Transforming Unsustainable management of soils in key agricultural systems in EU and China. Developing an integrated platform of alternatives to reverse soil degradation.

Informazioni relative al progetto

TUdi

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101000224

DOI

10.3030/101000224

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 5 Maggio 2021

Data di avvio 1 Luglio 2021

Data di completamento 30 Giugno 2025

Finanziato da

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Costo totale

€ 4 978 240,52

Contributo UE

€ 4 978 240,52

Coordinato da

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - TUdi (Transforming Unsustainable management of soils in key agricultural systems in EU and China. Developing an integrated platform of alternatives to reverse soil degradation.)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-07-01 al 2025-06-30

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Soil degradation is a growing global concern, threatening food security, climate resilience, and environmental health. Despite decades of research, it remains unresolved, especially in agricultural regions. Although scientific knowledge is abundant, implementing effective solutions remains challenging. TUdi addresses this in key European, Chinese, and New Zealand cropping systems: cereal rotations, tree crops and grasslands, integrating partners across these three continents. TUdi recognizes that lack of ready-to-use tools for end-users to assess soil degradation and guide corrective actions adapted to biophysical and socio-economic contexts hampers identification of soil degradation and adoption of corrective measures, especially where public extension services are limited.

TUdi’s objectives to contribute to address this challenge are:

1. Document soil degradation and restoration strategies at farm scale, quantifying remediation and fertilizer use effects.

2. Enhance soil quality for food production.

3. Validate stakeholder-oriented solutions to assess soil status and socioeconomic impacts.

4. Develop field-scale decision support tools (DSTs) for EU and Chinese conditions.

5. Build the project around stakeholder needs via EIP-Agri and Open Science.

6. Create a soil care community across EU, China, and New Zealand.

To achieve these objectives, TUdi co-created in cooperation with diverse end users six multilingual, mobile-friendly DSTs, a free socioeconomic toolbox (SEST), and two commercial services using DSTs with advanced capabilities These are supported by a meta-database of long-term experiments, multilingual educational materials, and policy briefs. TUdi’s legacy continues through hybrid (free/commercial) exploitation and integration into EU and Chinese soil initiatives.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

The TUdi project provided a comprehensive response to global soil degradation by developing tools, strategies, and stakeholders networks to restore soil health across agricultural systems in Europe, China, and New Zealand. Its results span scientific innovation, stakeholder engagement, and practical applications.

Released six free Decision Support Tools (DSTs), each addressing major soil threats: erosion, compaction, low organic carbon, poor structure, biodiversity loss, and fertilization. These tools are mobile-friendly, multilingual, and linked to restoration strategies. An additional free socioeconomic digital tool, SEST, was developed to appraise the cost/benefit implications of soil restoration technologies at farm scale. Together, they form a suite of tools to help stakeholders implement restoration actions and assess technical impact and economic implications. Two advanced DSTs for commercial use were integrated into two advisory services: Nutri-Service (Nutrient Management Plan) and SEA-Service (Soil health evaluation and restoration), including expert consultation.

Developed a unified meta-database covering 52 experimental sites and 600 treatments, now integrated into the European BonaRes platform for long-term accessibility. These studies include experiments and commercial farms with ongoing trials, showcasing good management and restoration practices, and studies on degradation problems. They have been used, among other purposes, to test the DSTs.

A catalogue of 27 soil restoration strategies combining soil quality enhancement with agricultural production is available. It was developed through a detailed review of technical and scientific literature, results from TUdi’s meta-database, and tacit knowledge identified in cooperation with the TUdi stakeholders’ network.

A permanent stakeholder network across participating countries has been consolidated. They shared four years of cooperation in TUdi, steering tools and activities to stakeholder needs. This network expanded through collaboration with existing EIP-Agri operational groups and dissemination via EIP-Agri tools (within the EU CAP Network).

TUdi gathered and analyzed socioeconomic data from diverse farming typologies across participating countries, performing cost-benefit analysis and evaluating business opportunities for soil restoration solutions. This information helped identify barriers and opportunities under specific conditions and informed advice to decision makers. Findings were summarized in two policy briefs.

TUdi created lasting collaboration among teams and stakeholders across Europe, China, and New Zealand. A consolidated cooperation network was established, with multiple activities completed: international conferences and EU-China workshops, researcher exchanges for technical visits, PhD student mobility, cooperation agreements, joint project applications, and training activities.

Thanks to this collaboration, TUdi engaged a large number of stakeholders in over 150 events including field days, workshops, and seminars. It produced 29 multilingual educational videos, 14 technical leaflets, a children’s brochure, and a legacy booklet. TUdi published 52 peer-reviewed papers and 110 conference contributions. It maintained an active social media presence and a multilingual website with over 8,000 page views and global reach across 67 countries. Demonstration videos and newsletters promoted DSTs and SEST tools.

TUdi will adopt a hybrid exploitation model to ensure a lasting legacy through:

Free tools and data (DSTs, SEST, meta-database) openly accessible to farmers, researchers, and institutions.

Commercial services offering tailored support for advanced users, hosted by AgriSat.

Policy indicators and guidelines informing EU and national soil protection frameworks.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

TUdi advanced soil restoration by integrating science, stakeholder engagement, and digital tools across Europe, China, and New Zealand. Its co-creation approach tailored tools to stakeholder needs and business models.
It developed, tested, and disseminated six novel DSTs for major soil threats: unbalanced fertilization, erosion, compaction, poor structure, low organic matter, and biodiversity loss. A seventh novel tool, SEST, complements them, compatible with EU’s FaST, enabling cost-benefit evaluation. These tools support healthy soils across 75% of the acreage in TUdi’s cropping systems. They assess degradation indicators and recommend techniques. All tools are multilingual, mobile-friendly, and linked to the 27 validated strategies.
It has launched a innovative approach of complementing these free tools with two commecial services for situations that requires specialized advice.
TUdi transformed long-term experiments into a meta-database of 52 sites and 600 treatments, serving as a reference for researchers and stakeholders. This supports development of restoration and fertilization practices and transdisciplinary studies.
It delivered multilingual training materials to overcome language barriers and create a shared technical foundation for soil health improvement.
Socioeconomic impacts include improved farm profitability—especially for intensive and diversified farms—and new business models for restoration. TUdi’s tools and training help reduce input costs, boost yields, and promote sustainability.
Wider societal benefits include climate resilience, biodiversity, and food security. TUdi’s legacy continues through policy integration, education, and collaboration, positioning soil health as central to global sustainability.

Apple orchard visit during the 2023 TUdi GA in China, June 2023

Torino Field Trip, July 2022

2023 TUdi General Assembly in China, June 2023

In person TUdi Meeting in Madrid, October 2021

Testing the decision support tools with stakeholders

Gully restoration workshop at a national TUdi stakeholders day, February 2023

Access to TUdi advisory services

Bare soil management, a first step towards soil degradation

View of one of the Liong Term Experiments and description in meta-database

View of Tudi Media Center

TUdi team in Madrid, October 2021

International meeting with stakeholders, July 2022

Screenshot of tool for socioeconomic analysis, SEST

Examples of multilingual training and educationa materials

Screenshot of TUdi free decision support tools