Imagine taking old mines or dried-out fields that nobody wants and turning them into productive gardens for industry. Instead of growing food, these lands grow special plants for fuels and plastics. It is like giving a tired piece of earth a second job that helps the planet and makes money.
Industries need bio-based raw materials but cannot use food crops due to ethical and regulatory pressures. Meanwhile, millions of hectares of land are too degraded for food but remain unused.
A system of GIS maps for marginal land identification and a multi-species biodiversity monitoring protocol. They also established physical plantations of energy willow and turnip-rape.
If you are a biodiesel producer dealing with strict rules against using food crops for fuel — this project developed a method to use turnip-rape on boreal lands that provides a sustainable oil source. This allows you to secure feedstock without competing with food production.
If you are a bio-plastic manufacturer dealing with high carbon footprints in your supply chain — this project developed value chains for non-food crops on marginal lands. This helps you source raw materials that actually restore soil health and biodiversity.
If you are a land management firm dealing with 60-70% of soils being in unhealthy conditions — this project developed a system to identify suitable marginal lands for industrial crops. You can now return profitability to low-productivity lands using climate-resilient species.
Based on available project data, specific cost figures for implementation are not provided.
The project is testing 7 use-cases across Europe, Argentina, and South Africa, indicating a strategy for international scaling across different climates.
Based on available project data, there is no specific mention of licensing terms or patent filings.
The project aligns with the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy action plan, and Bioeconomy and Biodiversity strategies.
The project runs from 2022-12-01 to 2026-11-30, with current work focusing on site assessments and initial planting.
The project features a strong industrial lean with 13 industry partners (43% of the group), including 9 SMEs. This balance between 12 academic/research entities and 13 commercial players suggests the results are being designed for market adoption rather than just theoretical study.
Contact Leibniz-Institut fur Agrartechnik und Biookonomie EV in Germany
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