Stratus started on the 1st of February. News about events and other project activities can be followed on the project’s social media and the project website.