Context

Hungary’s farmers are facing increasing challenges from degraded soil structure, extreme weather, and regulatory pressure to implement sustainable practices. While ecological secondary sowing is a key greening measure under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), it remains either underutilised or poorly implemented due to a lack of knowledge, locally adapted seed options, and tailored guidance. Farmers often rely on seed mixes or technologies developed abroad, which do not suit Hungary’s diverse soil types or continental climate.

Discovery Center Nonprofit Kft. initiated this EIP-AGRI Operational Group to fill that gap by engaging farmers, advisors and researchers in a collaborative field experiment. The aim was to create seed mixtures adapted to local ecological, agronomic and policy requirements. The initiative was driven by practical needs raised by farmers themselves and co-designed with their input throughout.

The project was carried out on real-life farms with different soil types, including sandy and loamy soils, across eastern Hungary. It also responded to a national need for cost-effective, regulation-compliant green cover solutions that support soil health and biodiversity while being accessible to small and mid-sized farms.

Through this participatory approach, the project provided both scientific insight and practical tools. It not only addressed soil degradation and biodiversity loss, but also enabled farmers to comply more easily with CAP regulations in a meaningful, ecologically valuable way.

Objectives

The primary aims of the project were to develop regionally-adapted seed mixtures for ecological secondary sowing, improve soil structure and moisture retention through living green cover, support biodiversity, and reduce herbicide dependence via weed suppression.

Creating CAP-compliant, farmer-accessible seed solutions would also promote knowledge-sharing and co-creation with farmers and advisors. As such, a priority was to provide open access to seed mix compositions once they had been tested and had proved their efficiency.

Overall, the project sought to demonstrate the agroecological value of properly managed secondary sowing.

Activities

This three-year project addressed a major gap in Hungary’s ecological secondary sowing practice: the lack of regionally-adapted seed mixtures suited to local soils and climates. Discovery Center coordinated a collaborative field experiment involving researchers, advisors and farmers from different parts of Hungary.

In the first phase, 21 green-cover crop species were selected and planted on experimental plots comprising different soil types. Detailed baseline measurements were taken, including soil compaction (via penetrometer), nutrient levels, pH and moisture. Each species was monitored for its growth, weed suppression and ability to improve soil structure and water retention.

Based on year-one results, underperforming species were excluded and new seed mixtures were created using the most promising combinations. These were tested in the second phase under real-life farm conditions, using field data and microbial activity assessments (e.g. the Biolog EcoPlate method) to evaluate soil biological impact.

In the final phase, the team selected a set of optimised, CAP-compliant seed mixtures and published the recipes and field use guidelines freely online. Farmer-friendly summaries and proportion tables were shared, both internally and with national stakeholders (via website, events and social media), enabling both seed purchases and DIY mixing. This also promoted horizontal learning between conventional, integrated and ecological farms. Dissemination included on-farm events, website updates and advisor networks.

Throughout the project, farmers and advisors were jointly responsible for planning, implementation and review. Field visits were carried out with all partners, and everyone was involved in the interpretation process of the results. Advisory input was used to translate field results into practical protocols.

All core activities were funded under the Rural Development Programme's Cooperation measure (Measure 16).

Gender equality

The project’s organisation and fieldwork were driven partially by Zsanett Hoch-Szilasi, who provided strong female leadership. Throughout the project, women and men participated equally in planning, testing, decision-making and dissemination activities, while the inclusive format of farmer meetings, trial feedback sessions and field days ensured that both genders were fully represented in governance and implementation.

Generational Renewal

Mrs Zsanett Hoch Szilasi is also a young farmer, leading integrated and organic production on her farm, and bringing a fresh perspective to ecological secondary sowing. Farmer Ágoston Nobilis, also under the age of 40, is the manager of the Csoroszlya family farm, which he took over in 2015 and shifted to organic management. He is part of a new generation bringing innovation to Hungarian agriculture.

The participation of mid-career and more experienced farmers fostered inter-generational collaboration, with diverse voices contributing to both field activities and strategic planning.

Main Results

The project generated measurable improvements in soil conditions, biodiversity and practical farming outcomes. Field trials showed that well-selected secondary sowing mixtures reduced topsoil compaction by up to 30% (as measured by penetrometer) and increased soil moisture retention by 10%–15% compared to control plots. Biolog EcoPlate analyses revealed a 20%–25% increase in microbial activity in treated plots, suggesting a boost in soil biological life. Across three test sites, over 40 field comparisons were conducted and 5 optimised seed mixtures were developed, each adapted to different soil types and ecological conditions.

Farmer participation was high throughout the project. Over 15 farmers and advisors were directly involved in planning, testing and evaluating the mixtures, with more than 120 stakeholders reached via demonstration events and online materials. All results were published in accessible formats to promote adoption. As a result, by the end of the project, at least ten farmers began applying one of the new mixtures on their own land under real farming conditions.

Beyond numbers, the project fostered a culture of co-creation and ecological awareness among its stakeholders. It shifted perceptions about the role and value of secondary sowing — not as a regulatory burden but as a tool for building long-term soil resilience. Farmers reported increased confidence in selecting and applying cover crops based on their own soil needs, instead of relying on imported mixes or generic advice.

Key lessons

The initiative demonstrated that even low-budget CAP-funded interventions can yield significant environmental and social returns when built on trust, farmer knowledge and shared experimentation. Instead of promoting ready-made commercial products, it provided region-specific, open-source seed mix ‘recipes’ based on field trials and farmer feedback. The innovation lies not only in the output (seed mixtures) but in the co-creation process itself — blending scientific methodology with local knowledge to produce context-specific agroecological solutions.

The project’s approach — testing and adapting seed mixtures through co-creation — can be replicated in any region where farmers face similar challenges with cover-cropping and greening requirements. The published seed mix recipes, selection criteria and decision tools are freely available and can be used as templates by other advisors and farming communities. The method is particularly transferable to other Central and Eastern European contexts with mixed soil types and fragmented farm structures.