A pioneering platform for smarter nutrient management
Nutrients are essential to farming. Managing them effectively, however, remains one of agriculture’s toughest challenges. Use too little and yields suffer. Use too much and the effects cascade through waterways, soils and the atmosphere. To help reduce pollution and nutrient losses without compromising productivity, the EU-funded NutriBudget(opens in new window) project has developed an integrated nutrient management platform for farmers, advisers and policymakers. “NutriPlatform is a first-of-its-kind tool because it supports different stakeholders in making informed decisions to improve nutrient management from farm and regional levels to the EU level,” explains the project’s scientific coordinator Ivona Sigurnjak.
A digital platform for sustainable nutrient management
Operating like a dashboard, NutriPlatform presents users with key performance indicators called NutriKPIs, which assess farm performance in terms of carbon sequestration and nutrient budgets – the balance between nutrient inputs and outputs. These indicators show how close current performance is to five objectives set by the EU’s zero pollution action plan(opens in new window) and the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy: crop production, soil health, water quality, climate and biodiversity. Based on this assessment, the platform relies on a mitigation measures catalogue to deliver site-specific recommendations. The catalogue currently covers 25 agronomic measures and is set to reach at least 50, supporting carbon sequestration, nutrient recovery and more efficient fertiliser use, including bio-based fertilisers. What sets NutriPlatform apart is its underlying models, built on earlier EU-funded research. While most existing tools focus on one or two nutrients, such as nitrogen and carbon, the NutriModels simultaneously track 10 elements linked to agricultural sustainability, including phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and micronutrients such as copper and zinc. Built on a holistic and data-driven approach, the models analyse interactions across the farming system. “The flow of carbon and nutrients is dynamically linked across soil, water, air, plants and animals,” says Sigurnjak. The platform also allows regional authorities and policymakers to explore roadmaps towards more sustainable nutrient management and circular economy strategies. Users can simulate the impact of specific agronomic practices and evaluate how different measures affect environmental goals and nutrient performance.
From field trials to policy on bio-based fertilisers
Pilots across five European regions confirmed that nutrient management challenges differ widely depending on climate, soil type and farming systems. In areas with intensive production and nutrient surpluses, the priority is reducing environmental losses and improving nitrogen use efficiency. In regions where nutrients are limited, the challenge is not simply increasing inputs, but ensuring they translate into improved crop yields. As Sigurnjak notes, “Nutrient management cannot follow a one-size-fits-all approach across the EU.” Among its mitigation measures, NutriBudget supports the uptake of bio-based fertilisers that recover and recycle nutrients from organic waste streams. Through co-creation workshops, the project presented results from field trials using these fertilisers and contributed to policy discussions. NutriBudget also contributes to their wider adoption in the EU, including the implementation of recovered nitrogen from manure materials (RENURE)(opens in new window). To support large-scale adoption, NutriPlatform was designed for integration with existing advisory and farm management systems, while its source code will be made publicly available. Alongside these efforts, the project developed key technical deliverables, including algorithms for evaluating mitigation measures and detecting cover crops from space. The consortium expects outreach activities and partnerships to help the platform reach at least 40 000 farmers across Europe.