project - Research and innovation

PANACEA - A thematic network to design the penetration PAth of Non-food Agricultural Crops into European Agriculture
PANACEA - A thematic network to design the penetration PAth of Non-food Agricultural Crops into European Agriculture

Ongoing | 2017 - 2021 Greece
Ongoing | 2017 - 2021 Greece
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Objectives

PANACEA Network aims at the dissemination of near-to-practice

applicable cases of Non-Food Crops and at the cooperation between research, industry and farming community, in order to increase the contribution of Non-Food Crops to the European Bio-economy Strategy. Non-food crops (NFC) are those that do not enter the food chains and are used to produce a wide range of bio-based products including polymers, lubricants, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, as well as bioenergy and fuels. But NFC are not widespread in European agriculture, mainly due to challenges in supply chains and policy gaps.

Objectives

See objectives in English

Activities

Create and disseminate an inventory of scientific results near to practice on the sustainable production of NFC. Analyse and contribute to the role that NFC can play in the rural renaissance of Europe taking into consideration the farmers’ and bio-based industries’ needs and interests. Create interactive multi-actor communities involving a wide range of actors from science, industry and agricultural practice that will facilitate the dissemination of near to practice NFC solutions and capturing and spreading innovative ideas. Provide training to farmers, agronomists and agricultural students on practice-oriented knowledge on specific NFC value chains. Develop the online PANACEA platform.

Contexte

In spite of considerable investment in research and development, Non Food Crops (NFC) are not widespread in European agriculture, mainly due to challenges in supply chains as well as gaps in the policy framework and in the investment incentives. Thus, the increasing need for feedstock to supply the bio-based industries makes the successful penetration of NFC in EU agriculture necessary.



In this context, PANACEA Network addresses the challenge of increasing the penetration of NFC into the EU Agriculture and Bio-economy.

Project details
Main funding source
Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Horizon Project Type
Multi-actor project - Thematic network
Emplacement
Main geographical location
Ανατολική Αττική (Anatoliki Attiki)

€ 1999500

Total budget

Total contributions including EU funding.

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45 Practice Abstracts

The PANACEA platform has been officially launched and can be accessed via any modern web browser at https://www.app.panacea-h2020.eu/. Through the platform visitors can access information on non-food Crops (NFC) and related projects categorized by crop type and topic of interest. Through an interactive user interface, visitors can filter the available content and preview information on projects’ title, objective, partners of the consortium, available documents and topics of coverage. Visitors can also rate the available content and place comments to help share the knowledge to the community. Furthermore, by creating an account to the platform, through the registration process, users gain access to the PANACEA Map functionality of the platform. Through it, users can click on a global map on one of the ten (10) participating countries (United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Lithuania, Romania) and access valuable information on strengths and opportunities of near-to-practice non-food crops, incentives and bottlenecks for farmers to adopt NFCs, the role of NFC in the renaissance of the rural areas, the roadmap for the successful implementation of NFC and finally training material for the agronomists and students. Additionally, registered users can publish their own NFC project into the platform by submitting the equivalent form or consume the PANACEA API and retrieve the projects and crops that are available in the platform for third-party usage.

At the beginning of 2020 a new Focus Group on Sustainable industrial crops was launched by the EIP-AGRI with the aim of answering the following question: how can industrial crops contribute to new market opportunities, business models and sustainable farming systems, which create value for farmers in the EU, while not replacing food production? This focus group accounted with the participation of several PANACEA consortium partners, including its coordinator, but also with other external researchers, farmers, advisers, and industry professionals. For one year they managed to identify several challenges that must be overcome for a broad implementation of industrial crops in Europe agriculture. Some examples of these challenges are the extensive lack of experience with industrial crops, the need to share the available information as well as to create demonstration projects to encourage farmers to develop this sector. The available knowledge has been compiled in five mini papers which deal with the following topics:

• Understanding the sustainability aspects of Industrial Crops.

• Selected value chains on industrial crops.

• Market opportunities for multipurpose crops in the EU: a promise of growth, jobs, and sustainability in rural areas.

• Industrial crops for marginal and contaminated lands and for intermediate crops and intercropping strategies.

• Review of industrial crops as part of advisory, research and educational programmes in Europe.

In addition, this Focus Group has identified some areas that have not been well investigated yet. Hence, several Operational Groups (OGs) have been proposed to cover these knowledge gaps.

The cultivation of Camelina is more appropriated for semi-arid dry lands with low productive potential where there are few crop options other than cereals. Its production is intended to obtain oil for cosmetics and biodiesel, due to the concentration in unsaturated fatty acids that presents. During 2018-2019 campaign, two field trials were carried out under rain-free conditions in two different agroclimatic areas of Navarra. The first one was sown on November 11th in Berriosuso, with an annual rainfall over 600-700 mm per year. The other one was sown on January 15th in Orisoain, with an average of 400-500 mm of annual rainfall. In both trials’ seedlings developed properly, although in Orisoain the establishment of the crop was longer. No disease was observed in any trial during vegetative development. In both trials the crop came to bloom in April and to form the seed successfully. During all growth stages plants from the Orisoain trial were smaller and weaker. In June, an unusual meteorological event took place in the middle area of Navarra where the Orisoain’s trial was established. A heavy rain with 150 mm in a very short time produced that seeds fell to the ground and therefore the production was completely lost. The trial of Berriosuso matured and some varieties were lodged. In spite of this, the trial was harvested, and the final yield was good. The best results were obtained by the variety that later flourished and lodged. In conclusion, we advise to sow camelina in November. Longer cycle varieties in the rain-free area with more precipitations can offer better results. It is very important to harvest as soon as the seed has matured to avoid lodging.

El cultivo de Camelina es apropiado para secanos semiáridos con bajo potencial productivo con pocas alternativas a los cereales. Su principal destino es la obtención de aceite para cosméticos y biodiesel debido a la concentración en ácidos grasos insaturados que presenta. Durante la campaña 2018-2019, se llevaron a cabo dos ensayos de campo en condiciones de secano en dos áreas agroclimáticas diferentes de Navarra. El primero se sembró el 11 de noviembre en Berriosuso, en donde la precipitación anual es de unos 600-700 mm/año. El otro se sembró el 15 de enero en Orisoain, con un promedio de 400-500 mm de lluvia anual. Pese a que en ambos ensayos las plántulas se desarrollaron adecuadamente, en Orisoain el establecimiento del cultivo fue más largo. No se observó enfermedad en ningún ensayo durante el desarrollo vegetativo. En ambos casos el cultivo floreció en abril y formó la semilla con éxito. En junio, se produjo un evento meteorológico inusual en la Zona Media de Navarra, donde se estableció el ensayo de Orisoain. Una fuerte lluvia depositó 150 mm de agua en muy poco tiempo, lo que produjo que las semillas cayeran al suelo y, como consecuencia, la producción se perdió por completo. El ensayo de Berriosuso maduró y se encamaron algunas variedades. A pesar de esto, la prueba se cosechó y el rendimiento final fue bueno. Los mejores resultados se obtuvieron por la variedad que fue más tardía en desarrollar el ciclo, se encamó más tarde y no perdió semilla por dehiscencia. En conclusión, recomendamos sembrar camelina en noviembre. Las variedades de ciclo más largo en el área libre de lluvia con más precipitaciones pueden ofrecer mejores resultados. Es muy importante cosechar tan pronto como la semilla haya madurado para evitar la pérdida de semilla.

Sugar beet can serve as a renewable replacement of fossil fuels because it can deliver multiple biobased products, like ethanol and ethylene. New process technologies are currently developed to increase the efficiency of ethanol extraction from sugar beets. The technique enables small scale facilities, which reduces transportation costs of raw materials to factories and stimulates the development of rural areas. Compared to other crops, sugar beet delivers the highest ethanol yield per ton product. Sugar beet is relative robust to extreme weather events due to the deep rooting depth and relative low water requirements. Furthermore, on multiple sustainability aspects, like land use efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction, sugar beet performs better compared with other bioethanol feedstock (for example starch crops). Difficulties for using sugar beet for ethanol is that the food production is reduced (sugar) and that the current prices for sugar beet are rather low, making it less attractive for farmers. The reduction of food production is currently a sensitive point of discussion among policy makers (food-feed-fuel discussion), although a study from NOVA (2017, Sustainable First- and Second-Generation Bioethanol for Europe) show that food security concerns are not well founded when it comes to bioethanol made from sugar, because the crop is very land-efficient. Constant year-round quality (purity) and quantity of the input for processing industry might hamper the development of sugar beet ethanol production. The ethanol-industry requires year-round input from sugar beet with a high quality (pure), while the cultivation of the sugar beet delivers variable quality and a seasonal output of production.

INTIA coordinates the courses for incorporation into the agricultural sector in Navarra. In “efficient farm management” module, which takes 60 hours, around 18 students were trained from August to December through face-to-face and online sessions. A face-to-face session was dedicated to training on innovations in the agricultural sector, where 18 young farmers were trained in the opportunities offered by Non-Food Crops (NFCs). The session was given by Amaia Caballero Iturri, INTIA technician. Many items were explained: NFCs definition, what bioeconomy means, the situation of biomaterial market, the aim of PANACEA project, the objectives of INTIA in this project, and the explanation of each work package on that project. Agronomic and economic aspects of some interesting crops were explained, such as hemp, castor bean, Brassica carinata, crambe or safflower. In addition, the results of camelina and oleaginous and textile flax variety tests were presented, all of them carried out by INTIA. The training ended watching the application of the PANACEA platform. Young people were invited to use this platform to discover new crops and the European projects that study them. At the last part of the session, students were participative and asked some questions regarding the cultivation of hemp in Spain and its legality. They also thought about the need to diversify their future farms and the opportunities that these types of crops offer to cover small market niches.

INTIA coordina los cursos de incorporación al sector agrario en Navarra en el módulo sobre gestión eficiente de la explotación agrícola, con una duración de 60 horas. Alrededor de 18 estudiantes son formados desde agosto a diciembre mediante sesiones presenciales y on-line. Una de las sesiones presenciales estuvo dedicada a la formación sobre innovaciones en el sector agrario, donde se expusieron las oportunidades que ofrecen los cultivos no alimentarios a 18 jóvenes agricultores. Esta sesión fue impartida por la técnica de INTIA Amaia Caballero Iturri. En ella se explicó en qué consisten los cultivos no alimentarios (NFCs), qué es la bioeconomía, cómo está el mercado actual de los biomateriales por qué surge el proyecto PANACEA, los objetivos de INTIA en el proyecto, y los paquetes de trabajo de los que está compuesto el proyecto. Se explicaron en profundidad aspectos agronómicos y económicos sobre algunos cultivos interesantes como el cáñamo, el ricino, la Brassica carinata, el crambe o el cártamo. Además, se explicaron los resultados de los ensayos de variedades de camelina y de lino oleaginoso y textil realizados por INTIA; y finalizó la formación enseñando a los estudiantes la aplicación de la plataforma PANACEA. Los jóvenes fueron invitados a utilizarla para aprender sobre nuevos cultivos y sobre los proyectos europeos que los estudian. Por último, los estudiantes se mostraron participativos y realizaron algunas preguntas referentes al cultivo del cáñamo en España y su legalidad. También reflexionaron sobre la necesidad de diversificar sus futuras explotaciones y la oportunidad que dan este tipo de cultivos para cubrir pequeños nichos de mercado.

Within the PANACEA project framework, a training session was organized for the 36 INTIA technical advisers. The objective of the training session was to analyse the most interesting crops for the semi-arid drylands, fresh drylands, and livestock areas of northern Navarra. The following workshops were carried out:

• The first one on oilseeds: sunflower and rapeseed are traditionally grown in Navarra, but the results of the camelina and flax trials were presented as an alternative. In particular, the need to evaluate the camelina potential in marginal lands was discussed. The difficulty in ending the oil flax value chain was also mentioned.

• The second workshop was about legumes and protein. In Navarra, the traditional crops are beans and peas. However, there is a growing demand for protein in the agri-food industries and bioindustries. For this reason, different legumes were evaluated in arid drylands. In mountain areas, it would be interesting to study the viability of lupins as a source of protein and oil for the bioindustry.

• The third workshop was on biomass and forages, where the opportunity of flax and hemp for textile fibre was discussed. INTIA has experience in the agronomic part of these crops, but it was mentioned that the problem lies in the commercialization. Extensive crops such as brassicas, cereals, thistle, and sorghum are an opportunity to feed the biomass industry. It was mentioned that the need of appropriate machinery represents a barrier for large volume harvest. The forages could represent an interesting opportunity to eliminate weeds in rotations, in addition to its value on bioproduct chain value.

En el marco del proyecto PANACEA se organizó una jornada de formación para los 36 técnicos asesores de INTIA. El objetivo de la jornada era analizar los cultivos de interés para los secanos semiáridos, secanos frescos y zonas ganaderas del norte de Navarra.

• El primer taller puso el foco sobre las oleaginosas. En Navarra tradicionalmente se cultivan girasol y colza, y se presentaron como alternativa los resultados de los ensayos de camelina y lino. En concreto, se abordó la necesidad de evaluar el potencial de la camelina en tierras marginales. También fue mencionada la dificultad existente para completar la cadena de valor del lino oleaginoso.

• El segundo taller trató sobre leguminosas y proteína. En Navarra se trabaja tradicionalmente con habas y guisantes; no obstante, existe una creciente demanda de leguminosas por la industria agroalimentaria. Por ello, también se evaluaron otras leguminosas de interés en secanos áridos, como por ejemplo yeros y alverjones. En zonas de montaña, se propuso estudiar la viabilidad de los altramuces como fuente de proteína y aceite para la bioindustria.

• El tercer taller se desarrolló sobre biomasa y forrajes, señalándose la oportunidad que representan el lino y el cáñamo para fibra textil. INTIA tiene experiencia en la parte agronómica de estos cultivos, pero se mencionó que el problema está en la comercialización. Los cultivos extensivos como las brasicas, cereales, cardo y el sorgo, son una oportunidad para alimentar la industria de la biomasa. Se habló de que la necesidad de maquinaria adecuada representa una barrera para la recolección de grandes volúmenes. Los forrajes, además de entrar dentro de la cadena de valor de los bioproductos, pueden ser una oportunidad para eliminar malas hierbas.

