Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NutriBudget (NUTRIBUDGET - Optimisation of nutrient budget in agriculture.)
Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-08-31
Nitrogen and phosphorus play an essential role in agriculture to maintain fertile and healthy soils, and ensure food security. However, overfertilisation has led to negative impacts on human health, biodiversity, water, air, and soil quality. In addition to this, there are indications of a decline in the soil organic carbon content. This is defined as a threat for European soils due to its crucial link with the ecosystem functioning.
The Horizon Europe NutriBudget project aims at developing the prototype of a first-of-its-kind integrated nutrient management platform, called NutriPlatform. The NutriPlatform will operate as a decision-support tool (DST) to determine which agronomic measures to implement. It will also support assessment of their impact for farmers at a farm level and for policy makers at a regional to European level.
NutriBudget devises an interdisciplinary and holistic concept based on five pillars to help Europe to transition from the current to the desired nutrient status, with balanced spatial agronomic and environmental targets:
• NutriDesign: which critical performance indicator framework to measure
• NutriData: which existing mitigation measures data to collect and new data to generate in five pilot regions (four nutrient hotspots in Belgium, Spain, Italy, Finland and one nutrient deficient area in Switzerland) along a climatic gradient across Europe
• NutriModels: how to model the integrated impact across nutrients, farming systems and spatial scales
• NutriPlatform: how to translate this to a DST for farmers and regional authorities
• Nutri-Actor approach: how to co-create this with users and various actors according to a multi-actor approach
NutriBudget, including the NutriModels and NutriPlatform, supports the adoption of strategic and operational management measures that contribute to sustainable farming by enhancing farmer’s capabilities to restore Europe's ecosystems and biodiversity while closing nutrient gaps by optimised sustainable management of natural resources.
The Horizon Europe NutriBudget project aims at developing the prototype of a first-of-its-kind integrated nutrient management platform, called NutriPlatform. The NutriPlatform will operate as a decision-support tool (DST) to determine which agronomic measures to implement. It will also support assessment of their impact for farmers at a farm level and for policy makers at a regional to European level.
NutriBudget devises an interdisciplinary and holistic concept based on five pillars to help Europe to transition from the current to the desired nutrient status, with balanced spatial agronomic and environmental targets:
• NutriDesign: which critical performance indicator framework to measure
• NutriData: which existing mitigation measures data to collect and new data to generate in five pilot regions (four nutrient hotspots in Belgium, Spain, Italy, Finland and one nutrient deficient area in Switzerland) along a climatic gradient across Europe
• NutriModels: how to model the integrated impact across nutrients, farming systems and spatial scales
• NutriPlatform: how to translate this to a DST for farmers and regional authorities
• Nutri-Actor approach: how to co-create this with users and various actors according to a multi-actor approach
NutriBudget, including the NutriModels and NutriPlatform, supports the adoption of strategic and operational management measures that contribute to sustainable farming by enhancing farmer’s capabilities to restore Europe's ecosystems and biodiversity while closing nutrient gaps by optimised sustainable management of natural resources.
The main work carried out during the 2nd reporting period (RP2) (March 2024 – August 2025) includes getting NutriModels operational, generating experimental data for validation of the NutriModels and launching mock-up version of the NutriPlatform DST prototype. More specifically, the following was achieved with respect to the five pillars mentioned above:
• NutriDesign: includes two components: (i) the Mitigation Measures Catalogue, listing agronomic measures to optimize EU nutrient budgets, and (ii) the NutriKPI framework, integrating environmental and productivity indicators into key performance metrics. In RP2, the Catalogue expanded to 50 measures, and meta-analysis quantified their effects on NutriKPIs such as crop yield, nitrogen use efficiency, soil quality, animal nutrient efficiency, and manure processing (Deliverable 1.3). Results informed meta-regression algorithms to assess soil, crop, and fertilizer management impacts on yield, NUE, soil pH, and SOC (Deliverable 1.5).
The NutriKPI framework also established methodologies to evaluate carbon and nutrient budgets against five objectives: soil, water, climate, biodiversity, and production (Deliverable 3.2). Thresholds for critical or target nutrient levels define KPI gaps, enabling assessment of progress toward balanced nutrient management and sustainable agriculture.
• NutriData: In addition to the state-of-the-art data in the Catalogue, 19 of the 50 mitigation measures are being experimentally studied within the NutriBudget project to generate new data and address existing gaps. The first year of experiments has been completed, and the second year is expected to conclude by November 2025. Upon completion, the data will be processed and integrated into the NutriModels framework, together with Catalogue data, to assess the measures’ impacts at farm and EU scales. To validate the NutriModel framework across climatic regions, long-term experimental data are being collected—validation for Boreal zones is complete, while work for other regions is ongoing.
• NutriModels: operate at both regional (MITERRA-Europe; Deliverable 2.3) and farm levels (NutriFarm; Deliverable 2.4) across all European farming systems (EU-27, Switzerland, and the UK). They assess current soil carbon and nutrient budgets (N, P, K, S, Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn) to evaluate the gap to desired states (Deliverable 2.5) and the impact of mitigation measures (planned for RP3). NutriModels are unique in covering a broad range of nutrients beyond N and P, offering a comprehensive assessment of nutrient dynamics.
