The Cluj-Napoca University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV) is representing Romania in a project worth EUR 11.7 million carried out with European partners that will study how regenerative agriculture can contribute to reversing catastrophic soil erosion.

'The Cluj-Napoca University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV) through the Faculty of Agriculture, is announcing the start of an ambitious project worth EUR 11.7 million carried out together with other European partners to discover how regenerative agriculture can contribute to reversing catastrophic soil erosion and securing the future of agriculture in Europe. USAMV Cluj-Napoca represents Romania and has an essential role within the consortium. Prof Teodor Rusu, dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, is the coordinator of the Living Black Soils Laboratory which also includes the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Out of the total budget of EUR 11.7 million, the Romanian team receives EUR 639,328.75 euros. Under the project, there will be five European living laboratories, as examples of good practices in conservative and regenerative agriculture,' according to USAMV.

The project called ' Transformative Living Labs for Soil Health: Advancing Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture Across Europe ' (Grant Agreement 101218949/2025), funded under the Horizon Europe programme, was officially launched at an opening meeting in Cordoba, Spain.

TRAILS4SOIL brings together 22 partners from 12 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine.

Co-funded by the European Union and the Swiss Confederation, the project will provide strong evidence from 100 test sites (living laboratories) across Europe on the impact of regenerative agriculture - not only on soil health, but also on agricultural production, farmers' incomes and well-being.

According to the same source, Europe's soils are in an increasingly precarious state, affecting agricultural production, farmers' incomes and biodiversity. According to the European Environment Agency, more than 60% of European soils are degraded - eroded, compacted, contaminated or depleted of nutrients and moisture. Intensive agriculture is one of the main causes of this deterioration.

Interest in the potential of regenerative agriculture to repair this damage is growing, both among farmers and academia and research. However, there are still uncertainties about the most effective techniques in different pedoclimatic conditions and how they influence agricultural production.

Over the next five years (2025-2030), TRAILS4SOIL partners will work closely with farmers and land managers from a network of 100 experimental sites. Research will assess how regenerative agriculture practices influence soil health, agricultural productivity, farm profitability, farmer welfare and the environment.

Each of the 100 sites will explore one of five major themes: permanent land cover; organic farming; adaptation to climate change; conservation of black soils; integration of crops and animal husbandry.

'Regenerative agriculture has enormous potential in meeting these challenges. By working directly with farmers, TRAILS4SOIL benefit from their experience of local conditions. Thus, through co-creation, we can support other farmers understand what solutions are most effective for their land. These demonstration farms become spaces for collaboration between farmers, researchers and decision-makers, where solutions for soil health, biodiversity and climate resilience are tested and co-created. Depending on the involvement, each living laboratory will qualify for EUR 5,000 - EUR 10,000 annually for testing, monitoring and innovation activities,' said Teodor Rusu, Agrotechnical professor at the Faculty of Agriculture. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Marius Septimiu Avram; EN - writig by: Corneliu-Aurelian-Colceriu)