SCOPE
NATIONAL
Reduce the nitrogen footprint of agricultural production,
increase carbon sequestration and improve soil quality.
NATIONAL
COVERAGE
NOTS project covers 5 low-density and less-favoured areas in mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Region of the Azores Islands.
Mainland Portugal: Beja | Évora | Leiria | Santarém
Autonomous Region of Azores Islands: Distrito da Terceira
The regions covered are medium and large-scale farming regions, where the effects of climate change are more marked due to the predominance of a Mediterranean-type climate, which favours the depletion of soil organic matter and the gradual reduction of rainfall in the region.
THE PROJECT’S CONTRIBUTION
TO THE SECTOR AND REGION
NOTS project will make a very positive contribution to the agricultural sector.
NOTS will improve production conditions.
By implementing or increasing the cultivation of legumes in various contexts, the improvements in fertilisation needs will be significant, with significant gains in farm profitability and benefits for soil quality.
Better production systems achieve…
// A reduction in mineral nitrogen fertilisation.
// An increase in carbon sequestration.
// Through improved organic matter content and consequent benefits in water retention and infiltration, which will allow for more efficient water management.
Alongside agricultural activity, it will be possible to develop and increase ecosystem services associated with improving biodiversity and agro-diversity, in the new farming systems and after NOTS project ends:
// Improved soil conditions and less need for fertilisation will lead to lower GHG emissions as a result of the accumulated benefits.
// The animal feed component plays a positive role in improving farming systems with benefits for on farm food production.
// The exploration of the food component, with the creation of new ingredients and recipes for an innovative, healthier and more sustainable Mediterranean diet.
// Calculating the Nitrogen Footprint® of the trial products not only provides an easy-to-communicate metric for science, but will also create distinctive products for new markets and business models.
EXPECTED
RESULTS
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Increase the level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet by 20 per cent.
NOTS project wants to prioritise this goal of the “future earth” agenda by including a human nutrition company, Nutrialma, in the partnership.
In line with our in-house expertise, we realise that the Mediterranean diet points to many solutions associated with legumes. That’s why we want…
// A communication that promotes proven records of beneficial impact on mitigating the effects of climate change.
// To recognise the varieties and species identified as edible and part of the Mediterranean diet.
// Contribute to adherence to the Mediterranean diet and its nutritional advantages
And we want to associate the individual possibility of consumption with the choice of products that allows for the sustainability of agricultural ecosystems in the face of the effects of climate change.
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Set up 80 per cent of new young farmers in low-density territories.
NOTS project emphasises the resilience of agricultural ecosystems, allowing solutions to be found that are capable of promoting environmental, ecological and economic sustainability.
The regions covered are mainly large-scale farming regions, where the effects of climate change are more marked, due to the predominance of a Mediterranean climate that favours the depletion of soil organic matter and the gradual reduction of rainfall in the region.
Geographically, a substantial number of tests will be carried out in the low-density councils of the districts of…
Mainland Portugal:
Beja | Évora | Leiria | Santarém
Autonomous Region of the Azores Islands:
Terceira District
The identification of visitable solutions with economic sustainability in these councils will promote the settlement of new young farmers in these territories.
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Increase the value of agri-food production by 15%.
NOTS project identifies hypotheses capable of leading to new forms of production that can be categorised as differentiating on the market, such as “products with a low nitrogen footprint” or “sustainable production”.
NOTS project is based on finding solutions to produce in a more sustainable and resilient way in the face of climate change.
And if people are willing to differentiate themselves positively from more sustainably produced products, we need to invest in new formulation matrices for animal feed, making the most of the legumes under study.
The demonstration of production systems capable of incorporating legumes into their rotations and sustainable ways of farming the land will help attract new approaches to “know-how”, which will hopefully result in a greater area of sustainable production at national level.
CO-FUNDING
Nots-NITRO ORGANICS TO SOILS project is funded by the European Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Facility,
RE-C05-iO3/2021.
