{"id":3176,"date":"2025-07-25T10:33:38","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T10:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?p=3176"},"modified":"2025-07-25T10:33:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T10:33:38","slug":"turning-local-know-how-into-european-solutions-for-smarter-bio-based-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3176\/turning-local-know-how-into-european-solutions-for-smarter-bio-based-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning local know-how into European solutions for smarter bio-based farming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Farmers and foresters across Europe are sharing sustainable bio-based practices and technologies, showing how local knowledge and European collaboration can help drive the transition to a greener future.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro<\/p>\n

Michalis Genitsariotis, a former salesman turned olive grower from the northern Greek region of Halkidiki, is constantly learning in his \u201csecond life\u201d as a farmer.<\/p>\n

Unlike many people with a traditional farming background, Michalis only turned to agriculture in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, at a time when many were pushed to change their lives.<\/p>\n

Seeking stability, he chose olives \u2013 a highly valued crop and a staple of the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted something that we know how to grow in Greece, but I wanted to do it better,\u201d he said. His goal is to transition to completely organic farming \u2013 growing without chemical fertilisers and pesticides.<\/p>\n

He is getting support from an EU-funded network of experts from Czechia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Spain. The network was set up in 2023 to help farmers and foresters transition to more sustainable methods of production.<\/p>\n

Their goal is to accelerate the\u00a0adoption of bio-based technologies\u00a0in agriculture and forestry to help boost climate resilience, ease the transition to a circular economy and support zero-waste practices.<\/p>\n

Empowering farmers<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Carmen Gir\u00f3n Dom\u00ednguez, a Spanish biologist specialising in sustainable biomass and circular bioeconomy strategies, the BBioNets team\u2019s aim is not so much to create new technologies, but to function as a large-scale network spreading awareness of existing circular bioeconomy technologies and practices already being used by farmers and foresters across Europe.<\/p>\n

Working closely with the Circular Bioeconomy Research Group at Munster Technological University in Ireland, Gir\u00f3n Dom\u00ednguez coordinates the BBioNets team, which brings together bioeconomy experts from the six participating countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are focused on taking very local and very practical knowledge and seeing if it can be useful in other parts of Europe,\u201d said Gir\u00f3n Dom\u00ednguez.<\/p>\n

The initiative operates through local Forest and Agriculture Networks (FANs) that the team has set up in the six countries. The FANs bring together farmers, foresters, advisors and policymakers to identify regional needs, co-design and test new bio-based technologies, and share solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to reinvent the wheel. We want to help what\u2019s already out there reach the people who need it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

All of this is very much in line with the EU\u2019s bioeconomy strategy \u2013 a plan to accelerate the shift toward a\u00a0sustainable, circular bioeconomy. Due to be updated by the end of 2025, the strategy involves turning renewable biological resources such as crops, forests, algae and organic waste into food, materials, energy and services.<\/p>\n

Old problems, new tools<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Greece, one of BBioNets\u2019 key partners is the American Farm School (AFS), a non-profit institution based in Thessaloniki which helps regional farmers improve their practices and also offers agricultural education to people of all ages.<\/p>\n

With support from AFS, Michalis is learning how to create natural fertilisers through composting. He hopes this will reduce his reliance on chemicals and ease the transition to organic agriculture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to just leave pruning waste decomposing in the field,\u201d he explains. \u201cNow, I\u2019m collecting it, mixing it with household organic waste, and using microorganisms for composting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michalis is already thinking beyond his own grove. He wants to persuade other farmers in his area to work together and manage their biomass collectively. In a region like Halkidiki where olive production is widespread, this kind of cooperation could create new value streams for growers and producers.<\/p>\n

Across Europe, these types of grassroots solutions are central to the BBioNets team. Gir\u00f3n Dom\u00ednguez explained that the team has catalogued 113 bio-based technologies already in use at the local level, and developed an online tool<\/a> to help match successful solutions to the specific needs of different regions.<\/p>\n

Examples include converting leftover apple pulp into compostable packaging in Poland, fermenting straw, wood and grass to produce bioenergy and fertiliser in Germany, as well as processing hemp using bacteria instead of chemicals in Italy.<\/p>\n

Scaling up through support<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite growing interest and considerable success, scaling up these innovations requires more than just know-how. Access to funding, clear guidance and supportive public policies remain crucial for farmers like Michalis.<\/p>\n

Since 2023, farmers in the EU can get extra funding for using eco-friendly methods like composting and recycling plant and animal waste, thanks to new rules in the common agricultural policy.<\/p>\n

But complicated paperwork and red tape can make things hard. As researcher Dimitrios Moustakis from AFS explained, many farmers struggle to understand and work through these systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarmers don\u2019t just need money \u2013 they need clearer rules and guidance, too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

To help with this, the BBioNets team is collecting lessons from the six participating regions and turning them into practical policy suggestions. The goal is to make it easier for farmers and communities to benefit from bio-based innovation, with stronger support from national governments.<\/p>\n

Spreading the word<\/strong><\/p>\n

To help spread the message even further, the network\u2019s findings will be made publicly available.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a pledge that we took,\u201d said Gir\u00f3n Dom\u00ednguez. \u201cThe platform, the catalogue, the educational materials \u2013 everything is going to be freely available to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

For small farmers, financial stability and long-term predictability are key to survival. Michalis does not yet know whether his sons, aged 10 and 8, will one day take over the family olive groves.<\/p>\n

But he wants to keep growing his olives and his knowledge. He eventually plans to sell his own olive oil under a personal label.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe one of my sons will grow the olives and the other will take care of the commercial side,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u200bThis article was originally published\u202fin\u00a0Horizon<\/a>\u00a0the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

More info<\/p>\n