Regenerative agriculture is increasingly seen as the way forward to safeguard soil fertility and with that economic, human and natural sustainability. The fashion industry, being very much reliant on inputs from the agricultural sector, can play a pivotal role in promoting regenerative practices. In order to do so however it needs to radically rethink its business model, or else it will not be able to reap all the possible benefits.
Renewing agricultural grasslands for improved yields and forage quality generally involves eliminating standing vegetation with herbicides, ploughing and reseeding. However, grassland renewal may negatively affect soil quality and related ecosystem services. On clay soil in the north of the Netherlands, we measured grass productivity and soil chemical parameters of ‘young’ (5–15 years since last grassland renewal) and ‘old’ (>20 years since last grassland renewal) permanent grasslands, located as pairs at 10 different dairy farms. We found no significant difference with old permanent grassland in herbage dry matter yield and fertilizer nitrogen (N) response, whereas herbage N yield was lower in young permanent grassland. Moreover, the young grassland soil contained less soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (C) and soil organic N compared to the old grassland soil. Grass productivity was positively correlated with SOM and related parameters such as soil organic C, soil organic N and potentially mineralizable N. We conclude that on clay soils with 70% desirable grasses (i.e., Lolium perenne and Phleum pratense) or more, the presumed yield benefit of grassland renewal is offset by a loss of soil quality (SOM and N-total). The current practice of renewing grassland after 10 years without considering the botanical composition, is counter-productive and not sustainable.
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The decomposition of a body is influenced by burial conditions, making it crucial to understand the impact of different conditions for accurate grave detection. Geophysical techniques using drones have gained popularity in locating clandestine graves, offering non-invasive methods for detecting surface and subsurface irregularities. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is an effective technology for identifying potential grave locations without disturbance. This research aimed to prototype a drone system integrating GPR to assist in grave localization and to develop software for data management. Initial experiments compared GPR with other technologies, demonstrating its valuable applicability. It is suitable for various decomposition stages and soil types, although certain soil compositions have limitations. The research used the DJI M600 Pro drone and a drone-based GPR system enhanced by the real-time kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS) for precision and autonomy. Tests with simulated graves and cadavers validated the system’s performance, evaluating optimal altitude, speed, and obstacle avoidance techniques. Furthermore, global and local planning algorithms ensured efficient and obstacle-free flight paths. The results highlighted the potential of the drone-based GPR system in locating clandestine graves while minimizing disturbance, contributing to the development of effective tools for forensic investigations and crime scene analysis.
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Climate change is increasing the challenges for water management worldwide. Extreme weather conditions, such as droughts and heavy rainfall, are increasingly limiting the availability of water, especially for agriculture. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) offer potential solutions. They help to collect and infiltrate rainwater and thus play an important role in climate adaptation.Green infrastructure, such as rain gardens (sunken plant beds) and wadis (sunken grass fields for temporary storage of rainwater), help to restore the urban water balance. They reduce rainwater runoff, stabilize groundwater levels and solve problems with soil moisture and temperature. Despite these advantages, there is still much ignorance in practice about the possibilities of NBS. To remedy this, freely accessible knowledge modules are being developed that can help governments and future employees to better understand the application of these solutions. This research, called GINA (Green Infrastructure in Urban Areas), aims to create more sustainable and climate-resilient cities by developing and sharing knowledge about NBS, and supports local governments and students in effectively deploying these green infrastructures.
This project has received funding from the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 720726LIBBIO is a European research project on Andes Lupin (Lupinus mutabilis, tarwi) cropping in marginal lands for enhanced bio economy. Lupin has the ability to fix nitrogen, mobilise soil phosphate and has low nutritional requirements for cultivation. Varieties will be chosen that give high yield of green silage or high yield of seeds which contain more than 20% oil, more than 40% protein and the remaining materials are carbohydrates, mainly oligosaccharides characterized as “prebiotics”. Andes lupin will be grown as a summer crop in N-central Europe and as winter crop in Mediterranean conditions. Pre-industrial processing is developed and optimized for the lupin, properties of the different fractions analysed, their advantage for different industrial use evaluated, and a few products developed as an example. Social and environmental impact will be evaluated as well as techno-economic viability and effect on farm and biorefinery income.This project has received funding from the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 720726
The project virtually breaks down a large timber structure into pieces and simultaneously simulates and tests each piece in a different laboratory or facility. In this way, unique aspects of each facility can be used at the same time. The experiments take place in a synchronized way, which is a difficult task considering 4 countries (UK, Canada, Greece and the Netherlands) will work at the same time for testing one hypothetical timber structure. Geographically distributed hybrid testing blue sky research, timber structure testing including soil-structure-interactionHYSTERESIS project aims to use geographically distributed hybrid testing for providing experimental evidence for energy dissipation and SSI response of buildings composed of mass timber and CLT panels. The project outcomes will give a boost to the efforts of building multi-story timber structures in areas with wind and/or earthquake loading conditions. The particularities of the problem in hand and the need for testing in large scale while taking into account the SSI, dictate using a novel hybrid testing approach.
