The recent networking event organized by the FER-PLAY project at the NERM Conference 2024 was a resounding success.
The Nutrient in Europe Research Meeting (NERM), a pivotal event uniting the efforts of five project consortia – Fertimanure, Lex4Bio, Rustica, Sea2Land, and Walnut.
During its fourth regional workshop, the RUSTICA project in Valle del Cauca has made significant progress towards formalizing the region’s first organic fertilizer chain.
In a groundbreaking endeavor towards sustainable carbon solutions, Rian Visser has been leading innovative research at TNO, the Dutch organization for applied scientific research.
Guillermo Peña Chipatecua and his team at the Alliance Bioversity & CIAT extend a warm welcome to visiting researcher Erika De Keyser, who is joining them from January to March 2024.
On the 10th and 11th of January 2024, the RUSTICA consortium organized a visit to Biobest and the Centre of Expertise Sustainable Biomass and Chemistry of Thomas More.
In response to farmers’ demonstrations causing logistical challenges, an anticipated in-person meeting in Angers was swiftly reorganized online, ensuring seamless participation.
RUSTICA partner Céline Marjolet from the Chamber of Agriculture of Pays de la Loire presented the Rustica project during an online conference.
The agricultural community gathered at the “El Rosal” nursery in Tuluá, Valle del Cauca, for a pivotal workshop aiming to promote sustainable agricultural practices and embrace circular economy principles.
Despite efforts to convene stakeholders for the RUSTICA project workshop in Flanders, organizers faced a setback with a significantly lower turnout than anticipated.
Leaders and experts convened in Almeria for the fifth Spanish workshop of the RUSTICA project, organized by C.T. TECNOVA.
The Rustica project workshop brought together a diverse array of stakeholders to discuss the latest developments and strategies in bio-based fertilizers.
The RUSTICA partners explore Madrid Science Park Foundation and Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL) in cross-visit to Madrid.
RUSTICA consortium has once again come together for an update and exchange of expertise, concluding its seventh round of meetings in Madrid, spanning from 9th to 11th October.
RUSTICA project showcases innovative upcycling of fruit and vegetable waste for bio-based fertilizer blends at RAMIRAN conference.
In an effort to promote sustainable agricultural practices, stakeholders gathered to review and provide feedback on the strategic planning process for the bio-based fertiliser chain in Valle del Cauca.
These institutes deliver research-based solutions that address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
Last week, we welcomed Guillermo Pena in Leuven. Guillermo is researcher at the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).
A dynamic gathering of 19 participants, including 9 stakeholders, marked a pivotal workshop aimed at advancing bio-based fertilizer (BBF) initiatives in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
In a concerted effort to bolster sustainable agriculture, the focal point of the key stakeholders gathering was to propel forward business models tailored for RUSTICA.
Between the 8th and the 10th of May, the first RUSTICA cross-visit took place in Ghent, Belgium.
Stakeholders gathered in Flanders for the 4th Stakeholder Workshop in May 2023 as part of the ongoing Rustica project, aiming to promote sustainable agricultural practices.
The prestigious conference on the management of agricultural, urban and industrial waste in agriculture has accepted an abstract for an oral presentation to be given by Dr. Fien Amery.
During the last 2 years of the project the RUSTICA project will organise a series of cross visits open to regional stakeholders interested in learning more about RUSTICA and its pilots.
The scientific publication developed by KU Leuven PhD student Erika De Keyser and Dr. Erik Mathijs presents an approach towards sustainable development through the development of circular business models that integrate environmental, social and economic dimensions.
TNO is the partner responsible in RUSTICA project for producing biochar as a key building block for the production of a biobased fertilizer. In the following Dr. Rian Visser explains the main findings of her activities in the RUSTICA project.
The workshop took place on 18, 19 and 20 of April at the Palmira campus of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (RUSTICA project partner).
A broad spectrum of activities and progress of the Bioeconomy in Germany was presented by high-level experts on the seminar “Industrielle Bioeconomy”, thereby focusing on resource efficient production concepts which will not only be a competitive advantage but also a factor of reliable supply chains in the future.
Seminar dedicated to companies to illustrate technically how to valorise industrial waste by transforming it into by-products. Conducted in hybrid mode in presence and online, with 190 participants.
The workshop commenced with a warm welcome and a round table session, allowing participants to introduce themselves and their roles within the BBF value chain.
University Press Leuven kicked off the year with the publication of a book on the future of farming in Flanders. As all across Europe and beyond Europe’s borders, there are lively debates in Flanders on how to move towards more sustainable farming systems.
