DIVERFARMING PROJECT - Crop diversification and low-input farming across Europe: from practitioners’ engagement and ecosystems services to increased revenues and value chain organization

Diverfarming aims at increasing the long-term resilience, sustainability and economic revenues of agriculture across the EU by assessing the real benefits and minimizing the limitations, barriers and drawbacks of diversified cropping systems using low-input agricultural practices that are tailor-made to fit the unique characteristics of six EU pedoclimatic regions (Mediterranean South and North, Atlantic Central, Continental, Pannonian and Boreal) and by adapting and optimizing the downstream value chains organization through executing 13 field case studies and 7 addition long-term experimental plots.

This approach will provide: i) increased overall land productivity; ii) more rational use of farm land and farming inputs (water, energy, machinery, fertilizers, pesticides); ii) improved delivery of ecosystem services by increments in biodiversity and soil quality; iii) proper organization of downstream value chains adapted to the new diversified cropping systems with decreased use of energy; and iv) access to new markets and reduced economy risks by adoption of new products in time and space.