Farmers are eager for sowing new alternative crops in their rotations. However, there is a lack of technical and economic information of different crops such as flax. On June 12, 2020, a training day for agronomists was carried out in Mendioroz (Navarra-Spain) under PANACEA's framework. Around 10 technical advisors of INTIA were gathered. The aim of the session was to verify the adaptability of the flax cultivation to the rainfed conditions of the Centre-north of Navarra, 700 mm/year. Three different winter varieties were tested on microplots of 12 m2. Four repetitions of each variety were sowed on September 14th. The flax emergence was homogeneous, and the crop developed throughout the cycle and without any incidence. It was harvested on July 13th. Technical advisors were satisfied with the field day content and they are looking forward to using this new crop in the future. It can be concluded that this crop has the following advantages:

• Flax adapts agroclimatically to the middle and north of Navarra conditions.

• Flax can be included on typical rotations of the area: two winter cereals and winter rapeseed.

• No need of specialised machinery.

Main disadvantage is that the value chain is not easy to complete due to the difficulty of finding a buyer.

Los agricultores demandan nuevos cultivos alternativos para rotar y los asesores están muy interesados en conocer la parte agronómica y económica de éstos para poder recomendárselos. El 12 de junio (2020) se desarrolló una jornada de formación para agrónomos en Mendioroz (Navarra-España) en el marco de PANACEA. Se reunieron 15 técnicos asesores del INTIA. El objetivo de la sesión fue comprobar la adaptabilidad del cultivo del lino en el secano fresco de Navarra. Se testaron tres variedades diferentes. Las parcelas eran de 12 m2 y 4 repeticiones. El ensayo fue sembrado el 14 de septiembre. El lino nació muy bien y durante todo el ciclo se desarrolló apropiadamente y sin enfermedades. Fue cosechado el 13 de julio. Las producciones obtenidas fueron buenas. Los técnicos asesores quedaron muy satisfechos con la jornada de campo y con expectativas en este nuevo cultivo. Se puede concluir que el lino presenta las siguientes ventajas:

• Se adapta agroclimáticamente a la zona media y norte de Navarra.

• Encaja en el ciclo de la rotación más utilizada en la zona que consiste en dos cereales de invierno (trigo, cebada, avena) y colza de invierno.

• Se puede utilizar la misma maquinaria que para cereal.

La desventaja más importante es que la cadena de valor no es fácil de completar debido a la dificultad de encontrar un comprador.

On December 9, 2019, a training session for farmers was carried out in the Valdorba Cooperative (Navarra, Spain) under PANACEA's framework. The initiative was proposed by the cooperative, as there is an increasing interest in new food and NFCs for their introduction in crop rotations and, consequently, in diversification alternatives. The Navarre Institute for Transfer and Innovation in the Agri-food Sector (INTIA), in collaboration with the Public University of Navarra, presented a wide variety of crops, including aspects related with their management, the advantages of crop rotations and the results of previous experiences. In this way, farmers had the chance to ask and discuss about NFCs, legumes for human/animal consumption and species mixtures for feeding. Finally, a local experience concerning Conservation Agriculture (CA) was also introduced. Regarding NFCs, INTIA presented results from several camelina varieties trials and made an overall introduction to the new markets. Information was also provided about the advantages of incorporating flax in crop rotation and its great potential in markets such as oil, textile, or isolating materials. Moreover, agronomical and management aspects for castor and hemp were also discussed, including final destinies (industrial oil and cosmetics for the first one, and fibre, paper, bioconstruction materials or isolating materials for the second one). Despite the great interest showed in all these crops, complementary information was also required for other ones such as safflower. One of the main concerns that farmers expressed was related to the commercialization of these crops and, in some cases, about the crop management when additional machinery is needed.

Bajo el marco del proyecto PANACEA, el 9 de diciembre (2019) se realizó una jornada sobre cultivos alimentarios y no alimentarios en la cooperativa de Valdorba, Navarra, España. La iniciativa fue de la propia cooperativa ya que existe un interés creciente en introducer nuevos cultivos en las rotaciones y de esta forma mejorar la diversificación. Cinco técnicos de INTIA y un profesor de la Universidad Pública de Navarra presentaron un gran abanico de cultivos y su manejo. Entre otros temas, se trataron las ventajas de la rotación de cultivos y se mostraron resultados de experiencias previas, discutiendo sobre cultivos no alimentarios y leguminosas tanto para consumo humano como animal, mezclas de cultivos para consumo animal y experiencias locales con especies alternativas y agricultura de conservación. En cuanto a los cultivos no alimentarios, la técnica de INTIA, Amaia Caballero, mostró los resultados obtenidos en los ensayos de variedades de camelina y sus posibilidades en nuevos mercados. Así mismo, también expuso las ventajas del lino en la rotación de cultivos y sus posibles destinos: oleaginoso, textil, como material aislante… El ricino y el cáñamo fueron otros cultivos no alimentarios sobre los que se discutieron tanto aspectos agronómicos y de manejo, como sobre sus posibles destinos finales: aceite industrial y cosmética para el primero, y fibra, papel, material de bioconstrucción o aislante para el segundo. Los agricultores mostraron interés por los cultivos citados anteriormente, e incluso se interesaron por otros como el cártamo, siendo una de las mayores dificultades identificadas la comercialización de los mismos y también en algunos casos el manejo del cultivo cuando se requiere maquinaria adicional.

The 3rd Portuguese training course was held in April 24 2020, via zoom platform. The training day were attended by 7 farmers and 10 agronomists. The purpose was to give farmers and agronomists a first contact with NFC. An Introduction to the PANACEA project was made and a definition and scope of NFC was presented. Different NFC were presented (lignocellulosic, fiber, oil and sugar crops) and examples of studies with NFC in Portugal were presented (Miscanthus, giant reed, sorghum, oil crops). Benefits and constraints of cultivating these crops in marginal soils and in contaminated soils in order to minimize land-use competition for food production was also presented. The session was especially dedicated to specialty crops, the agronomic aspects, crop management options and to the different hypotheses for the valorization of these crops (cosmetics, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biopolymers, etc). The sustainability of the use of these crops in industrial products was also addressed. Most of the participants were already familiar with specialty crops but less with other NFCs and questions were raised about the market opportunities in Portugal for the non-specialty NFCs. The participants were invited to join the network formed in the 1st national event, to help boosting the cultivation and further use of NFC into the production of biocomposites and for the cosmetic industry among other potential emergent markets.

O 3º curso de formação em Portugal decorreu a 24 de abril de 2020, via plataforma zoom. A formação contou com a presença de 7 agricultores e 10 agrónomos. O objetivo era dar aos agricultores e agrónomos um primeiro contato com as CNAs. Foi feita uma introdução ao projeto PANACEA e apresentada uma definição e âmbito das CNAs. Foram apresentados diferentes CNAs (culturas lignocelulósicas, de fibra, oleaginosas e ricas em açúcar) e apresentados exemplos de estudos com CNAs em Portugal (Miscanthus, cana, sorgo, oleaginosas). Benefícios e limitações do cultivo dessas culturas em solos marginais e em solos contaminados a fim de minimizar a competição pelo uso do solo para a produção de alimentos foram também apresentados. A sessão foi especialmente dedicada às culturas especiais, sobretudo plantas aromáticas, aos aspetos agronómicos, às opções de manejo e às diferentes hipóteses de valorização destas culturas (cosméticos, nutracêuticos, farmacêuticos, biopolímeros, etc.). A sustentabilidade do uso dessas culturas em produtos industriais também foi abordada. A maioria dos participantes já estava familiarizada com as culturas especiais, mas menos com outras CNAs e foram levantadas questões sobre as oportunidades de mercado em Portugal para as CNAs que não as aromáticas. Os participantes foram convidados a integrar a rede formada no 1º evento nacional, para ajudar a impulsionar o cultivo e posterior utilização de CNA na produção de biocompósitos e para a indústria cosmética entre outros potenciais mercados emergentes.

The second Portuguese training course was held on January 6 (afternoon) and 7 (morning) 2020, in Guimarães. The two training days were attended by 12 farmers and 7 agronomists. The purpose of the first day was to give farmers and agronomists a first contact with NFCs. An Introduction to the PANACEA project was made and a definition and scope of NFCs was presented. Different NFCs were presented (lignocellulosic, fibre, oil and sugar crops) and examples of studies with NFCs in Portugal were introduced (miscanthus, giant reed, sorghum, oil crops). The agronomic aspects of different crops were presented, and this included crop management options (sowing and harvesting dates, irrigation, etc). Benefits and constraints of cultivating these crops in marginal soils and in contaminated soils in order to minimize land-use competition for food production were also presented. In the 2nd day, the session was dedicated to lignocellulosic crops and to the options for these crops’ valorization for bioenergy, biomaterials and bioproducts. Market opportunities related with the production of pellets, briquettes and other products was presented. Most of the participants were already familiar with some of the lignocellulosic crops but less with other NFCs and questions were raised about the market opportunities in Portugal for the non-lignocellulosic NFCs.

O segundo curso de formação em Portugal decorreu nos dias 6 (tarde) e 7 (manhã) de janeiro de 2020, em Guimarães. Nos dois dias de formação participaram 12 agricultores e 7 agrónomos. O objetivo do primeiro dia foi dar aos agricultores e agrónomos um primeiro contato com as CNAs. Foi feita uma introdução ao projeto PANACEA e apresentada uma definição e âmbito das CNAs. Foram apresentadas diferentes CNAs (culturas lenhocelulósicas, de fibra, oleaginosas e ricas em açúcar) e apresentados exemplos de estudos com CNAs em Portugal (Miscanthus, cana, sorgo, oleaginosas). Foram apresentados os aspectos agronómicos de diferentes culturas, incluindo opções de manejo (datas de sementeira e colheita, irrigação, etc). Foram apresentados os benefícios e limitações do cultivo dessas culturas em solos marginais e em solos contaminados de forma a minimizar a competição pelo uso do solo para a produção de alimentos. No 2º dia, a sessão foi dedicada às culturas lenhocelulósicas e às opções de valorização dessas culturas para bioenergia, biomateriais e bioprodutos. Foram apresentadas oportunidades de mercado relacionadas com a produção de pellets, briquetes e outros produtos. A maioria dos participantes já estava familiarizada com algumas das culturas lenhocelulósicas, mas menos com outros CNAs e foram levantadas questões sobre as oportunidades de mercado em Portugal para as CNAs não lenhocelulósicas.

The first Portuguese training course was held on November 15-16, 2019, in Universidade NOVA Lisboa, Caparica. The two training days were attended by 15 farmers and 14 agronomists. First day: to give farmers and agronomists a first contact with NFC. An Introduction to the PANACEA project was made and a definition and scope of NFC was presented. Different NFC were presented (lignocellulosic, fiber, oil and sugar crops) and examples of studies with NFC in Portugal were presented (Miscanthus, giant reed, sorghum, oil crops). The agronomic aspects of different crops was presented, and this included crop management options (sowing and harvesting dates, irrigation, etc). Options for NFC valorization for bioenergy, biomaterials and bioproducts was presented. 2nd day: it was presented the benefits and constraints of cultivating these crops in marginal soils and in contaminated soils in order to minimize land-use competition for food production. Also, benefits and constraints of NFC as cover crops was also presented. A visit to the essays with different NFC in the Campus of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa was made. Most of the participants were unfamiliar with most of these crops and many questions were raised about the market opportunities in Portugal and about the difficulties in importing seeds and rhyzomes and also if the existing machineries would be able to be used with these crops. After the course, an online questionnaire was launched to identify among the participants: i) interests in cropping in marginal soils, ii) interests in cover crops. Following, two mailing lists were organized to help farmers and agronomists i) to introduce NFC in marginal soils; ii) to introduce cover crops.

O primeiro curso de formação em Portugal decorreu a 15-16 novembro 2019, na Universidade NOVA Lisboa, Caparica. Participaram 15 agricultores e 14 agrónomos. Primeiro dia: dar aos agricultores e agrónomos um primeiro contato com as CNAs. Introdução ao projeto PANACEA, definição e âmbito das CNAs. Caracterização de diferentes CNAs (lenhocelulósicas, de fibra, oleaginosas e ricas em açúcar) e apresentados exemplos de estudos com CNAs em Portugal (Miscanthus, cana, sorgo, oleaginosas). Apresentados os aspectos agronómicos de diferentes culturas, incluindo opções de manejo (datas de sementeira e colheita, irrigação, etc). Apresentadas opções de valorização das CNAs para bioenergia, biomateriais e bioprodutos. 2º dia: apresentados os benefícios e limitações do cultivo dessas culturas em solos marginais e solos contaminados de forma a minimizar a competição pelo uso do solo para a produção de alimentos. Além disso, os benefícios e limitações das CNAs como culturas de cobertura foram também apresentados. Foi efetuada uma visita aos ensaios com diferentes CNAs no Campus da Universidade NOVA Lisboa. A maioria dos participantes desconhecia a maior parte destas culturas e muitas questões foram levantadas sobre as oportunidades de mercado em Portugal e sobre as dificuldades na importação de sementes e rizomas e também se a maquinaria existente poderia ser utilizadas com estas culturas. Após o curso, foi lançado um questionário online para identificar entre os participantes: i) interesses em culturas para solos marginais, ii) interesses em culturas de cobertura. Duas listas de endereços electrónicos foram organizadas para ajudar agricultores e agrónomos i) a introduzir CNA em solos marginais; ii) introduzir culturas de cobertura.

On February 4 and 13, 2020, 3B conducted workshops for agricultural advisors, attended by 28 people. Topics related to the use of new and prospective crops for non-food purposes in PL and the EU were discussed. Plants and bio-based products tested in research projects in the EU and in the world were discussed, e.g .:

• camelina, grown in Poland since the Bronze Age, resistant to drought and most diseases, has low nutrient requirements, yields seeds from 1.0 to 2.5 t/ha with a high content of gondoic acid (for production of plasticizers, lubricants, resins, composites, biofuels),

• Ethiopian mustard, which is resistant to drought, yields from 1.2 to 2.5 t/ha and is rich in erucic acid (production of lubricants or biofuels),

• field pennycress with low nutritional requirements, seed yield 1-2 t/ha, oil content in seeds 26-36% and high content of erucic acid (up to 36%) and gondoic acid (10%) (lubricants, biofuels),

• Andean lupine, which binds nitrogen from the air, with a seed yield of 2.5-3.0 t/ha, protein content 40-45% and oil content about 20% (probiotics and cosmetics),

• Russian dandelion tested due to the better properties of rubber than that obtained from rubber tree and the possibility of rubber production in Europe (root yield 0.5-1.0 t/ha) (tire production).