The presentation of Fien Amery at the international workshop EUVRIN has led to the presentation of the RUSTICA project in the magazine “Land Info by Baden-Württemberg”.
The workshop began with welcoming remarks from the Knowledge Brokers of Friuli Venezia Giulia, setting a conducive tone and paving the way for fruitful discussions.
On the 30th of November and 1st of December, Tessa Avermaete (KU Leuven, project manager COCOREADO and RUSTICA) and Dioni Ortiz (project coordinator Visionary) met at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).
The workshop kicked off with an engaging ice-breaker activity, during which participants enthusiastically shared insights into their ongoing project-related activities. Discussions ranged from recent developments in blends to progress updates on pilot plants and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA).
Flanders was the first RUSTICA region to organise the 3rd multi-stakeholder workshop with 14 attendees involved in different parts of the bio-based fertiliser (BBF) value chain including farmers associations, policy makers, research institutes, and waste stream managing companies.
Liesbet Vranken, Tessa Avermaete and Margo Heremans (KULeuven), coordinators of the project, welcomed the participants and presented the objectives of the meeting.
RUSTICA aims at bio-based and circular systems to accomplish optimal plant supply and soil quality. As such, legislation on products for fertilising purposes will be essential for the exploitation and impact of the project.
In May and June 2022, the second round of RUSTICA-workshops were organized in the 5 partnering regions: Flanders (Belgium), Pays de la Loire (France), Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy), Almería (Spain) and Valle del Cauca (Colombia).
The European Forum on Urban Agriculture (EFUA) organized on the 21st of June 2022 a policy talk in Brussels on better policies for urban farming. Experts with very diverse backgrounds reflected on bottlenecks and opportunities in current policies.
Food and farming have become popular topics for debates and events. That’s an evolution we should embrace. Food is so much more than a basic need. Food determines to a large extent our wellbeing and it has a high cultural value.
KU Leuven, Rikolto and CIAT bundled forces to organise a workshop on the circular bioeconomy and food-smart cities. The workshop took place on the 18th of May, at the Irish College in Leuven.
Are you an agricultural producer or advisor? Do you know anyone active in farming? Participate with us in an online survey to unleash the potential of bio-based fertilisers.
The Open Call provides up to 100.000 euros funding for proposals submitted by one SME and up to 150.000 euros for a consortium.
The RUSTICA consortium focuses on making the food system more sustainable through closing nutrient cycles in the agro-food chain.
On March 14, 2022, the event “The Science of the Future for the Transformation of Food, Land, and Water Systems took place at the Americas hub of The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT in Colombia.
El 14 de marzo de 2022 se llevó a cabo la Jornada de Innovación: La Ciencia del Futuro para la Transformación de los Sistemas Alimentarios, de la Tierra y del Agua, en el marco de la inauguración del nuevo banco de semillas “Semillas del futuro”, en la sede regional para las Américas de la Alianza Bioversity International & CIAT.
Resources all around the world are depleting rapidly. Just like the fossil fuels, the nutrients in our agricultural lands are decreasing. Meaning our lands will produce less and less food while the global population keeps growing Besides the negative economic tendence, the use of these fossil fuels aids climate change.
About six months ago, the first round of regional workshops in the five RUSTICA regions – Almeria, Flanders, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Pays de la Loire, Valle del Cauca – were organised.
Electrodialysis (ED), as highlighted in Fig.1 is one of the competitive membrane-based technologies for separating NPKs and Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) from fermented food wastes.
RUSTICA project uses a multi-actor approach in which 5 multi-actor networks will be set up in 5 regions (Flanders, Pays de la Loire, Almeria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Valle del Cauca (Colombia)) with the aim of co-developing practical circular business models for bio-based fertilizer production from vegetable and fruit waste.
RUSTICA project is designed to systematically engage with the regional stakeholders. This engagement is formalized in a series of regional workshops planned every six months starting from month 12 of the project.
Soil organic matter (SOM) is one of the most important components of soil as it influences virtually all the properties of soil that control agricultural and environmental functions.
On 21st of October of 2021 took place the first regional stakeholders workshop in Pays de la Loire. The workshop was hosted by ESA d’Angers, an agronomic engineer school based in Angers.
Climate change and resources depletion are urging agriculture players to boost a real change, from the grounds, fostering the use of bio-based solutions for crop nutrient management and pest control among others.
