A citizen science mobile application, SoilPlastic, has been developed to allow the public, school students, and farmers to gather observations of plastic debris in agricultural fields from across Europe and beyond. These recordings provide researchers with useful data on the presence and abundance of this debris, allowing them to gather further evidence of the impacts of extensive reliance on plastic-based products on soil health. When using SoilPlastic, users are encouraged to take photos and provide details of plastic debris observed when passing through agricultural fields (in line with public access legislation). These details include the type of land use, amount and type of plastic observed, and any other information that may be deemed relevant to the project. Upon completing their records, citizens are then asked to remove and recycle the debris, thus providing an additional benefit through reducing the amount of plastic waste on fields. The benefits of using this app include an opportunity to network with fellow plastic recorders alongside gaining access to an interactive map which displays all recorded plastic observations gathered within the app. SoilPlastic was developed by Spotteron and is available to download using both Apple and Android devices.

A questionnaire was conducted with 110 farmers across Europe to better understand the extent to which they rely on plastics. Various farm sizes and types participated, including horticulture, cereals, orchards, and vineyards. Of the surveyed countries, farmers in Greece and the Netherlands were most likely to report having large quantities of plastics present in their field (43% and 40% respectively). The main types of plastics used include mulches and other foils, irrigation equipment, ropes and clips, and plastic boxes. It appears that smaller farms were more likely to have high levels of plastic, potentially as many of these farms were horticultural, which often involve more people working on the land, and thus a higher likelihood of plastics being accidentally discarded. In terms of farm type, berry producers, orchards, and horticultural farms had the most plastics present. Farmer participants were also asked how informed they feel about the impacts of plastics on soil health. Most farmers felt that they had ‘some’ knowledge of the impacts, with 11% saying they were completely uninformed, and just 4% saying they feel fully informed. When asked what information they would like to receive in future, most indicated they would like more technical information, including how to use and recycle products to avoid negative impacts. Others suggested that further information about regulations and how plastics degrade would be helpful. Based on these findings, we recommend that more information should be gathered and disseminated to make farmers aware of the impacts of agricultural plastic use, alternatives to plastic products, and better ways of recycling plastics.

Micro- and nano-plastics are a major pollutant of agricultural soils. Little is known about the impact of these plastics on soil health and agricultural productivity. Multi-scale experiments are being conducted to define the impacts of these plastics, both in isolation and combined with pesticides and veterinary pharmaceuticals, to build an understanding of how plastics, either alone or in combination with other organic pollutants, affect soil physical and chemical properties, and soil biota. In turn, we explore how these impacts affect agricultural productivity and ecosystem services. These experiments include soil laboratory microcosms, pot and mesocosm studies and field studies in three distinct regions of Europe. Measurements for all experiments include functional and diversity attributes of soil micro-, meso- and macro-biota, soil physics, soil chemistry, plastic disintegration, transport (biotic and abiotic), and plant productivity. The laboratory microcosm experiments, which already commenced, will involve 200-g soil microcosms exposed to different treatments, including presence or absence of synthetic and biodegradable plastics, organic pollutants and will be performed in different soil types. Further targeted pot experiments will determine whether agricultural micro- and nano-plastics interact with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, as any effect on its functioning would impact plant nutrition and productivity alongside soil structure and porosity. Field experiments, meanwhile, will take two years, with various plastic and organic pollutants applied to fields using a randomised plot approach.

Who: Researchers from 20 universities, research institutes and organisations are working in 11 case study sites across Europe. MINAGRIS is using a multi-actor approach whereby various stakeholders will be involved throughout the project. Efforts will be made to include farmers and citizens alongside policymakers, scientists, recycling firms, and other entities involved in the agricultural plastics supply chain. 
What: Plastic use offers several benefits within agriculture but pose several threats to environmental health. The MINAGRIS project partners will assess the impacts of micro- and nano-plastic debris present in agricultural soils on biodiversity, plant productivity, and ecosystem services. They are also investigating how this plastic debris is transported and degraded once present in soils. Lastly, work will be undertaken to undestand how plastics interact with other soil pollutants, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals and whether this exacerbates their threat to the environment. The results of MINAGRIS will provide tools and recommendations for policymakers, scientists and other stakeholders for the sustainable use of plastic in agriculture at farm and field levels. This will contribute to achieving safe and economically viable food systems in Europe. 
Where: The 11 MINAGRIS case study sites are located across Europe and include The Netherlands, Slovenia, the UK, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, France, Estonia, and the Czech Republic. 
When: The project was launched during 2021 and will be completed in September 2026.