Oregional is a cooperative association of (organic and conventional) farmers in the Arnhem - Nijmegen region. Oregional sells products of the affiliated members directly to customers such as the catering industry, healthcare institutions and corporate caterers in the same region (regionally is defined here as within a radius of 50 km in the Arnhem - Nijmegen region). Oregional has a wide range of fresh and non perishable products. Some of the products come from members affiliated to the cooperative and some are purchased from non-members, so-called suppliers. The aim of the research project is to make recommendations for Oregional for the realisation of a climate-neutral regional food chain. It can be concluded that the aim for a fully climate-neutral food chain is not feasible in the short term. However, a number of steps can be taken towards a climate neutral food chain. These are in order of effectiveness: 1. Reducing sales of meat products and encouraging meat substitutes A shift to more vegetable products and/or meat substitutes can be explored via consolation with buyers and consumers; 2. Use and production of sustainable energy An easy first step for both suppliers/cooperative members and Oregional is the purchase of 100% sustainable energy and, where possible, the own production of sustainable energy, ideally aiming for a mix of solar and wind energy. A “back-of-the-envelope calculation” shows that installing one wind turbine of 3 to 4 MW is enough to offset the total greenhouse gas emissions of Oregional. 3. Regulations for suppliers and/or cooperative members Oregional can impose requirements on the production methods of its cooperative members or suppliers or have them use quality marks such as "On the way to Planet Proof". 4. Food waste reduction 5. Limit food waste in the chain as much as possible. Short lead times, good stock management, regular deliveries, cooling throughout the chain. Finding the balance between packaging reduction and increasing product shelf life through packaging. Encourage consumers to combat food waste. This can be done by listening to customers regarding their stocks and developing products specifically tailored to them together with customers; 6. Oregional transport There are two ways to make the transport of products more sustainable. First of all, replace diesel and/or petrol drive with electric drive. Logistic wise, a general recommendation is to strive for the highest possible load factor with as few kilometres as possible; 7. Oregional packaging The use of packaging with paid-deposits on, such as with beer bottles, ensures the multiple use of packaging. Other options are minimising the use of (packaging) material, the use of sustainable material and choosing material that can be recycled; 8. Carbon sequestration in wood and in the soil In addition to solar panels and wind energy, it is also possible to opt for using carbon storage via forestry for building materials and for carbon storage in the soil. Eleven hectares of forestry for construction material is enough to offset the total greenhouse gas emissions from Oregional.
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Agricultural run-off and subsurface drainage tiles transport a significant amount of nitrogen and phosphorus leached after fertilization. alchemia-nova GmbH in collaboration with University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna developed two multi-layer vertical filter systems to address the agricultural run-off issue, which has been installed on the slope of an agricultural field in Mistelbach, Austria. While another multi-layer addressing subsurface drainage water is implemented in Gleisdorf, Austria. The goal is to develop a drainage filter system to retain water and nutrients. Both multi-layer filter systems contain biochar and other substrates with adsorption properties of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus). The filter system can be of practical use if an excess of nutrients being washed out is of concern in the fields of the practitioner by keeping the surrounding waters clean. This approach may result in economic value by re-using the saturated biochar as fertilizer and improving the soil structure, thus increasing long-term soil fertility. Link: https://wateragri.eu/a-bio-inspired-multilayer-drainage-system/
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 858735This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 858735. FACTSHEET NANOCELLULOSE MEMBRANES FOR NUTRIENT RECOVERY Key information Functionalized nanocellulose membranes can take up nitrate and phosphate. These membranes can be put in a water treatment unit. As the membranes are biobased, degradable materials, they can after use be added to the soil, thus returning the leached nutrients back for their original purpose providing fertilizers (nutrient recycling).
Because variables such as temperature and humidity have a profound effect on the activity of crop pests, diseases and natural enemies, the ability to monitor environmental conditions within a crop has always been important for crop protection.