Utilization of Marginal lands for growing sustainable industrial crops and developing innovative bio-based products

Project Information

MIDAS

Grant agreement ID: 101082070

DOI

10.3030/101082070

EC signature date 12 October 2022

Start date 1 November 2022

End date 31 October 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 7 839 775,00

EU contribution

€ 6 999 100,00

Coordinated by

CENTRE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND SAVING FONDATION
Greece

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MIDAS (Utilization of Marginal lands for growing sustainable industrial crops and developing innovative bio-based products)

Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

MIDAS aims to grow, evaluate and valorize sustainable low-ILUC industrial feedstock by developing selected industrial crops and cropping systems on European marginal agricultural land in a climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly way to support feasible bio-based value chains.
MIDAS’s scope follows a systemic concept and builds on two pillars:
A. To optimize selected climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly industrial crops and cropping systems able to tolerate water scarcity and mitigate desertification, while improving biodiversity conservation, particularly in Mediterranean and central European Member States; the optimization will be two-fold through breeding and agronomy and
B. To improve the functional performance of specific value chains and products, taking into account an improved resource use efficiency so as to boost the sustainable use of non-edible industrial biomass in a bio refinery concept.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

1. Maps of marginal land area and extend (2023, 2030, 2050) and separate maps for all characteristics of marginal lands on limiting factors and factors qualifying them as low-ILUC. At the same time maps of marginal lands (2030, 2050) with high and low soil erosion risks and water stress conditions at regional level have been advanced and will be finalised in few months time. A story map on maps activities had been developed by WR and uploaded in the project website.
2. Advanced breeding material have been distributed to the partners for testing on small field trials (screening trials). A Soil Water Retention System (SWRS) developed by CREA was established in two EU countries; Italy and Spain. Projects biobased materials (biochar, mulch films and vinegar) had been distributed to the partners for testing on the fields.
3. Field Case Studies had been set up on two innovative cropping systems; intercropping (10 trials) and agroforest (5 trials) in 9 European countries. Videos from these case studies had been created and uploaded in the project website. Innovative harvesting activities had been performed on safflower trials. Biodiversity studies had been performed in Bologna (CREA) by WR team.
4. The production of several biobased products; Biochemicals, elastomers, coatings, particle boards, mdf panels, etc. are in progress. Biochar, mulch films and vinegar had been delivered to field case studies for testing on fields.
5. A high Number of potential combinations (case studies x biomass types and product(s)) had been identified and the most promising had been selected by end of the 1st year of the project.
6. 10 videos as tutorials had been developed and gradually are being uploading in the project website. Business plan vision and intermediate goals for improved circular farming systems and products in each case study are in progress.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The mapping and characterization of current and future marginal lands is being progressed significantly particularly in relation to their characterization/classification according to factors that classify them as ‘low ILUC’ and according to factors that need to be taken into account when using these lands for sustainable low ILUC industrial feedstock production (land abandonment, land degradation, soil erosion by wind and water, presence of specific ecosystem services).
Advanced breeding materials is being further improved (by running the last steps on breeding) in order to reach TRL 7. The advanced material will be grown on multi-location field trials Mediterranean and Continental regions. Moreover, new breeding tools are being developed that will enable the breeding of orphan crops like hemp and miscanthus.
New innovative systems are being developed in 9 different countries, where annual and perennial crops are being grown on two typologies of intercropping systems.
A number of innovative bio-based products are being developed at TRL 7 from low ILUC feedstock produced in fields of CSs. The products have been grouped based on the feedstock used: a) mulch firms, bio lubricants, bio stimulants from oilseeds, b) latex for gloves, rubber for tires, adhesives and coatings from specialty crops, c) bio herbicides from oilseed and specialty and d) MDF panels, particle boards, biochar and nanocarbons from lignocellulosic crops and bagasse of oilseeds and specialty crops. Four of them (namely mulch films, bio stimulants, biochar and bio herbicides) will be used back in MIDAS fields for circular use.
An integrated framework for the design of sustainable bio-based value chains and webs is operationalized.
Field assessments in three field trials (WP3) filling existing gaps in our knowledge on biodiversity patterns for marginal lands and for new cropping systems including perennials, which can be compared with results of studies on high-production intercropping systems in e.g. the Netherlands. The use of innovative identification methods based on DNA metabarcoding allow us to go beyond pollinator counts, and also explore a much wider functional biodiversity of flying and crawling insects, while the set-up of training methods for field recognition of pollinators (based on transect counts) will benefit the future possibilities for upscaling field inventories via e.g. citizen science. In addition the LARCH model is being used in two out of the three case studies (Emilia Romagna and Serbia).
The development of business plans starts from the farms and the capacity of their farming systems within their regional agro-ecological and socioeconomic context, to adapt to climate change and will aim to enable their smooth, profitable transition towards a low carbon, circular bioeconomy. The work involve farmers and other local actors to co-creational activities that will deliver business plan visions and concrete business plans that will be further tailored to the available financing options within the territorial boundaries of each case study.

MIDAS at a glance