Participants also suggested topics and directions for new training materials and future meetings, i.e. policies for agriculture in Poland, taking into account the upcoming climate changes. Moreover, most of the advisers expressed their willingness to undertake study visits to the fields with NFC crops. Examples of the use of NFC in local and global business were also mentioned in the aspect of future trainings.

W dniach 4 i 13.02 2020 r. 3B przeprowadziło warsztaty dla doradców rolniczych, w których wzięło udział 28 osób. Poruszano tematy dotyczące wykorzystania nowych i perspektywicznych roślin uprawnych na cele nieżywnościowe (RNŻ) w PL i UE. Omówiono rośliny i bioprodukty testowane w projektach badawczych w UE i na świecie np.:

• lnianka siewna, uprawiana w Polsce od epoki brązu, odporna na suszę i większość chorób, ma niskie wymagania na składniki pokarmowe, daje plony nasion od 1.0 do 2,5 t/ha o dużej zawartości kwasu gondoinowego (produkcja, plastyfikatorów, smarów, żywic, kompozytów, biopaliw),

• gorczyca etiopska, która jest odporna na suszę, daje plony od 1,2 do 2,5 t/ha i jest bogata w kwas erukowy (produkcji smarów czy biopaliw),

• tobołki polne o niskich wymaganiach pokarmowych, plonie nasion 1-2 t/ha, zawartości oleju w nasionach 26-36% i wysokiej zawartości kwasu erukowego (do 36%) i gondoinowego (10%) (smary, biopaliwa),

• łubin andyjski, który wiąże azot z powietrza, o plonie nasion 2,5-3,0 t/ha, zawartości białka 40-45% i zawartości oleju ok 20% (probiotyki i kosmetyki),

• mniszek kok-sagiz testowany z uwagi na lepsze właściwości gumy niż uzyskiwane z kauczukowca oraz możliwość produkcji kauczuku w Europie (plon korzenia 0,5-1,0 t/ha) (produkcja opon).

Uczestnicy zaproponowali również tematy i kierunki dotyczące nowych materiałów i przyszłych spotkań t.j. działań dla rolnictwa w Polsce z uwzględnieniem nadchodzących zmian klimatycznych. Ponadto większość doradców wyraziła wolę odbycia wizyt studyjnych na polach z uprawami RNŻ. Często wymienianym aspektem dalszych szkoleń mogłyby być również przykłady wykorzystania RNŻ w biznesie lokalnym i globalnym.

During the demonstration days (23-24/09/2020), the biomass production and logistics plant (Quercus ltd.), one of the largest in north-eastern Poland, was visited. The company supplies biomass for plants producing electricity and heat even within a radius of 250 km. The company is able to process harvest residues into wood chips or bales and has a highly specialized and modern fleet for the transport of bulk materials, bales and universal loading units. Its own railway siding enables the supply of biomass to customers also by rail. The company is able to deliver up to 4,000 tons of biomass per week, and even 200,000 tons per year. On the same day, the biomass quality assessment and bioconversion laboratories were visited, where the participants learned what and how to analyse the biomass features of non-food crops (e.g. humidity, heat of combustion, ash, elemental composition). On the second day of the training, participants visited a large scale farm (Zakład Produkcyjno-Doświadczalny "Łężany" ltd.), which conducts commercial production of willow grown in 3-4-year harvest rotations. There are also experimental fields of non-food crops on the farm. For example, giant miscanthus, Virginia mallow and willowleaf sunflower grown on sandy soil and fertilized with mineral fertilizers and digestate from biogas plants yielded from 3 to 9 t/ha/year dry matter. The plantations of willow cultivated in 7-year rotations on sandy and clay soil were also visited. The yield of biomass and energy (160 GJ/ha/year) obtained on sandy soil was 33% higher than that obtained on clay soil.

W czasie dni demonstracyjnych (23-24/09/2020) zwiedzano zakład produkcji i logistyki biomasy (Quercus sp. z o.o.), jeden z największych w północno-wschodniej Polsce. Firma dostarcza biomasę dla zakładów produkujących energię elektryczną i ciepło nawet w promieniu 250 km. Firma jest w stanie przetworzyć pozostałości pozrębowe do postaci zrębków lub balotów i posiada wysoko wyspecjalizowaną i nowoczesną flotę do transportu materiałów sypkich, balotów oraz uniwersalne jednostki ładunkowe. Własna bocznica kolejowa umożliwia dostarczanie biomasy do klientów również drogą kolejową. Firma jest w stanie dostarczać nawet 4000 ton biomasy tygodniowo, natomiast w skali roku nawet 200 tys. ton. Tego samego dnia zwiedzano laboratoria oceny jakości i biokonwersji biomasy, gdzie uczestnicy szkolenia dowiedzieli się jakie i w jaki sposób analizuje się cechy biomasy roślin nieżywnościowych (np. wilgotność, ciepło spalania, popiół, skład elementarny). Drugiego dnia szkolenia uczestnicy zwiedzili wielkoobszarowe gospodarstwo (Zakład Produkcyjno-Doświadczalnego „Łężany” sp. z o.o.), prowadzące komercyjną produkcję wierzby uprawianej w krótkich w 3-4 letnich rotacjach Na terenie gospodarstwa znajdują się również pola doświadczalne roślin nieżywnościowych. Przykładowo miskant olbrzymi, ślazowiec pensylwański i słonecznik wierzbolistny uprawiane na glebie piaszczystej i nawożone nawozami mineralnymi oraz pofermentem z biogazowni plonowały od 3 do 9 t/ha/rok s.m. Zwiedzano również plantacje wierzby uprawianych w rotacjach 7-letnich na glebie piaszczystej i gliniastej. Plony biomasy i energii (160 GJ/ha/rok) uzyskiwane na glebie lekkiej były o 33% wyższe niż uzyskiwane na glebie ciężkiej.

There are 97 agricultural biogas plants and 11 micro-installations producing biogas from agricultural substrates in Poland. The substrates used are, among others non-food crops. On 12th March 2019 thirty five people, including: young farmers, agricultural advisors and teachers, were educated about the construction and operating principles of the biogas plant of Ośrodek Hodowli Zarodowej ltd. "Gajewo". The 0.8 MW biogas plant has been operating since 2014. The substrates for it come mostly from own production and are: cattle manure, cattle slurry and maize silage. In addition, grass silage and various agricultural and agri-food residues are obtained from external suppliers. Most Polish biogas plants use mesophilic technology (30-37°C), while in this biogas plant the biogas production process takes place in thermophilic technology (52-55°C), thanks to which higher biogas efficiency is obtained. The generated electricity is allocated to the needs of a biogas plant and a farm, and the surplus is sold to the power grid. The generated heat is mainly used to heat the fermentation chambers. The digestate is used to fertilize the plants grown on the farm. The technology of digestate management involves dewatering through a solids separator to the content of approx. 25% d.m., then drying it to approx. 80% d.m. The dry digestate is suitable for combustion (as pellets), animal bedding or fertilizer. Currently, the company performs tests of the liquid and solid fraction of digestate in order to determine its composition and suitability for fertilization or use for other purposes.

W Polsce jest 97 biogazowni rolniczych oraz 11 mikroinstalacji wytwarzających biogaz z substratów pochodzenia rolniczego. Substraty w nich wykorzystywane to m. in. rośliny nieżywnościowe. W dniu 12 marca 2019 r. 35 osób, w tym: młodzi rolnicy, doradcy rolni oraz nauczyciele, zapoznanało się z budową i zasadami funkcjonowania biogazowni Ośrodka Hodowli Zarodowej Sp. z o.o. „Gajewo”. Biogazownia o mocy 0,8 MW funkcjonuje od 2014 roku. Substraty do niej pochodzą w większości z własnego gospodarstwa i są to: obornik bydlęcy, gnojowica bydlęca i kiszonka z kukurydzy. Ponadto od dostawców zewnętrznych pozyskiwana jest sianokiszonka z traw i różne pozostałości rolnicze oraz przemysłu rolno-spożywczego. W większości polskich biogazowni wykorzystywana jest technologia mezofilna (30-37°C) natomiast w tej biogazowni proces produkcji biogazu przebiega w technologii termofilnej (52-55°C) dzięki czemu uzyskiwana jest większą wydajność biogazu. Wyprodukowana energia elektryczna przeznaczana jest na potrzeby biogazowni i gospodarstwa rolnego, a nadwyżki sprzedawane są do sieci elektroenergetycznej. Wytworzone ciepło przeznaczane jest głównie do podgrzewania komór fermentacyjnych. Poferment jest wykorzystywany do nawożenia roślin uprawianych w gospodarstwie. Technologia zagospodarowania pofermentu zakłada jej odwodnienie przez separator części stałych do zawartości ok. 25% suchej masy, następnie dosuszenie do zawartości ok. 80% suchej masy. Suchy poferment nadaje się do spalania (na jako pellet),wykorzystania jako ściółka dla zwierząt lub nawóz. Obecnie firma wykonuje badania frakcji płynnej I stałej pofermentu w celu określenia jej składu i przydatności do nawożenia lub wykorzystania w innych celach.

On November 8, 2018, workshops for farmers were conducted at the Pomeranian Agricultural Advisory Center in Lubań, Branch in Stary Pole, attended by about 70 people from the Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian regions. Most of the workshop participants were interested in crop production for industrial and energy purposes. The oilseed species that can be cultivated in Poland for marginal lands (e.g. camelina, seed yield 1-2.5 t/ha with a high content of gondoic acid, crambe, yield 1-3,0 t/ha, erucic acid content > 50%), lignocellulosic crops (giant miscanthus, yield 10-20 t/ha of d.m., willow and poplar (yield 10-25 t/ha/year d.m.), black locust (5-15 t/ha/year d.m.) or fiber crops (hemp, seed yield 0.6-1.5 t/ha and straw around 6 t/ha) During the workshop, a survey was conducted and the future of crops for non-food purposes (NFC) was discussed. The most important results are:

• farmers see the greatest potential for use in the cultivation of cereals, rape, lupine, willow, hemp or lavender,

• most farmers supported the development of special training materials on the cultivation of crops for non-food purposes,

• there is a need to develop guides for species grown on poor soils and crops resistant to drought,

• the need to increase the market for NFC and increase the profitability of their production,

• the need to reach smaller farmers in order to establish cooperatives producing NFC,

• lack of organization from the product to the consumer and coordination in the NFC,

• organizational chaos and the lack of transfer of theory into practice, and the need for stable policies and regulations appropriate for biomass producers, not just large companies

W dniu 8 listopada 2018 r., w Pomorskim Ośrodkiem Doradztwa Rolniczego w Lubaniu, Oddział w Starym Polu, przeprowadzono warsztaty dla rolników, w których udział wzięło około 70 osób z regionów pomorskiego i warmińsko-mazurskiego. Większość uczestników warsztatów była zainteresowana produkcją roślinną na cele przemysłowe i energetyczne. Omówiono i zaprezentowano możliwe do uprawy w Polsce gatunki roślin oleistych na grunty marginalne (m. in. lnianka, plon nasion 1-2,5 t/ha o dużej zawartości kwasu gondoinowego, katran abisyński, plon 1-3 t/ha, zawartość kwasu erukowego >50%), lignocelulozowe (miskant olbrzymi, plon 10-20 t/ha s.m., wierzba i topola (plon 10-25 t/ha/rok s.m.), robinia akacjowa (5-15 t/ha/rok) czy włókniste (konopie, plon nasion 0,6-1,5 t/ha a słomy ok. 6 t/ha). W czasie warsztatów przeprowadzono ankietę i dyskutowano o przyszłości roślin na cele nieżywnościowe (RNŻ). Najważniejsze wyniki to:

• rolnicy największy potencjał wykorzystania upatrują w uprawie zbóż, rzepaku, łubinu, wierzby, konopi czy lawendy,

• większość rolników opowiedziała się za opracowaniem specjalnych materiałów szkoleniowych nt. upraw roślin na cele nieżywnościowe,

• istnieje potrzeba opracowania poradników dla gatunków uprawianych na słabych glebach i odpornych na suszę,

• potrzeba zwiększenia rynku zbytu dla RNŻ i zwiększenie opłacalności ich produkcji,

• potrzeba dotarcia do mniejszych rolników, w celu zawierania spółdzielni gospodarzy produkujących RNŻ,

• brak organizacji od produktu do konsumenta i koordynacji w RNŻ,

• chaos organizacyjny i brak przełożenia teorii na praktykę oraz potrzeba stabilnego prawa i przepisów odpowiednich dla producentów biomasy, a nie tylko dla dużych firm.

On January 28, 2021, the Lithuanian Centre of Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC) conducted a training for agronomists to increase their knowledge and agronomy skills on NFCs that attracted more than 20 professionals. Agricultural plant biomass is one of the most important renewable resources. Most agricultural crops are used or exported for food and feed. Nevertheless, people’s changing needs and way of life are forcing them to look for more diverse uses for agricultural crops or even new, lesser-known and used plants. In Lithuanian climatic conditions, plants with high biomass yield can be grown, such as miscanthus, cup plant or sida, which can be a valuable source of lignocellulose. However, due to low industrial demand, these crops are not grown by farmers, so it is worth working with processors to inform them about the potential of biomass that can be grown in agriculture. Lignocellulosic biomass can be used for the production of bioplastics and other products, which would significantly contribute to the growth of the country's bioeconomy sector. Another important application of agricultural biomass is in energy. In Lithuania, it takes place in three main directions: production and use of biogas, solid biofuels and bioliquids. Not only biomass, but also waste can be used for bioenergy generation. The same trends are observed throughout the Baltic Sea Region, where similar political, climatic, and economic conditions prevail.

Žemės ūkio augalų biomasė yra vienas svarbiausių atsinaujinančių išteklių Lietuvoje. Didžioji dalis žemės ūkio augalų produkcijos yra naudojama arba eksportuojama maistui ir pašarams. Nepaisant to,

žmonių besikeičiantys poreikiai ir gyvenimo būdas verčia ieškoti įvairesnių žemės ūkio augalų panaudojimo būdų ar net naujų, mažiau žinomų ir naudojamų augalų. Lietuvos klimato sąlygomis gali būti auginami ir didelio biomasės derlingumo augalai, pavyzdžiui, miskantai, pavėsiniai kiečiai, sidos, geltonžiedžiai legėstai, kurie gali būti vertingas lignoceliuliozės šaltinis. Tačiau dėl menko pramonės poreikio šie augalai nėra auginami ūkininkų, todėl verta papildomai dirbti su perdirbėjais, juos informuojant apie žemės ūkyje galimos užauginti biomasės potencialą. Lignoceliuliozinė biomasė gali būti naudojama bioplastikų ir kitų produktų gamybai, o tai reikšmingai prisidėtų prie šalies bioekonomikos sektoriaus augimo.

