More than half of Europe’s soils are degraded. Researchers are showing that restoring soil through better farming makes both ecological and financial sense. By Bárbara Pinho Soils feed us, filter our water and support most of the food chain on Earth. But they are also among Europe’s most neglected resources –quietly degrading beneath our feet … Read more
From wildfire-resistant landscapes in Spain to flood warning systems in Denmark, researchers are working with local communities to find, test and deploy practical ways to live with climate change – and to share what works across borders. By Bárbara Pinho Many people expect a raging wildfire to leave a blackened, lifeless landscape in its wake. … Read more
EU-funded researchers are turning to nature’s very own clean-up crew to tackle toxic industrial soil pollution. By Ali Jones Outside the mountain town of Sabiñánigo in northern Spain, an abandoned chemical factory stands on land still scarred by decades of Lindane production – a pesticide now banned worldwide – which left behind thousands of tonnes … Read more
From sewer to furnace: how wastewater sludge is greening steel production By turning wastewater sludge into biocoal and green hydrogen, EU-funded researchers are helping reduce the steel industry’s environmental impact. By Tom Cassauwers What comes out of our wastewater treatment plants may not be very appealing, but the real problem is what is left behind … Read more
From Dutch dairy farms to Spanish forests, women are showing how rural Europe can thrive when their ideas and leadership are recognised. By Maria Vlastara What if the biggest untapped resource in European agriculture is not technology or funding – but the women already working in the sector? At 34, Albertine Ekkels from the Netherlands … Read more
With support from EU-funded researchers, farmers across Europe are adopting smarter and better integrated pest management that protects crops and cuts chemicals – without cutting profits. By Michaela Nesvarova In sunny Tourinha, a small town north of Lisbon, farmer Bruno Neves proudly walks through his fields and greenhouses full of lettuce and cucumbers. Come Christmastime, … Read more