• NutriPlatform: In combination with the operable NutriModels, the NutriKPI framework is now being implemented in the NutriPlatform as a prototype DST. The mock-up of the DST is available, and farmers can already give a feedback on its features and expected outcome that they wish to see from the NutriPlatform.
• Nutri-Actor approach: this approach allows us to involve all relevant actors (farmers, bio-based community, food industry, policy makers, etc.) interested in nutrient management to participate in co-creation of the NutriBudget outputs. Until now in total 556 stakeholders participated across 18 co-creation sessions in order to receive stakeholder input for co-creation of the Catalogue, NutriModels, NutriKPI framework and NutriPlatform, which were the main focus of the co-creation in RP2.
• NutriDesign: includes two components: (i) the Mitigation Measures Catalogue, listing agronomic measures to optimize EU nutrient budgets, and (ii) the NutriKPI framework, integrating environmental and productivity indicators into key performance metrics. In RP2, the Catalogue expanded to 50 measures, and meta-analysis quantified their effects on NutriKPIs such as crop yield, nitrogen use efficiency, soil quality, animal nutrient efficiency, and manure processing (Deliverable 1.3). Results informed meta-regression algorithms to assess soil, crop, and fertilizer management impacts on yield, NUE, soil pH, and SOC (Deliverable 1.5).
The NutriKPI framework also established methodologies to evaluate carbon and nutrient budgets against five objectives: soil, water, climate, biodiversity, and production (Deliverable 3.2). Thresholds for critical or target nutrient levels define KPI gaps, enabling assessment of progress toward balanced nutrient management and sustainable agriculture.
• NutriData: In addition to the state-of-the-art data in the Catalogue, 19 of the 50 mitigation measures are being experimentally studied within the NutriBudget project to generate new data and address existing gaps. The first year of experiments has been completed, and the second year is expected to conclude by November 2025. Upon completion, the data will be processed and integrated into the NutriModels framework, together with Catalogue data, to assess the measures’ impacts at farm and EU scales. To validate the NutriModel framework across climatic regions, long-term experimental data are being collected—validation for Boreal zones is complete, while work for other regions is ongoing.
• NutriModels: operate at both regional (MITERRA-Europe; Deliverable 2.3) and farm levels (NutriFarm; Deliverable 2.4) across all European farming systems (EU-27, Switzerland, and the UK). They assess current soil carbon and nutrient budgets (N, P, K, S, Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn) to evaluate the gap to desired states (Deliverable 2.5) and the impact of mitigation measures (planned for RP3). NutriModels are unique in covering a broad range of nutrients beyond N and P, offering a comprehensive assessment of nutrient dynamics.
• NutriPlatform: In combination with the operable NutriModels, the NutriKPI framework is now being implemented in the NutriPlatform as a prototype DST. The mock-up of the DST is available, and farmers can already give a feedback on its features and expected outcome that they wish to see from the NutriPlatform.
• Nutri-Actor approach: this approach allows us to involve all relevant actors (farmers, bio-based community, food industry, policy makers, etc.) interested in nutrient management to participate in co-creation of the NutriBudget outputs. Until now in total 556 stakeholders participated across 18 co-creation sessions in order to receive stakeholder input for co-creation of the Catalogue, NutriModels, NutriKPI framework and NutriPlatform, which were the main focus of the co-creation in RP2.
The Mitigation Measures Catalogue has been co-created and expanded to 50 measures optimizing nutrient budgets across the EU. State-of-the-art data were collected and analyzed to assess environmental performance through seven meta-regression and seven linear models (Deliverable 1.3) and site-specific algorithms quantifying impacts on yield, nutrient use efficiency, soil organic carbon, and pH (Deliverable 1.5).
NutriModels are now operational and published: the regional model quantifies nutrient fluxes (C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Zn; Deliverable 2.3) while the farm model calculates nutrient budgets for current and desired states (Deliverable 2.4).
The NutriKPI framework defines methodologies to assess desired carbon and nutrient budgets across five long-term objectives—soil, water, climate, biodiversity, and production (Deliverable 3.4). A satellite-based algorithm for cover crop detection was also developed (Deliverable 3.3).
Finally, the NutriPlatform design, information flow, and mock-up (Deliverables 5.2–5.3) are completed, enabling early farmer feedback. The final DST will support farmers in optimizing nutrient management and reducing environmental impacts.
NutriModels are now operational and published: the regional model quantifies nutrient fluxes (C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Zn; Deliverable 2.3) while the farm model calculates nutrient budgets for current and desired states (Deliverable 2.4).
The NutriKPI framework defines methodologies to assess desired carbon and nutrient budgets across five long-term objectives—soil, water, climate, biodiversity, and production (Deliverable 3.4). A satellite-based algorithm for cover crop detection was also developed (Deliverable 3.3).
Finally, the NutriPlatform design, information flow, and mock-up (Deliverables 5.2–5.3) are completed, enabling early farmer feedback. The final DST will support farmers in optimizing nutrient management and reducing environmental impacts.