On 5th of November took placed an stakeholders workshop in the frame of RUSTICA project in Valle del Cauca region. In the following lines you will see how the workshop was organized.
Tecnova counts on the presence of 10 stakeholders of the Rustica project to obtain bio-based fertilisers from organic fruit and vegetable waste.
The RUSTICA project started in January 2021, with as key objective research on the processing of fruit and vegetable waste into bio-based fertilizers. Due to the Covid crisis, the consortium could not have any live meeting so far. But last week, finally, a real project meeting took place in Almeria.
The current fertilizers are made using exhaustible resources, which have a negative impact on our climate. For example, phosphor and nitrogen are extracted from fossil raw materials or by using a big amount of energy derived from fossil fuels.
As an approach to sustainable development, circular business models are increasingly being developed. However, many circular business models focus on environmental or technological contributions to sustainability rather than considering all dimensions of sustainability simultaneously.
Friuli Venezia Giulia was the third RUSTICA Region to organise a multi-stakeholder’s workshop with about 15 attendees involved in different parts of the BBF (bio-based fertiliser) value chain including farmers associations, professional orders, policymakers, technical and environmental agencies, and research organisations.
The use of insects in bio-factories is making it possible to convert organic matter into high quality products, such as proteins for animal and human food. In the case of the agri-food industry, we see how their use is being consolidated both in the treatment of water purification and in the generation of substrates for crop fertilisation.
Flanders was the first RUSTICA region to organise a multi-stakeholder workshop with about 20 attendees involved in different parts of the bio-based fertiliser (BBF) value chain including farmers association, fertiliser companies, technology providers, policymakers and research organisations.
The circular bioeconomy covers many sectors with different interests and goals – agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food production, pulp, and paper production, as well as parts of the chemical, biotechnological, and energy industries, policy domains, and stakeholders with different interests and goals.
Currently, the international and European economy is mainly based on resources of fossil origin. These resources are subject to debate not only because of their finiteness but also with regard to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
Within the Rustica project, the SME Avecom is one of the technology providers, responsible for the production of microbial protein (MP) from CAP waters. The protein-rich dried biomass is used as a building block for organic fertilizers.
KU Leuven, ILVO, Rikolto, Odissee Hogeschool and the Fachhochschule Südwestfalen bundle their forces in the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Business Models for Sustainable Farming.
BioSabor S.A.T. is an ecological fruit and vegetable company located in the southeast of Spain. We are in the province of Almería next to Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The expertise of the Particle and Interfacial Technology (PaInT) research group at Ghent University is related to the selective separation of these nutrients from the carboxylic-rich solution.
Using a multisectoral approach, this initiative is moving forward in the formation of its multi-stakeholder platform, conceived as a collaborative space for co-creation and knowledge exchange in the regional context.
In the coming years, humanity will have to face one of the most demanding challenges in history which are to slow down and possibly reverse the process of ecosystem deterioration caused by anthropogenic activities.
In Pays de la Loire region, RUSTICA project will take place in one of the 17 National Gross Market infrastructures (Marché d’Intérêt National or “MIN”), in the city of Angers. Here, tons of waste are generated each year by unsold fruits and vegetables.
The main method of involvement will be through workshops. For each region, at least six workshops with a minimum of 10 participants will be organised in the course of the coming four years (2021-2024).
Inge De Bo and Jef Van de Poel are responsible for the project technical management of RUSTICA. Inge holds a Ph.D in Applied Biological Sciences and does research related to the biological optimization of the carboxylic acid platform (CAP).
Since global environmental issues proliferated the mainstream public discourse, there have been plenty of incredible innovative inventions and technological solutions that changed the way we live now.
Tessa Avermaete and Margo Heremans are responsible for the project management of RUSTICA. Tessa holds a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences and is an expert in managing European consortia at the division of bioeconomics.
“This initiative will offer technological solutions to convert agri-food waste into innovative, high-quality organic fertilizers that meet the needs of modern agriculture… ” A blog by one of our partners, CIAT, wrote how the project started and how the technology can advance bio-based fertilizers for circular agriculture.
This day is about empowering and expanding the environmental movement. As the health and wellbeing of every human being are closely interlinked with the health of our planet, fighting climate change requires persistent action on many levels.
We are pleased to announce the signing of the RUSTICA project where through a transdisciplinary multi-actor approach, we aim to validate, demonstrate and integrate six technological options for mineral nutrient recovery from fruit and vegetable waste streams in multi-valorisation configurations across 4 regions in the European Union.
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