Dar viena svarbi agrobiomasės panaudojimo galimybė – energetikoje. Lietuvoje ji vyksta trimis pagrindinėmis kryptimis: biodujų, kietojo biokuro ir biodegalų gamyba bei panaudojimas. Bioenergetikai

gali būti naudojama ne tik biomasė, bet ir biomasės atliekos. Tos pačios tendencijos pastebimos visame Baltijos jūros regione, kuriame vyrauja panašios politinės, klimatinės ir dažnai ekonominės sąlygos. Mokymai agronomams (26-01-2021) pritraukė daugiau nei 20 dalyvių, kurie buvo mokomi ne maisto paskirties augalų auginimo subtilybių bei pakėlė savo kvalifikaciją.

On February 12, 2020, the Lithuanian Centre of Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC) conducted a training for farmers entitled “The Importance of Industrial Hemp and Other non-food Plants for Effective Organic Farming” as the hemp grown for fibre is becoming more and more popular in Lithuania. The training, organised as part of the PANACEA project, was one of the tools for promoting the cultivation of NFCs in Lithuania. Thirty organic farmers from all over Lithuania attended the training. The main tasks of PANACEA project were explained, and the prosperous NFCs presented. Nowadays in Lithuania, main interest is focused on hemp. The importance of hemp for fibre will only increase, especially as it is a multifunctional plant suitable for industry, food, and pharmaceuticals. Industrial hemp will also fit into the European Union's new policy, the "European Green Course", which promotes economic greening, the development of the bioeconomy, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. At the event, the latest news and research on organic farming, the impact of crop rotation on soil quality, and focus on hemp grown for fibre, energy purposes and their growing technologies were shared. The scientists and farmers discussed on various positive aspects of the legumes as preceding crop for hemp such as the transformation of mineral nitrogen in the soil. They also discussed about hemp as a preceding crop in organic farming and various preceding crops for hemp. Farmers had many questions related to hemp growing technology aspects, as well as related to difficulties in the control systems when growing industrial hemp.

2020 m. vasario 12 d. Lietuvos agrarinių ir miškininkų mokslų centras (LAMMC) surengė kursus ūkininkams tema „Pluoštinių kanapių ir kitų augalų svarba efektyviam ekologiniam ūkininkavimui“, nes pluoštui auginamos kanapės tampa vis populiaresnės. Lietuvoje. Kursai, organizuoti kaip dalis PANACEA projekto, buvo viena iš priemonių, skirtų skatinti ne maisto augalų auginimą Lietuvoje. Kursuose dalyvavo trisdešimt ekologinių ūkininkų iš visos Lietuvos. Paaiškinti pagrindiniai PANACEA projekto uždaviniai, pristatyti perspektyvūs nemaistiniai augalai. Šiais laikais Lietuvoje daugiausia domimasi kanapėmis. Kanapių svarba pluoštui tik didės, juo labiau, kad tai daugiafunkcis augalas, tinkantis pramonei, maistui, farmacijai. Pluoštinės kanapės taip pat tinka naujai Europos Sąjungos politikai - „Europos žaliasis kursa“, kuris skatina ekologiškumą, bioekonomikos plėtrą ir šiltnamio efektą sukeliančių dujų išmetimo mažinimą. Renginyje buvo dalijamasi naujausiomis žiniomis ir moksliniais tyrimais apie ekologinį ūkininkavimą, sėjomainos įtaką dirvožemio kokybei, daugiausiai dėmesio skirta pluoštinėms kanapėms, energetiniams tikslams ir jų auginimo technologijoms. Mokslininkai ir ūkininkai diskutavo apie įvairius teigiamus ankštinių augalų, kaip kanapių pasėlio svarbą, mineralinio azoto virsmus dirvožemyje, kanapių, kaip priešsėlio ekologinėje žemdirbystėje svarbą, ir įvairų galimų priešsėlių kanapėms aspektus. Ūkininkams kilo daug klausimų, susijusių su kanapių auginimo technologijos aspektais, taip pat su problemomis, susijusiomis su kontrolės sistemos sunkumais auginant pluoštines kanapes.

In collaboration with Agricultural Innovation and Knowledge Centre Rusthoeve (Rusthoeve), a webinar was organised aimed at farmers who are thinking about growing fibre crops. De Rusthoeve facilitates research and demonstrations in arable and vegetable crops in areas such as varieties, fertilisation and disease control. The webinar consisted of four parts. First, the Natural Fibre Application Centre provided an overview of the variances between different natural fibres, with special attention to the differences with wood, and the alterations between specific fibre crops (flax/hemp) and fibre-containing side streams from other crops (including Brussels sprouts). In addition, an overview was given of the many demonstration projects in the Netherlands in, among other things, road and hydraulic engineering in which new fibre materials are used. Second, the company Greeninclusive gave a demonstration of the process they use implementing fibre hemp in insulation materials in Friesland. Wageningen Research was the third to present the knowledge accumulated in PANACEA about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of fibre crops in technical applications. The most important advice was that the economic feasibility of the application deserves attention, an economic valuation of the lesser environmental impact is necessary, and that cooperation within the chain farmer-producer-consumer is essential to achieve good products. Finally, the first cultivation of Jute in the Netherlands was shown from the Biobased Innovation Garden Rusthoeve. Interested farmers can request information about the possibilities for cultivating this crop that can provide an alternative to the natural fibres from hemp in particular.

In samenwerking met Agrarisch Innovatie en Kenniscentrum Rusthoeve (Rusthoeve) is een webinar georganiseerd gericht op boeren die nadenken over het verbouwen van vezelgewassen. De Rusthoeve faciliteert onderzoek en demonstraties in akkerbouw– en groentegewassen op het gebied van o.a. rassen, bemesting en ziektebestrijding. Het webinar was opgebouwd uit een viertal onderdelen. Eerst werd vanuit het Natuurvezelapplicatiecentrum een overzicht gegeven van wat de verschillen zijn tussen verschillende natuurvezels, met speciale aandacht voor de verschillen met hout, en de verschillen tussen specifieke vezelgewassen (vlas/hennep) en vezelhoudende reststromen van andere gewassen (o.a. spruitjes). Daarnaast werd een overzicht gegeven van de vele demonstratieprojecten in Nederland in o.a. de weg- en waterbouw waarin nieuwe vezelmaterialen worden toegepast. Als tweede gaf het bedrijf Greeninclusive een demonstratie van het proces waarmee zij vezelhennep in Friesland toepassen in isolatie materialen. Wageningen Research gaf als derde de in Panacea opgebouwde kennis over de sterkten, zwakten, kansen en uitdagingen van vezelgewassen in technische toepassingen weer. Belangrijkste raadgevingen waren dat de economische haalbaarheid van de toepassing aandacht verdient, economische waardering van de mindere milieubelasting is nodig, en dat samenwerking binnen de keten boer-producent-consument essentieel is om tot goede producten te komen. Ten slotte werd vanuit de Biobased Innovation Garden Rusthoeve de eerste teelt van Jute in Nederland getoond, geinteresseerde boeren kunnen informatie opvragen over de mogelijkheden voor de teelt van dit gewas dat een alternatief voor de natuurvezels uit met name hennep kan opleveren.

Within the PANACEA Project, two training days were organized for agronomists focused on the potential, management, profitability, and marketing of non-food crops of interest to bio-based industries in Italy. Remarkable enthusiasm among the participants aroused the presentation of Novamont, a leading company in the production of bioplastics from oil crops. In particular about Cardoon and Safflower which have characteristics of rusticity and adaptability to marginal areas, with high yields and good income opportunities guaranteed by contracts of cultivation and delivery of the product to the biorefineries located throughout the country.

The opportunities offered by the cultivation of hemp highlighted by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa for its many industrial applications are highly appreciated. In particular, the dual production of seeds and fibers makes cultivation sustainable and economically profitable.

The Lignocellulosic crops traditionally intended for energy production (SRF) have also attracted considerable interest for their profitability.

The technical visits to traditional and innovative conversion plants, highlighted the enormous opportunities to access to the market for biomass obtained from the crops analyzed in the classroom. The agronomists attended, stated that having learned of the existence of an important market demand for raw materials from more or less innovative crops, represents a decisive element for the promotion of such crops in areas where traditional crops are abandoned due to low income.

Nell’ambito del progetto PANACEA sono state organizzate due giornate formative per agronomi incentrate sulle potenzialità, la gestione, la redditività e la commercializzazione di colture non food di interesse per le industrie biobased in Italia. Notevole entusiasmo tra i partecipanti ha suscitato la presentazione di Novamont, aziendea leader nella produzione di bioplastiche da colture oleaginose. In particolare per quanto riguarda il cardo e il cartamo che presentano caratteristiche di rusticità e adattabilità ad aree marginali, con elevate produzioni e con buone opportunità di reddito garantite da contratti di coltivazione e conferimento del prodotto alle bioraffinerie dislocate sul territorio nazionale.

Molto apprezzate le opportunità offerte dalla coltivazione della canapa evidenziate dalla Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa per le molteplici applicazioni industriali. In particolare la produzione duplice di semi e fibre rende la coltivazione sostenibilie ed economicamente remunerativa.

Anche le colture lignocellulosiche tradizionalmente destinate alla produzione di energia (SRF) hanno suscitato notevole interesse per la loro redditività. Le visite tecniche agli impianti di conversione, tradizionali e innovativi, hanno evidenziato le enormi opportunità di accesso al mercato delle biomasse ottenute dalle coltivazioni analizzate in aula. Gli agronomi intervenuti, hanno affermato che aver appreso dell’esistenza di una importante richiesta di mercato di materie prime da colture più o meno innovative, rappresenta un elemento decisivo per la promozione di tale colture in areali dove le colture tradizionali vengono abbandonate per lo scarso reddito.

Great interest was shown by the young farmers who attended the two training days organized in Tuscany within the PANACEA Project. During the first day held in classroom, the strengths and opportunities of the most promising non-food crops for the Italian context were analysed: Cardoon, Camelina, Hemp, Sorghum and Giant reed. Among the crops analysed, hemp gained particular interest for its market and profitability potential. The main assets highlighted are: good productivity; Weed control usually not necessary due to its fast growth after emergence; Short-cycle crop, easy to introduce in a crop rotation system with legumes or autumn-winter cereals; Mechanical harvesting with simply adaptation of conventional harvesters; Multipurpose crop.

In the case of hemp aimed at seeds production, the possible revenues vary from 2,000 to 2,400 €/ha, while the costs of harvesting, drying and cleaning of seeds are on average 1,200-1,500 €/ha. In the case of hemp for inflorescences production, in the face of higher revenues, the management costs are at least 50% of the revenues.

The technical visit carried out at 10-hectare hemp cultivation and at the annexed facilities aimed at inflorescences processing for cannabidiol (CBD) extraction was very fruitful. Farmers were able to check directly on the field the interesting economic opportunities of the inflorescence hemp supply chain.

Notevole interesse è stato dimostrato dai giovani agricoltori intervenuti alle due giornate di formazione organizzate in Toscana nell'ambito del Progetto PANACEA. Durante la prima giornata in aula sono stati analizzati i punti di forza e le opportunità delle NFC più promettenti per il contesto italiano: Cardo, Camelina, Canapa, Sorgo e Canna comune.

Tra le colture analizzate, particolare interesse è stato rivolto alla canapa e alle potenzialità di mercato e di redditività delle filiere produttive maggiormente remunerative. I principali vantaggi evidenziati sono: una buona produttività; Il controllo delle infestanti di solito non necessario a grazie rapida crescita dopo l'emergenza; Coltivazione a ciclo breve, di facile introduzione in un sistema di rotazione colturale con legumi o cereali autunno-inverni; Raccolta meccanica con adattamento di mietitrebbie convenzionali; Coltura multiuso.

Nel caso di canapa destinata alla produzione di semi, i possibili ricavi dalla loro vendita variano da 2.000-2.400 €/ha, mentre i costi di raccolta, essiccazione e pulizia sono in media 1.200-1.500 €/ha. Nel caso della canapa per infiorescenze, a fronte di ricavi più elevati, i costi di gestione sono almeno il 50% dei ricavi.

La visita tecnica, svolta presso una coltivazione di 10 ettari di canapa da infiorescenze e alle strutture annesse, finalizzate alla lavorazione dei fiori e della biomassa per l'estrazione del cannabidiolo (CBD) è stata molto proficua, permettendo agli agricoltori di verificare direttamente sul campo gli argomenti appresi in aula e di trovare riscontro sulle interessanti opportunità economiche della filiera della canapa da infiorescenze.

On January 29, 2020, a training course was organized in northern Greece (Xanthi). A variety of non-food crops was presented including their management aspects, cultivation and harvesting practices. In particular, the topics of the training course were the following: a) which non-food crops can be grown in Greece and can provide feedstock for biobased materials and bioenergy, b) which of the industrial crops can be grown successfully on marginal lands that the majority now are left uncultivated, c) which woody species could be grown for biobased material and bioenergy in Greece and d) which non-food crops can be grown on contaminated agricultural land for phytoremediation. Per subject detailed presentations were carried and the participants had several questions that grouped to the following issues: a) for the presented material is available seeds/propagation material, b) do the farmers advisors have the knowledge to support and guide the farmers on growing non-food crops, c) can the proposed crops increase the farmers income, d) how can be grown in rotation with existing food/feed crops. It should be pointed out that great debate was focused on industrial hemp and the activities on this crop in northern Greece. The second crop that collected many questions was camelina since has small growing cycle and can be offer to the farmers the possibility to take double cropping per year.

