ReFarM – Rethinking Farming and Manure management
The agricultural sector is under regulatory pressure and holds opportunities to play a key role in essential sustainability questions especially in the northwest of the EU. The northwest of Germany and the Netherlands are among the regions with the highest livestock density and manure production. The ReFarM project aims to implement innovative technological solutions to turn manure from waste into products such as fertilizer alternatives, soil improver and renewable energy in the form of biogas. The recovered products can replace current products from primary resources such as fertilizers originating from mining, organic substrates from peat extraction and fossil fuels. The local reuse of resources minimizes emissions and harm to the local environment, and the input into soil from emission heavy exploiting of primary resources.
The recovered fertilizer alternatives and soil improver are meant to improve soil health and functionality to support the soils resilience to climate changes. Soil health and functionality is essential to sustain agricultural activities. Besides agricultural purposes, healthy and well-functioning soils also protect surrounding environments, surface and groundwater bodies. The ReFarM project aims to engineer the manure-originating recovery products to the soils needs, evaluate their safety, life cycle and test them in lab and field tests. The recovered products will be compared with primary resource products and evaluated based on the criteria of the new regulatory framework by the EU to qualify for use and distribution in the EU.
The valorisation of manure and the related circular and sustainable practices create new revenue opportunities for agricultural SMEs. The cross-boarder exchange of best practices and recovery products adds additional value and reliefs financial and regulatory pressure on the regional agricultural sector. The ReFarM project aims to assess new business models for agricultural SMEs and compare new scenarios with currently applied ones. The holistic approach and the combination of innovative technology, soil health, and valorisation make ReFarM uniquely contribute to sustainable agriculture, aligning with many national and international goals and missions.