Στις 29 Ιανουαρίου 2020 διοργανώθηκε εκπαιδευτικό σεμινάριο στη Βόρεια Ελλάδα (Ξάνθη) για αγρότες και γεωπόνους. Παρουσιάστηκε μια ποικιλία μη τροφικών καλλιεργειών, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των τεχνικών καλλιέργειας, διαχείρησης και συγκομιδής. Συγκεκριμένα, τα θέματα του εκπαιδευτικού προγράμματος ήταν τα εξής: α) ποιες μη τροφικές καλλιέργειες μπορούν να καλλιεργηθούν στην Ελλάδα και μπορούν να δώσουν πρώτες ύλες για βιοπροϊόντα και βιοενέργεια, β) ποιες από τις βιομηχανικές καλλιέργειες μπορούν να καλλιεργηθούν επιτυχώς σε οριακές εκτάσεις που η πλειοψηφία τώρα αφήνεται ακαλλιέργητη, γ) ποια δασικά είδη θα μπορούσαν να καλλιεργηθούν για βιοπροϊόντα και βιοενέργεια στην Ελλάδα και δ) ποιες μη τροφικές καλλιέργειες μπορούν να καλλιεργηθούν σε ρυπασμένα γεωργικά εδάφη για φυτοεξυγίανση. Ανά θέμα διεξήχθησαν λεπτομερείς παρουσιάσεις και οι συμμετέχοντες είχαν πολλές ερωτήσεις που ομαδοποιήθηκαν στα ακόλουθα θέματα: α) για τις καλλιέργειες που παρουσιάστηκαν είναι διαθέσιμος σπόρος β) οι σύμβουλοι των αγροτών έχουν τη γνώση να υποστηρίξουν και να καθοδηγήσουν τους αγρότες για την καλλιέργεια των μη τροφικών καλλιέργειες, γ) μπορούν οι προτεινόμενες καλλιέργειες να αυξήσουν το εισόδημα των αγροτών, δ) πώς μπορούν να καλλιεργηθούν σε εναλλαγή με τις υπάρχουσες καλλιέργειες. Πρέπει να επισημανθεί ότι μεγάλος μέρος της συζήτησης επικεντρώθηκε στη βιομηχανική κάνναβη και στις δραστηριότητες αυτής της καλλιέργειας στη βόρεια Ελλάδα. Η δεύτερη καλλιέργεια που συγκέντρωσε πολλές ερωτήσεις ήταν η καμελίνα αφού έχει μικρό κύκλο καλλιέργειας και μπορεί να προσφέρει στους αγρότες τη δυνατότητα να κάνουν διπλή καλλιέργεια ετησίως.

The industrial crops and herbs and their uses were presented and discuss in Drama on December 18, 2018, The topics discussed were: a) which industrial crops could offer opportunities to the Greek farmers, b) how the technology can be apply in the agricultural world and how can improve the profitability of the farmers, c) which industrial crops could be grown on marginal lands, d) which woody species can be grown on marginal lands in Greece, e) which opportunities lavender can offer to the Greek farmers, f) how can the agricultural residues can be used for energy products, g) which opportunities are being offered by CAP to the Greek partners. A great debade was carried out and the participants had great interest for medicinal/aromatic crops like lavender. For this specific crop the detailed production cost was presented and discussed. On the same event the participants had many questions on which industrial crops could be grown on marginal lands in Greece and could offer opportunities to the farmers, which were camelina, switchgrass, industrial hemp, castor bean and safflower. It should be pointed out that they are many fields that are left uncultivated due to the reduced productivity when grown with food and feed crops, such as lands with acid or alkaline soils, shallow lands, dry lands and slope areas.

Μια ημερίδα του έργου PANACEA στην Ελλάδα διοργανώθηκε στην Δράμα στις 18 Δεκεμβρίου 2018. Τα κύρια θέματα συζήτησης ήταν; α) ποιες βιομηχανικές καλλιέργειες μπορούν να βελτιώσουν το αγροτικό εισόδημα στην Ελλάδα, β) πως η τεχνολογία μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί στη γεωργία και πως μπορεί να βελτιώσει το αγροτικό εισόδημα, γ) ποιες βιομηχανικές καλλιέργειες μπορούν να αξιοποιήσουν περιθωρικά γεωργικά εδάφη, δ) ποιες δασικές καλλιέργειες μπορούν να αξιοποιήσουν περιθωρικά γεωργικά εδάφη, ε) ποιες ευκαιρίες προσφέρει η ενασχόληση με τη καλλιέργεια της λεβάντας, ζ), πως μπορούν να αξιοποιηθούν τα γεωργικά υπολλείματα για παραγωγή ενεργειας, η) ποιες ευκαιρίες δίνει η ΚΑΠ στους έλληνες αγρότες. Πραγματοποιήθηκε μια μεγάλη συζήτηση και οι συμμετέχοντες είχαν μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον για φαρμακευτικές / αρωματικές καλλιέργειες όπως η λεβάντα. Για αυτήν τη συγκεκριμένη καλλιέργεια παρουσιάστηκε και συζητήθηκε το λεπτομερές κόστος παραγωγής. Στην ίδια εκδήλωση, οι συμμετέχοντες είχαν πολλές ερωτήσεις σχετικά με το ποιες βιομηχανικές καλλιέργειες θα μπορούσαν να καλλιεργηθούν σε οριακά εδάφη στην Ελλάδα και θα μπορούσαν να προσφέρουν ευκαιρίες στους αγρότες, που ήταν η καμελίνα, switchgrass, η βιομηχανική κάνναβη, η ρετσινολαδιά και η ατραχτυλίδα. Πρέπει να επισημανθεί υπάρχουν σημαντικές γεωργικές εκτάσεις στην Ελλάδα που δεν καλλιεργουνται λόγω μειωμένης παραγωγικότητας όπως εδάφη όξινα ή αλκαλικά εδάφη, αβαθή εδάφη, ξηρές εκτάσεις και περιοχές με κλίση μεγαλύτερη του 12%.

Given their multiservice aspects, ECC can be a source of economic and environmental added value for farmers. Integration into crop rotation, choice of species and control of the technical itinerary are major success keys.

To communicate interactively on these stakes and contribute to the training of agricultural actors, a one-day trial visit of energy catch crops (ECC) plots was organised in Le Petit Auverné (Pays de la Loire, in the West of the mainland) as part of the PANACEA and RECITAL projects.

Seventeen farmers and advisors gathered on this test plot. Twelve strips of energy catch crops were compared in actual field-testing conditions, implemented, and monitored with farm equipment. The field visit made it possible to compare on the plot a few days before the harvest, the biomass potential of these catch crops and their adaptation to local conditions.

Discussions with farmers focused on:

• How to establish and secure the emergence of these crops sown in early summer.

• The ease of establishment and the ability of the cover crops to compete with weeds.

• Climate adaptation when seeing strips of few etiolated species with a high risk of lodging.

• Late harvest inherent risks.



In response to these questions, the recommendations for the region are :

• Implementation of these crops must be as early as possible, before 10th of July.

• Irrigation is a real opportunity in constrained situations to ensure proper emergence (1 to 2 passes for a total of 35 mm).

• There is no point in pushing back the harvest date beyond 1st of October, with higher risks of lodging and insufficient climatic conditions for these species.

De par leurs aspects multiservices, les CIVE peuvent être source de plus-values économique et environnementale pour les agriculteurs. L’insertion dans la rotation, le choix des espèces et la maîtrise de l’itinéraire technique sont des clés majeures de réussite.

Pour communiquer de manière interactive sur ces enjeux et contribuer à la formation des acteurs agricoles, une journée de visite d’essai de CIVE d’été a été organisée le 6/10/20 au Petit Auverné (Pays de la Loire) dans le cadre des projets PANACEA et RECITAL.

17 agriculteurs et conseillers se sont réunis sur cette parcelle d’essai. 12 bandes de cultures intermédiaires étaient comparées en situation réelle, implantées et suivies avec du matériel de ferme.

La visite a permis de comparer sur pied, quelques jours avant la récolte, le potentiel biomasse de ces intercultures et l’adaptation aux conditions locales.

Les discussions avec les agriculteurs ont particulièrement porté sur :

• L’implantation et la sécurisation de la levée de ces parcelles semées en début d’été.

• La facilité d’implantation et la faculté du couvert à concurrencer les adventices.

• L’offre climatique face à quelques espèces étiolées avec un fort risque de verse.

• Les risques inhérents aux récoltes tardives.

Four training sessions on the mobilisation of ECC were organised in France (January, February and March 2020) within the framework of the H2020 European PANCAEA project and the dynamics of the development of on farm biogas plant based on ECC. The training courses involved 30 agronomists and 20 farmers in sessions of 14 people maximum in order to encourage exchanges and workgroup. Each training course was organised around four sequences:

• The first block focused on the regulations specifying the definition of primary crops or dedicated crops, the ECC and their intake limit in anaerobic digestors. These exchanges made it possible to identify the interests of agronomists and farmers as well as to answer the questions asked by trainees.

• Another sequence enabled to build crop sequences based on the sharing of experience and feedbacks of the participants.

• A third sequence deepened the agronomic interests and management methods of digestates, co-products generated by the methanation process.

• A final session dealt with the technical, economic, and environmental evaluation of these crop sequences with practical exercises to calculate the production costs and margins of these innovative cycles.

These workgroups were supplemented by the presentation of the results from various research programmes on this thematic. Comparisons of ECC with perennial crops (miscanthus, switchgrass, cup-plant) or other co-products such as chaff were discussed with the presentation of the PANACEA thematic network. These training sessions highlighted the regulatory uncertainty on this definition and the control of ECC. The need for regionalised recommendations and the facilitated access to feedbacks also emerged.

Les acteurs du monde agricole ont manifesté un besoin de formation pour mieux comprendre les fonctions des CIVE, leur potentiel agronomique et économique ainsi que le cadre de mise en œuvre dans les rotations.

En réponse, quatre sessions de formation ont été organisées en France dans le cadre du projet PANACEA et de la dynamique de développement de la méthanisation à la ferme à base de CIVE.

Dates: 14/01/20 – 5 & 6/02/20 – 5/03/20.

Les formations ont associé 30 agronomes et 20 agriculteurs dans des sessions de 14 personnes maximum afin de favoriser les échanges et travaux de groupes. Chaque formation a été organisée autour de séquences spécifiques pour former les participants à :

• La réglementation et à la définition des cultures principales ou cultures dédiées, des CIVE et de leur limite d’incorporation dans les méthaniseurs.

• La conception et au pilotage de séquences de culture avec CIVE sur la base de retours d’expérience

• L’évaluation de l’impact des CIVE et des modes de gestion des digestats, coproduits de la méthanisation.

• L’évaluation de l’intérêt technico-économique et environnemental avec des exercices de calcul de coûts de production et marges de ces séquences innovantes.

Ces recommandations techniques doivent être mises en œuvre selon le contexte pédo-climatique, nécessitant ainsi une étude supplémentaire au cas par cas, notamment d’identification (i) de la place potentielle des CIVE dans la succession de culture ; (ii) des espèces et variétés adaptées à ces successions et risques bioclimatiques ; (iii) du calcul du coût de production (€/tMS et €/MWh) selon la méthode d’intégration des charges. Ces coûts de production permettent de se comparer à d’autres ressources étudiées dans PANACEA et abordées en formation.

ICL joined the annual IBioIC Conference (January 2019) with a dedicated exhibition stand where the project was presented and discussed with the conference participants for two days.

A variety of industrial non-food crops for bioenergy, biofuels and biobased products are being cultivated in the United Kingdom (mostly for Anaerobic Digestion and perennial crops for bioenergy and biofuels). Several new species, well adapted to the climate, ecology and agricultural systems in the country are also being examined in the context of delivering the future net zero bioeconomy. Recently the Climate Change Committee has recommended 260,000 of energy crops and 460,000 ha of new forest land to achieve net zero for 2035.

The discussions in the IBioIC conference focused on the opportunities for farmers to integrate industrial non-food crops to their cropping agendas and what are the knowledge gaps prevailing them from doing so. All stakeholders agreed that these crops are very important for the effective deployment of the national Bioeconomy Strategy for 2030. To do so it has been recommended to steer financial support for agriculture and innovation in order to:

• Introduce crop species and crop management options that can boost soil organic matter at farm scale.

• Boost crop productivity through controlled release of fertilisers, crop rotation, agroforestry (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/1700/agroforestry-in-england.pdf), etc.

• Develop farm-based supply chains that can use natural resources efficiently and contribute to deliver raw materials for energy and industrial applications.

• Integrate new industrial non-food crop options as feedstock for novel biorefineries operating in the country.

On June 4, 2019, PANACEA organised in Villava (Navarra, Spain) a working day on crop diversification. The conference, aimed mainly at farmers and cooperatives (but also for other agricultural professionals, bio-products industries, research and teaching staff, administration and regulatory bodies), was developed with the aim of transferring knowledge and training on the management, profitability and marketing of new crops.

First, PANACEA project was presented, introducing some agronomic features of the crops with which it is being worked (miscanthus, calendula, sorghum, camelina, etc.). Later, the situation and perspectives in relation to the bioeconomy and the bioproducts market were discussed. On the other hand, the different varieties of camelina that have been developed in recent years were presented by Camelina Company together with the potential that this crop has in Spain and the interest of this company in reaching farmers interested in diversification. Afterwards, the Navarre Institute for Transfer and Innovation in the Agri-food Sector (INTIA) provided relevant information on the possibilities of flax, aromatic crops and their experience with rotations and biomass. In relation to aromatic crops, the success case of Josenea company was presented and visited. Josenea is a non-profit company which, from only three hectares onwards, has managed to position itself in a few years as a reference in the sector, reaching a turnover of 1 M €/year and exporting most of its products in international markets. During the course of the visit, the demand for raw materials by the bio-products market was highlighted, providing a clear opportunity for all those farmers and cooperatives interested in diversification.

PANACEA organizó el pasado 4 de junio (2019) en Villava (Navarra, España) una jornada sobre diversificación de cultivos. La jornada, dirigida principalmente a agricultores y cooperativas (pero también a otros profesionales de la agricultura, industrias de bio-productos, personal investigador y docente, administración y organismos reguladores), se desarrolló con el objetivo de transferir conocimientos y formar sobre el manejo, la rentabilidad y la comercialización de nuevos cultivos. En primer lugar, se presentó el proyecto PANACEA y algunas características agronómicas de los cultivos con los que se está trabajando en el mismo (miscanto, caléndula, sorgo, camelina, etc.). Posteriormente se abordó la situación y perspectivas en relación al mercado de la bioeconomía. Por su parte, desde Camelina Company se presentaron las distintas variedades de camelina desarrolladas en los últimos años, así como el potencial que éste cultivo presenta en España y su interés en contactar con agricultores interesados en diversificar. Desde INTIA también se proporcionó información relevante sobre las posibilidades del lino, los cultivos aromáticos y su experiencia con rotaciones y biomasa. En relación a los cultivos aromáticos se presentó y visitó el caso de éxito de Josenea, una empresa sin ánimo de lucro que a partir de tan solo tres hectáreas ha logrado posicionarse en pocos años como un referente en el sector, alcanzando una facturación de 1 M €/año y exportando la mayor parte de sus productos en mercados internacionales. Durante el transcurso de la visita quedó patente la demanda de materia prima por parte del mercado de bio-productos, suponiendo una clara oportunidad para todos aquellos agricultores y cooperativas interesados en diversificar.

On March 12, 2019, an event on new NFCs alternatives was organised by the Navarre Institute for Transfer and Innovation in the Agri-food Sector (INTIA) and Agri-food Cooperatives of Spain (Spanish Co-ops) in Madrid. People from the whole value chain such as representatives and technicians of agricultural cooperatives, farmers, researchers, industry members and policy makers attended it. The event focused on aromatic plants, oilseed, and energy crops. In line with this, several members of cooperatives shared their experience with these kinds of crops and the expected potential. Lavandin and camelina were the crops that aroused more interest within the audience. Lavandin is a labour-intensive crop that can be implemented in areas where cereal is not profitable. The main disadvantage is its vegetal reproduction: there is not always enough plant available to meet farmers’ demand. Furthermore, the fluctuation of production according to weather and irrigation conditions is remarkable. Farmers could increase their profits setting up a processing plant in their cooperatives to obtain the essential oil and market it directly. At present, the situation of the essential oil is good, with high demand and price. Camelina is oriented to marginal areas where cereal production is low. It does not require special machinery and can be used for protein, oil, biofuel, and biomaterials. The same company that sells the seed, also harvests, transforms the raw material, and commercializes it. Industry is working on varieties high in omega 3, with the aim of competing with flax. Further research is needed to obtain varieties more adapted to our climate. An overall concern was expressed about the lack of diversification in Spanish agriculture.

El 12 de marzo (2019) se celebró en Madrid una jornada sobre alternativas de cultivos no alimentarios organizada por el Instituto de Transferencia e Innovación del Sector Agroalimentario de Navarra (INTIA) y Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España. Asistieron profesionales de diferentes ámbitos, representantes y técnicos de cooperativas agrarias, agricultores, investigadores, industria y administración. El evento se centró en las plantas aromáticas, oleaginosas y cultivos energéticos. Varios miembros de las cooperativas explicaron su experiencia con este tipo de cultivos. El lavandín y la camelina fueron los cultivos que más interés despertaron entre la audiencia. El lavandín es un cultivo intensivo en mano de obra que puede ser implementado en áreas donde el cereal no es rentable. El principal inconveniente es su reproducción vegetal: no siempre hay suficiente planta disponible para satisfacer la demanda de los agricultores. La fluctuación de la producción según las condiciones climáticas y de riego es notable. La instalación de una planta de destilado en las cooperativas permitiría a los agricultores obtener el aceite esencial y comercializarlo directamente. Se mencionó la alta demanda y buen precio actuales. La camelina está orientada a zonas marginales donde la producción de cereales es baja. No necesita maquinaria especial y puede ser utilizada para la obtención de proteína, aceite, biocombustibles y biomateriales. La industria está trabajando en variedades con alto contenido de omega 3 con el objetivo de competir con el lino. Es necesario seguir investigando para obtener variedades más adaptadas a nuestro clima. Preocupación general por la falta de diversificación de la agricultura española y la elevada edad media.

This national value chain event was organized within the 5th Int. Conf. Wastes and with the BioReg project. It was focused on opportunities driven from the use of biomass to bioenergy and in biorefineries. Organized on September 5th, 2019. Forty-four participants attended from various sectors: farmers, cooperatives and energy producing and energy demanding industries. Strengths were identified in the use of biomass for bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts: the sustainability of the value chains (biodegradability, renewability, reduction to fossil feedstock dependence, reduction of Greenhouse Gases emissions). Opportunities for the use of biomass: biorefinery (construction materials, extracts and essential oils, biopolymers and biocomposites) and bioenergy and biofuels (renewable and low-carbon fuels, including hydrogen, for sectors that are hard to decarbonise). Challenges: how to meet the heavy industry's low carbon fuel needs, given that the production of energy crops in Portugal is very low, and how it will be possible to increase the availability to heavy industry and for the transportation sector of low indirect land-use change-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels. It was agreed that for the development of a consistent value chain for the use of biomass in biorefineries and for bioenergy and biofuels production it will be needed more research, investments in innovative technologies and policy and financial incentives (linked with bioeconomy). A working group was formed among elements from high energy demanding industries, research entities, and farmers cooperatives, to help boosting the cultivation and further use of NFC in biorefineries (through a cascading use) and for bioenergy.

Este evento nacional foi organizado com a 5ª Conf. Int. Wastes e com o projeto BioReg. O evento teve como foco as oportunidades impulsionadas pelo uso de biomassa para bioenergia e em biorrefinarias. Organizado a 5 setembro 2019, teve 44 participantes: agricultores, cooperativas, indústrias produtoras e consumidoras de energia. Pontos fortes no uso de biomassa para bioenergia, biocombustíveis e bioprodutos: a sustentabilidade das cadeias de valor (biodegradabilidade, renovabilidade, redução da dependência de matérias-primas fósseis e redução das emissões de Gases com Efeito Estufa). Oportunidades de utilização de biomassa: biorrefinarias (materiais de construção, extratos e óleos essenciais, biopolímeros e biocompósitos) e produção de bioenergia e biocombustíveis (combustíveis renováveis e com baixo teor de carbono, incluindo o hidrogénio, para setores de difícil descarbonização). Desafios: como fazer face às necessidades de combustíveis de baixo carbono tendo em conta que a produção de culturas energéticas em Portugal é muito reduzida, e como será possível aumentar a disponibilidade de biocombustíveis e biomassa de baixo risco associado à mudança indireta do uso do solo (ILUC). O desenvolvimento de uma cadeia de valor consistente para o uso de biomassa em biorrefinarias e para a produção de bioenergia e biocombustíveis necessita de mais pesquisas, investimentos em tecnologias inovadoras e incentivos políticos e financeiros. Um grupo de trabalho foi formado entre elementos de indústrias de elevado consumo energético, entidades de pesquisa e cooperativas de agricultores, para ajudar a impulsionar o cultivo e o uso de culturas não alimentares em biorrefinarias (por meio do uso em cascata) e para bioenergia.

This national value chain event was organized with Magic and MediOpuntia projects and focused on crops adapted to arid lands and severely degraded soils that are unsuitable for traditional crops. Organized in Caparica, Portugal, April 17 2019. Fifty participants attended from various sectors: farmers, cooperatives, bio-products industries, academics, students, regulatory bodies and policy makers, researchers. Strengths were identified in some NFC: tolerance to degraded soils and to limited availability of water resources, high efficiencies in the use of resources, especially water. Opportunities were identified for its cultivation in arid soils: the development of more sustainable irrigation systems, the use of wastewaters (WW) in irrigation, different harvesting systems adapted to certain types of marginal soils. A working group was formed to raise a platform where farmers and farmers cooperatives can easily connect with WW producers. Opportunities were identified to add value to these crops: the production of bionanocomposites for food packaging and application in cosmetics. Challenges were observed: the high costs for the production of food biopackaging compared to fossil based products. It was agreed that for the development of a consistent value chain for the production of bionanocomposites it will be needed more research, investments in technologies that allows the scale up of the processes and policy and financial incentives (linked with bioeconomy). A small network was formed among people from bioproducts industries, regulatory bodies, policy makers, research laboratories and farmers cooperatives, to boost the use of lignocellulosic crops and other NFC into the production of biocomposites and cosmetics.

O evento da cadeia de valor nacional foi organizado com os projetos Magic e MediOpuntia e focado em culturas adaptadas a terras áridas e solos degradados que são inadequados para as culturas tradicionais. Organizado na Caparica, Portugal, 17 abril 2019, teve 50 participantes: agricultores, cooperativas, indústrias de bio-produtos, pesquisadores, estudantes, órgãos reguladores e responsáveis pela elaboração de políticas. Pontos fortes de algumas culturas industriais: tolerância a solos degradados e à disponibilidade limitada de recursos hídricos, elevadas eficiências no uso de recursos, especialmente água. Oportunidades para o seu cultivo em solos áridos: desenvolvimento de sistemas de rega mais sustentáveis, utilização de águas residuais na rega, sistemas de colheita adaptados a certos tipos de solos marginais. Foi criado um grupo de trabalho para criar uma plataforma onde agricultores/cooperativas de agricultores possam se conectar com os produtores de águas residuais. Oportunidades para agregar valor: produção de bionanocompósitos para embalagens de alimentos e cosméticos. Desafios: os altos custos da produção de bioembalagens de alimentos em comparação com produtos de base fóssil. Concluiu-se que para o desenvolvimento de uma cadeia de valor consistente para a produção de bionanocompósitos serão necessárias mais pesquisas, investimentos em tecnologias que permitam o scale up dos processos e políticas e incentivos financeiros (vinculados à bioeconomia). Uma pequena rede foi estabelecida entre elementos de indústrias de bioprodutos, órgãos reguladores, legisladores, laboratórios de pesquisa e cooperativas de agricultores, para impulsionar o uso de culturas lenhocelulósicas e outras CNA.

The first workshop on the use of non-food crops (NFC) for the production of bioproducts and biofuels was attended by around 30 participants from various sectors, including research, self-government institutions, advisory institutions, industry and business as well as non-governmental organizations located in the Mazovia region (central Poland). The stakeholders discussed about reforming of Polish agriculture and industry for the needs of the bioeconomy. In the EU, 30% of chemicals and materials based on mineral oils will be replaced by alternative biological agents by 2030. The market for bioactive surfactants is EUR 680 million, and it will grow to around EUR 1.3 billion in 2030. It was proposed, to ensure green production in Poland, to apply typical and new crops suitable for Polish conditions and use them for non-food purposes, e.g. flax, crambe, pennycress, flax, hemp, straw, short rotation coppices and perennial grasses (e.g. miscanthus). The proposed purposes of using these plants include, among others: bioenergy, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, building materials, cosmetics and soil improvement. Some solutions were proposed to use the crops currently grown on a large scale for industrial purposes: 1. Possibilities of using maize for various purposes, e.g. biogas, ethanol, stalks for bedding. 2. Other proposed crops suitable for Polish conditions are lignocellulosic species (e.g. poplar and willow) for the production of heat and electricity. 3. Some of the meeting participants were interested in the production of rapeseed for biofuels. 4. It was noticed that currently some farmers resign from livestock production. Thus, it is possible to use the released land, especially of lower quality, for the production of NFC.

W pierwszym warsztacie na temat wykorzystania roślin nieżywnościowych (RNŻ) do wytwarzania bioproduktów i biopaliw, wzięło udział ok. 30 uczestników z różnych sektorów m.in. naukowego, instytucji samorządowych, doradczych, przemysłu i biznesu oraz organizacji pozarządowych, zlokalizowanych w regionie Mazowsza (środkowa Polska). Rozmawiano o potrzebach reformowania polskiego rolnictwa i przemysłu na potrzeby biogospodarki. W UE 30% chemikaliów i materiałów na bazie olejów mineralnych zostanie zastąpionych alternatywami środkami biologicznymi do roku 2030. Rynek bioaktywnych środków powierzchniowo czynnych wynosi 680 milionów EUR, a wzrośnie do około 1,3 mld EUR w 2030 r. Aby zapewnić zieloną produkcję w Polsce proponuje się zastosować typowe i nowe dla naszych warunków rośliny na cele nieżywnościowe np.: lnianka, katran, tobołki polne, len, konopie, słoma, drzewa i krzewy szybkorosnące i trawy wieloletnie (np. miskanty). Proponowane cele wykorzystania tychże roślin to m. in. bioenergia, biopaliwa, farmaceutyki, materiały budowlane, kosmetyki czy polepszenie właściwości gleby. W czasie spotkania proponowano wykorzystanie obecnie uprawianych w dużej skali upraw na cele przemysłowe: 1. Możliwości wykorzystanie kukurydzy na różne cele, np. biogaz, etanol, słoma (np. na ściółkę). 2. Inne proponowane rośliny odpowiednie dla polskich warunków to gatunki lignocelulozowe (np. topola i wierzba) do produkcji energii cieplnej i elektrycznej. 3. Część uczestników spotkania była zainteresowana produkcją rzepaku na biopaliwa. 4. Zauważono, że część rolników rezygnuje z produkcji zwierzęcej; istnieje więc możliwość wykorzystania uwolnionych gruntów, zwłaszcza niższej jakości, do produkcji RNŻ.

In 2019 the production area of sugar beet in the Netherlands was about 80.000 hectare (ha). The total yield in 2019 was the same as in 1995 on about 116.000 ha. This shows the enormous increase of production per ha. Due to the deep rooting system of sugar beet it can cope with droughts relatively well (is a relative good drought tolerance) and leads to low risk of nitrogen leaching after the cultivation. Cultivation knowledge in the Netherlands on sugar beets is on a high level, machinery for cultivation is widely available.

Sugar beet is an interesting crop to replace fossil fuels and can deliver multiple biobased products such as ethanol and ethylene. For example, sugar beet produces more energy per ha than maize.

Together with the ACRRES (Application Center for Renewable RESources) institute a meeting was organized withe farmers and stakeholders to focus on the possibilities of the sugar beet crop as a replacement of fossil fuel derived products.

Sugar beet was considered to be a very interesting crop to replace fossil fuels. However, some challenges were identified:

• Costs for industry to start using sugar beet as an input,

• Acceptance of sugar beet to replace fuel products

• Low current price for sugar beet for growers

• Timing of harvest of sugar beets is not in line with year round industry needs and demand

To ensure the agronomic, economic and industry use of sugar beet, additional R&D needs have been identified:

• Development and assistance on policy aspects

• Financial incentives (production and industry)

• Value chain development

• Investment in technologies that can harvest and produce the sustainable products from sugar beet.

In 2019 bedroeg de productieoppervlakte van suikerbieten in Nederland ongeveer 80.000 hectare (ha). De totale opbrengst in 2019 was op ongeveer 116.000 ha gelijk aan die van 1995. Dit toont de enorme toename van de productie per ha. Door het diepe wortelstelsel van suikerbieten kan het relatief goed omgaan met droogte (relatief goede droogtetolerantie) en leidt het tot een laag risico op stikstofuitspoeling na de teelt. Teeltkennis in Nederland over suikerbieten is op een hoog niveau, machines voor de teelt zijn breed beschikbaar.

Suikerbieten zijn een interessant gewas ter vervanging van fossiele brandstoffen en kunnen meerdere biobased producten leveren zoals ethanol en ethyleen. Suikerbieten produceren bijvoorbeeld meer energie per ha dan maïs.

Samen met het ACRRES (Application Center for Renewable RESources) werd een bijeenkomst georganiseerd met boeren en stakeholders om te focussen op de mogelijkheden van het suikerbietengewas als alternatief voor fossiele brandstof afgeleide producten.

Suikerbieten werden beschouwd als een zeer interessant gewas ter vervanging van fossiele brandstoffen. Er werden echter enkele uitdagingen geïdentificeerd:

• Kosten voor de industrie om suikerbieten als input te gaan gebruiken,

• Aanvaarding van suikerbieten ter vervanging van brandstofproducten

• Lage huidige prijs voor suikerbieten voor teler

• Timing van de oogst van suikerbieten is niet in overeenstemming met de behoeften en de vraag van de industrie het hele jaar door

Om het agronomische, economische en industriële gebruik van suikerbieten te waarborgen, zijn aanvullende R&D-behoeften vastgesteld:

• Ontwikkeling en ondersteuning op beleidsaspecten

• Financiële prikkels (productie en industrie)

The national value chain event was part of the final event of an Interreg V-Programme Vlaanderen-Nederland called Growing a green future. (Terneuzen, The Netherlands, December 17th, 2019) Seventy participants were present, including farmers, people from chemical and construction industry, research, and education. The event focussed on new ideas and new businesses around Non-Food Crops (NFCs) for the production of textile, natural fibres, oils and cosmetics, construction materials and natural biocides. In the afternoon, a market was held presenting biobased projects and business. The results of the industrial enquiry obtained in PANACEA were used to show the participants the driving forces for penetration of NFCs into EU agriculture and the demands and interests of biobased industries on (new) feedstocks.

To ensure the agronomic, economic and industry use of NFCs, additional R&D needs have been identified:

• To be able to sell your products, a close collaboration with the industry is necessary, aiming at producing products with a higher added value because of the local origin, rather than trying to compete with existing alternatives. E.g. hemp textiles or linseed oil based cosmetics. Research institutes as Rusthoeve en Wageningen Research can connect you with interested commercial partners.

• Production of showcase products on small scale will increase consumer awareness on locally produced biobased products creating demand and increased added value.

• Checking the technology readiness level for new value chains will help in deciding how long it will take before demand from industry will arise. TRL levels below 5 may take 5-10 years before commercialisation.

Het nationale waardeketen-evenement maakte deel uit van het slotevenement van een Interreg V-Programma Vlaanderen-Nederland genaamd Growing a Green Future. (Terneuzen, 17 december 2019) Zeventig deelnemers waren aanwezig, waaronder boeren, de chemische en bouwsector, onderzoek en onderwijs. Het evenement richtte zich op nieuwe ideeën en nieuwe bedrijven rond Non-Food Crops (NFCs) voor de productie van textiel, natuurlijke vezels, oliën en cosmetica, bouwmaterialen en natuurlijke biociden. 's Middags werd een markt gehouden met biobased projecten en businesses

Om het agronomische, economische en industriële gebruik van NFC’s te waarborgen, zijn aanvullende R&D-behoeften vastgesteld:

• Om uw producten te kunnen verkopen, is een nauwe samenwerking met de industrie noodzakelijk, gericht op het produceren van producten met een hogere toegevoegde waarde door de lokale oorsprong, in plaats van te proberen te concurreren met bestaande alternatieven. Bijvoorbeeld henneptextiel of cosmetica op basis van lijnzaadolie. Onderzoeksinstituten als de Rusthoeve en Wageningen Research kunnen u in contact brengen met geïnteresseerde commerciële partners.

• De productie van showcaseproducten op kleine schaal zal de consument bewuster maken van lokaal geproduceerde biobased producten, waardoor de vraag en de toegevoegde waarde toenemen.

• Het controleren van het TRL-niveau voor nieuwe waardeketens zal helpen bij het bepalen hoe lang het zal duren voordat de vraag uit de industrie zal ontstaan. TRL-niveaus lager dan 5 kunnen 5-10 jaar duren voordat ze op de markt worden gebracht.

Camelina is one of the oldest cultivated plants. Archaeological excavations show that camelina were still cultivated in the Bronze and Iron Ages, mainly in Eastern and Southern Europe. Camelina varieties can be both summer and winter. They grow to a height of 30-120 cm, seed yields range from 0.8 to 2.5 t ha-1. Peculiarities of cultivation of seed drills:

- sown in early spring;

- young plants are resistant to frost;

- seed rate 6-12 kg ha-1;

- can be grown in poorly fertile soil;

- does not require a significant contribution to the protection of plants against diseases and pests;

- seeds contain up to 42%, oil and can therefore be used as oilseeds;

- oil can be used for food, but also for non-food purposes – machinery oil production, biofuels.

It should be noted that currently camelina is not very popular in Lithuania. The discussion explained the reasons why these plants are not so popular in our country and what are the main barriers to their development. In the round table discussion "Is camelina a promising plant?", The participants identified the problems to be solved and the research needed when growing seed drills:

- Low seed yields, especially in spring varieties;

- The problem of crop weeds; there are no herbicides suitable for controlling weeds after germination and in the first stages of their growth;

- Seed cleaning problem; it is difficult to distinguish plant seeds from weed seeds by traditional methods;

- Market problem.

Sėjamoji judra yra yra vienas seniausių kultūrinių augalų. Archeologiniai kasinėjimai rodo, kad judros buvo auginamos dar bronzos bei geležies amžiuose, daugiausia Rytų ir Pietų Europoje. Judros gali būti tiek vasarinės, tiek žieminės. Jos išauga 30-120 cm aukščio, sėklų derlingumas svyruoja nuo 0,8 iki 2,5 t ha-1. Sėjamųjų judrų auginimo ypatumai:

- sėjamos anksti pavasarį;

- jauni augalai nejautrūs šalnoms;

- sėklos norma 6-12 kg ha-1;

- gali būti auginamos menkai derlingame dirvožemyje;

- nereikalauja didelio indėlio augalų apsaugai nuo ligų ir kenkėjų;

- sėjamųjų judrų sėklose yra iki 42 proc. aliejaus, todėl gali būti naudojami, kaip aliejiniai augalai;

- aliejus gali būti naudojamas maistui, tačiau taip pat ne maisto paskirčiai – alyvos gamybai, biodegalams.

Pastebėtina, kad šiuo metu sėjamosios judros nėra labai populiarios Lietuvoje. Diskusijos metu buvo aiškinamasi priežastys, kodėl šie augalai nėra tokie populiarūs mūsų šalyje ir kokie pagrindiniai barjerai jų plėtrai. Apskritojo stalo diskusijoje „Ar sėjamosios judros perspektyvus augalas?“, dalyviai identifikavo spręstinas problemas auginant sėjamąsias judras:

- Mažas sėklų derlius, ypač vasarinių judrų;

- Pasėlio piktžolėtumo problema; nėra herbicidų, tinkančių naikinti piktžoles augalams sudygus ir pirmuosiuose jų augimo tarpsniuose;

- Sėklų išvalymo problema; sunku atskirti augalų sėklas nuo piktžolių sėklų tradiciniais metodais;

- Rinkos problema.

Lithuania is well known as one of the largest exporters of grain. Exports of raw materials are not favored, therefore it is necessary to look for other ways of agricultural production and processing of biomass into higher value-added products. One of the most promising plants in Agriculture could be hemp. In recent years, areas of hemp in the country have been increasing drastically. Hemp:

- a strong, adaptable plant;

- grows rapidly (up to 3-4 m in 100-140 days),

- high biomass yield is possible (9-10 t of dry mass per ha);

- excellent weed control, so very little pesticides are needed;

- suitable for crop rotation in crop rotations,

- is an environmentally friendly plant not only due to the low amount of pesticides used, but also absorbs a lot of CO2;

- Up to 50,000 different products can be made from hemp grown for fiber.

For economic and environmental benefits, the choice of hemp grown should consider:

- choice of plant variety (varieties with a short vegetation season that are more suitable in Lithuania);

- decide on the intended use of hemp (fiber, extraction of active substances);

- to choose cultivation agrotechnology according to the chosen use purpose (seeding rate, fertilization ect.);

- choose of harvesting equipment;

- to find potential buyers of products in advance.

Lietuva yra gerai žinoma, kaip viena didžiausių grūdų eksportuotojų. Žaliavų eksportas nėra palankiai vertinamas, todėl būtina ieškoti kitų žemės ūkio gamybos šakų bei biomasės perdirbimo galimybių į aukštesnės pridėtinės vertės produktus. Vienas iš perspektyviausių augalų Žemės ūkyje galėtų būti pluoštinės kanapės. Pastaraisiais metais pluoštinių kanapių plotai šalyje drastiškai didėja. Pluoštinės kanapės:

- stiprus, prisitaikantis augalas;

- greitai auga (iki 3-4 m per 100-140 d.),

- galimas didelis biomasės derlius (9-10 t sausos masės iš ha);

- puikiai stelbia piktžoles, todėl reikalingas labai mažai pesticidų kiekis;

- tinka augalų rotacijai sėjomainose,

- yra draugiškas aplinkai augalas ne tik dėl mažo joms naudojamų pesticidų kiekio, bet ir sugeriantis daug CO2;

- iš pluoštinių kanapių gali būti pagaminama net iki 50 000 įvairių produktų.

Siekiant ekonominės ir aplinkosauginės naudos, renkantis pluoštinių kanapių auginimą reikėtų atsižvelgti į:

- augalų veislės pasirinkimą (Lietuvoje labiau tinkamos trumpo vegetacijos sezono veislės);

- nuspręsti, kokiai paskirčiai bus auginamos pluoštinės kanapės (pluoštui, veikliųjų medžiagų išskyrimui);

- pagal pasirinktą paskirtį parinkti auginimo agrotechnologiją;

- pasirūpinti derliaus nuėmimo technika;

- iš anksto rasti galimus produkcijos supirkėjus.

The event was held within the "EIMA Energy 2018", organized by the Italian Biomass Association - ITABIA. The growing development of the biobased industries and biorefineries in Italy is driving the cultivation of non-food crops to replace unprofitable crops.

Oil crops such as Camelina, Cardoon, Milk thistle, Hemp and Flax are very promising crops in Italy for non-food applications. These are multipurpose crops since different components can be enhanced from the same plant in order to increase the overall profitability.

For example, starting from cardoon in the Novamont biorefineries, the oil seeds are used for the production of bioplastics and biolubricants, the lignocellulosic biomass for energy production, the roots for inulin production and pappi for the production of cellulose. In the biorefinery processes of Cereal Docks, one of the industries attended the event; functional oils are obtained from Hemp seeds, while raw materials for nutraceuticals and cosmetics are obtained from Camelina.

In general, the crops analysed, showed no obstacles to their cultivation neither to the agronomic point of view nor from the point of view of mechanization. The participating industries confirmed their interest in these new productions offering supply chain contracts based on agreements in the pickup at an agreed price of the products with minimum quality requirements, meeting the considerable interest from the farmers involved.

L’evento si è tenuto nell'ambito di "EIMA Energy 2018", organizzato dall'Italian Biomass Association - ITABIA.

Il crescente sviluppo delle industrie biobased e bioraffinerie in Italia sta spingendo la coltivazione di nuove colture non-food in sostituzione di colture poco redditizie.

Colture oleaginose quali camelina, crambe, cardo, cardo mariano, canapa e il lino sono molto promettenti in Italia per applicazioni non alimentari. Si tratta di colture multiuso, poichè dalla stessa pianta possono essere valorizzate diverse componenti al fine di incrementare la redditività complessiva della coltura.

Ad esempio, come sottolineato da Novamont, leader nella produzione di bioplastiche, a partire dal cardo sono utilizzati i semi oleaginosi per la produzione di bioplastiche e biolubrificanti, la biomassa lignocellulosica per la produzione di energia, le radici per la produzione di inulina ed i pappi per la produzione di cellulosa. Nei processi di bioraffineria di Cereal Docks, una tra le industrie intervenute, dai semi di Canapa si ottengono oli funzionali, mentre dalla Camelina materie prime per nutraceutica e cosmetica.

Tutte le colture analizzate, non hanno evidenziato difficoltà nella loro coltivazione nè dal punto di vista agronomico, nè dal punto di vista della meccanizzazione. Le industrie interveute hanno confermato l’iteresse verso queste produzioni innovative. I contratti di filiera proposti, basati su accordi di ritiro a prezzo concordato delle produzioni con requisiti minimi di qualità, hanno riscontrato notevole interesse da parte degli agricoltori intervenuti.

The event was held within the "Canapa Forum 2018" organized by Federcanapa. The event had a great participation of both farmers and industries. Currently there is a huge interest in hemp, boosted by the introduction in Italy of a new law promoting the cultivation and development of the agro-industrial chain of hemp (L. n.412 December 2016). This is a renewed interest, since hemp has been cultivated in the past on great areas both in the north and in the south of Italy mainly for fibre production (in 1940 Italy was the main European producer with about 90,000 hectares).

Currently, the interest is aimed at the exploitation of the entire plant (seeds, inflorescence and fiber) to increase the overall profitability of the hemp chain for several applications (food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and green building).

The favourable regulatory framework and the interest of biobased industries were crucial for the relaunch of the hemp supply chain in Italy. Moreover, the availability on the market of mechanized harvesting technologies and varieties suited to the Italian context, as showed by the CREA researchers and by the technicians who attended the event are of no less importance for the complete reaffirmation of the industrial hemp chain in Italy.

As an example, in a dual-purpose production chain aimed at seeds and fiber production, some monoecious varieties have been suggested (Carmaleonte, Santhica, Codimono, Futura 75), replacing the dioecious varieties traditionally used for the production of fiber only, as well as the two-stage harvesting of seeds and residual biomass with commercial technologies adapted with simply modifications with affordable costs.

L’evento si è tenuto all’interno di "Canapa Forum 2018" organizzato da Federcanapa. L’evento ha avuto una notevole partecipazione sia di agricoltori che di industrie di trasformazione, a dimostrazione dell’enorme interesse dettato dall’introduzione in Italia di una nuova legge che promuove la coltivazione e lo sviluppo della filiera agroindustriale della canapa (L. n. 412 Dicembre 2016). Si tratta in realtà di un interesse rinnovato, poiché la canapa è stata coltivata in passato su estese aree sia nel nord che nel sud Italia principalmente per la produzione di fibra (nel 1940 l'Italia era il principale produttore europeo con circa 90.000 ettari).

Attualmente, invece, l'interesse è rivolto alla valorizzazione dell'intera pianta (semi, inflorescenza e fibra) per incrementare la redditività complessiva con diversi sbocchi di mercato (industria alimentare, cosmetica, farmaceutica e della bioedilizia).

L’attuale quadro normativo favorevole e l’interesse delle industrie sono alla base del rilancio della filiera. Di non secondaria importanza per la completa riaffermazione della filera in Italia è la disponilità sul mercato di tecnologie di raccolta meccanizzata e di varietà adatte al contesto italiano presentate dai ricercatori del CREA e dai tecnici intervenuti all’evento.

A titolo di esempio, in una filiera di produzioe a doppia finalità (semi e fibra), sono state suggerite alcune varietà monoiche (Carmaleonte, Santhica, Codimono, Futura 75), in sostituzione delle varietà dioiche tradizinalmente utilizzate per la produzione di sola fibra, e la raccolta in due fasi dei semi e della biomassa residuale con tecnologie commerciali adattate con semplici modifiche dal costo contenuto.

In the current context of agro-ecological transition and multifunctional agriculture, sorghum is a crop that offers many innovative ways to differentiate and create value in different sectors of activity. Sorghum can be used in the European bioeconomy in agro-refineries, for methanation (energy catch crop, etc.), in building materials, insulation, thermoplastics and many other innovative prospects. From an agronomic point of view, it is a more drought-tolerant crop that requires fewer inputs, which gives it greater security to cope with hazards. Despite this, sorghum remains an underrated crop that suffers from the lack of development of its sector in France (no dedicated silos for instance) and the lack of research into its various prospects. The main lines of work identified by the many actors of the agri-business sector (farmers, researchers, policy makers, advisors, energy economic actors) who have participated to the Sorghum Day organized in Toulouse by French experts, highlighted the need to strengthen communication around the crop. The mapping of the different possible resources and uses also seems to be essential, along with the creation of genetic materials, compensatory aids, technical itineraries enabled by the agronomic research to encourage farmers to sow this valuable crop in the future.

Dans le contexte actuel de transition agro-écologique et d’agriculture multifonctionnelle, le sorgho est une culture qui offre de nombreuses pistes novatrices porteuses de différenciation et de création de valeur dans différents secteurs d’activités. Le sorgho est en effet valorisable dans la bio économie européenne tel qu’en agro-raffinerie, en méthanisation (CIVE), en matériaux de construction, d’isolation, de thermoplastiques et bien d’autres débouchés innovants. En termes agronomiques, c’est une culture « éco-compatible » plus tolérante à la sécheresse qui demande moins d’intrants ce qui lui confère une plus grande sécurité face aux aléas. Malgré cela le sorgho demeure une culture peu médiatisée qui souffre du peu de développement de sa filière sur le territoire français (pas de silos dédiés) et du manque de recherche quant à ses différents débouchés. Pour y parvenir, les principales pistes de travail identifiées par les nombreux acteurs de toute la filière (agriculteurs, chercheurs, organismes consulaires et de conseils, professionnels du secteur énergétique etc.) qui ont participé à la Journée Sorgho organisée par plusieurs organismes experts à Toulouse, ont souligné la nécessité d’un renforcement de la communication autour de la culture, à la fois au sein de la filière ainsi qu’auprès des non-initiés. La cartographie des différentes ressources disponibles et usages possibles semble primordiale avec la création de matériel génétique, d’itinéraires techniques permis par la recherche agronomique afin de pousser les agriculteurs à semer à l’avenir cette culture pleine d’atouts.

In this region, most rotations are short (e.g., corn-cereals-cereals-maize) and under strong agronomic pressure and the need to diversify crops is sharp. The introduction of an energy catch crop (ECC) between two food crops is a potential solution. Biomass can be used as raw material for biogas production into biogas plants developed in the area. Besides agronomic and environmental benefits, it brings economic satisfaction to the farmer. It also limits land use competition for the development of biomass crops. Thanks to the experiments carried out in OPTICIVE project and meetings organised with farmers and stakeholders of the sector, a need for support regarding crop management has been identified. Among other combinations, two double cropping systems with two food crops and one ECC were proposed in longer rotations:

• A grain maize-rye-grain maize sequence. The rye (winter ECC) is sown at the beginning of October after a superficial tillage and harvested in early May before sowing the maize (fertilization of 20-30 m3/ha of digestate in spring).

• A winter barley-sorghum-wheat sequence. The non-irrigated sorghum (summer ECC) is sown just after the barley harvest at the end of June (digestate input of 70 kg N/ha) and harvested in early October and followed by simplified sowing of wheat (fertilization of 20-30 m3/ha of digestate after sowing).

To ensure the agronomic, economic, and environmental success, additional R&D needs have been identified:

• Most adapted species as winter ECC.

• Optimal stage for digestate input in spring/species.

• Techniques, decision rules and tools adapted to carry out a sowing in the previous crop.

• Technical and economic model based on regionalized recommendations for the introduction of the systems.

En Rhône-Alpes, les rotations sont courtes et subissent de fortes pressions agronomiques. Introduire une CIVE entre deux cultures alimentaires est une solution envisageable. Comme il existe des unités de méthanisation dans la région, leur biomasse peut être utilisée comme matière première pour la production de biogaz. Outre les avantages agro-systémiques, cela est rémunérateur pour l’agriculteur et limite la concurrence d’usage des sols pour la productio. Grâce aux expérimentations menées dans OPTICIVE et aux rencontres avec les agriculteurs et acteurs du secteur, un besoin d’accompagnement en termes de gestion culturale a été identifié. En réponse, il a été proposé notamment la mise en place de deux séquences de trois cultures en deux ans dont deux cultures alimentaires et une CIVE adaptée aux spécificités régionales, à inclure dans des rotations plus longues:

• Une séquence maïs grain –SEIGLE– maïs grain. Le seigle (CIVE d’hiver) est semé début octobre après un travail superficiel du sol et récolté début mai avant le semis du maïs (fertilisation de 20-30 m3/ha de digestat au printemps)

• Une séquence orge d’hiver –SORGHO– blé. Le sorgho non-irrigué (CIVE d’été) est semé après la moisson de l’orge fin juin (apport de digestat: 70 u/ha). Il est récolté début octobre et suivi d’un semis simplifié de blé (20-30 m3/ha de digestat après semis).

Pour s’assurer de la réussite agronomique, économique et environnementale, des besoins complémentaires en R&D ont été identifiés:

• Espèces adaptées en CIVE d’hiver.

• Stade optimal pour l’apport du digestat au printemps/espèce.

• Techniques et outils adaptés pour semis dans le précédent.

• Modèle technico-économique régional pour l’introduction de ces sequences.

The Great East of France (Champagne, Lorraine and Alsace) is a region in which rotations are short and becoming less profitable. The need for crop diversification is growing. The introduction of an energy catch crop (ECC) between two food crops is a potential solution. Biomass can be used as raw material for biogas production into biogas plants developed in the area. Besides agronomic and environmental benefits, it can boost the bioeconomy of the region. It also limits land use competition for the development of biomass crops. Thanks to the experiments carried out in OPTICIVE project and the meetings organised with farmers and stakeholders of the sector, a need for support regarding crop management has been identified. Among other combinations, two crop sequences with an ECC were proposed in longer rotations:

• A winter ECC sequence (wheat - rye (ECC) - maize). Rye sown mid-September after a superficial tillage and harvested in early May before direct sowing of maize (fertilization of 20-30 m3/ha of digestate in spring).

• A summer ECC sequence (Winter barley oats/peas mixture as ECC - wheat). Mixture sown just after harvesting barley in early July, the mixture will be harvested in mid-October and followed by direct sowing of wheat (fertilization of 20-30 m3/ha of digestate after sowing).

To ensure the agronomic, economic, and environmental of ECCs, additional R&D needs have been identified:

• Most adapted ECC species.

• Dates of implementation.

• Impact of digestate inputs during fall and the species that make the best use of it.

• Need for comparative yield studies between species conducted alone or in mixture.

• Technical and economic model based on regionalized recommendations for the introduction of these systems.

Dans le Grand Est (Champagne, Lorraine & Alsace), les rotations sont courtes et de moins en moins rentables. Diversifier les cultures devient nécessaire. Introduire une CIVE entre deux cultures alimentaires est une solution envisageable. Comme il existe des unités de méthanisation dans la région, leur biomasse peut être utilisée comme matière première pour la production de biogaz. Outre les avantages agro-systémiques, cela développe la bioéconomie de la région et limite la concurrence d’usage des sols. Grâce aux expérimentations menées dans le cadre d’OPTICIVE et aux rencontres avec les agriculteurs et les acteurs du secteur, un besoin d’accompagnement en termes de gestion culturale a été identifié. En réponse, il a été proposé notamment la mise en place de deux séquences de culture intégrant une CIVE, adaptées aux spécificités régionales à inclure dans des rotations plus longues:

• Une séquence blé – SEIGLE (CIVE) – maïs. La CIVE d’hiver est semée mi-septembre après un travail superficiel du sol et récoltée début mai avant le semis direct du maïs (fertilisation de 20-30 m3/ha de digestat au printemps).

• Une séquence orge d’hiver – AVOINE/POIS (CIVE) – blé. Le mélange CIVE d’été est implanté après la récolte de l’orge début juillet et récolté mi-octobre, suivi d’un semis direct de blé (fertilisation de 20-30m3/ha de digestat après semis).

Pour s’assurer de la réussite agronomique, économique et environnementale, des besoins complémentaires en R&D ont été identifiés:

• Espèces adaptées.

• Dates d’implantation.

• Impact des apports de digestat à l’automne.

• Étude comparative sur les rendements/espèce seule et en mélange modèle technico-économique adapté régionalement pour l’introduction de ces systems.

In the Western France regions (Pays de la Loire & Brittany), rotations are rather short and becoming less profitable. The need for crop diversification is growing. The introduction of an ECC between two food crops is a potential solution. Biomass can be used as raw material for biogas production into biogas plants developed in the area. Besides agronomic and environmental benefits, it brings economic satisfaction to the farmer. It also limits land use competition for the development of biomass crops. Thanks to the experiments carried out in OPTICIVE project and the meetings stakeholders of the sector, a need for support to farmers regarding crop management has been identified. Among other combinations, two sequences of three crops in two years, including one ECC, adapted to regional specificities were proposed:

• A sorghum (ECC) of early variety sown after a barley late June-early July. Bring 40 m3/ha of digestate at sowing and 2 passages of water at 15 mm after sowing. After the sorghum harvest at the end of September and a superficial tillage, a rye (ECC) can be sown in early October at a high density with a digestate input at sowing. The rye is harvested at the end of April, followed by an early grain maize variety (type 170) just after harvest.

• A sequence barley - nyger/moha (Setaria italica)/sunflower mixture (ECC) - maize can also be considered but would offer lower yields.

To ensure the agronomic, economic & environmental success, additional R&D needs have been identified:

• Most adapted ECC species.

• Optimal stage for digestate input in spring.

• Techniques, decision rules and tools adapted for sowing in the previous crop.

• Technical and economic model based on regionalized recommendations for the introduction of these systems.

Dans cette région, les rotations sont courtes et soumises à des pressions économiques récurrentes. Diversifier les cultures devient nécessaire. Introduire une CIVE entre deux cultures alimentaires est une solution envisageable. Comme il existe des unités de méthanisation dans la région, leur biomasse peut être utilisée comme matière première pour la production de biogaz. Outre les avantages agro-systémiques, cela est rémunérateur pour l’agriculteur et limite la concurrence d’usage des sols. Grâce aux expérimentations menées dans le cadre d’OPTICIVE et aux rencontres avec les agriculteurs et les acteurs du secteur, un besoin d’accompagnement des agriculteurs en termes de gestion culturale a été identifié. En réponse, il a été proposé notamment la mise en place de deux séquences de trois cultures en deux ans, dont une CIVE, adaptées aux spécificités régionales:

• Un sorgho (CIVE) précoce semé après une orge fin juin/début juillet. Apporter 40m3/ha de digestat au semis et 2 passages d’eau à 15 mm après le semis. Après récolte fin septembre et travail superficiel du sol, un seigle (CIVE) peut être semé début octobre à densité élevée avec apport de digestat au semis. Le seigle sera récolté fin avril et immédiatement suivi d’un maïs grain précoce (type 170).

• Une séquence orge- nyger/moha/tournesol (CIVE) -maïs peut aussi être envisagée malgré des rendements moindres.

Pour s’assurer de la bonne réussite agronomique, économique et environnementale des CIVE, des besoins complémentaires en R&D ont été identifiés:

• Espèces adaptées.

• Stade optimal pour l’apport de digestat au printemps.

• Techniques et outils pour semis dans le precedent.

• Modèle technico-économique adapté régionalement pour l’introduction de ces séquences.

The South-West Region (Pyrenean foothills) is an area in which the monoculture of maize is predominant. This cropping system suffers from increased pressure of pests, weeds, and price volatility. The need for crop diversification is important. The introduction of an energy catch crop (ECC) between two food crops is a potential solution. Biomass can be used as raw material for biogas production into biogas plants developed in the area. Besides agronomic and environmental benefits, it brings economic satisfaction to the farmer. It also limits land use competition for the development of biomass crops. Thanks to the experiments carried out in OPTICIVE project and meetings organised with farmers and stakeholders of the sector, a need for support to farmers regarding crop management has been identified. Among other combinations, a new cropping sequence adapted to regional specificities has been proposed:

• A winter ECC sequence (maize-ECC-maize): Sown mid-October after the harvest of a mid-early maize and a superficial tillage, the winter ECC (oats/vegetables/peas/triticale or triticale alone) is harvested in early May and followed by maize sown with simplified cultivation techniques (+2 kg/q of digestate).

To ensure the agronomic, economic, and environmental success of the introduction of an ECC, additional R&D needs have been identified:

• Species/varieties to control the digestate supply constraints at the end of the summer.

• Machinery innovation to sow into the previous crop.

• Assessment of digestate spreading impact on soil compaction.

• Technical recommendations on the use and equipment for direct seeding.

• Technical and economic model based on regionalized recommendations for the introduction of these systems.

Le Sud-Ouest (piémont pyrénéen) est une région où la monoculture de maïs est prédominante. L’augmentation de la pression des ravageurs, des adventices de la volatilité des cours rend nécessaire la diversification des cultures. Introduire une CIVE entre deux cultures alimentaires est une solution envisageable. Comme il existe des unités de méthanisation dans la région, leur biomasse peut être utilisée comme matière première pour la production de biogaz. Outre les avantages agro-systémiques, cela est rémunérateur pour l’agriculteur et limite la concurrence d’usage des sols. Grâce aux expérimentations menées dans le cadre d’OPTICIVE et aux rencontres avec les agriculteurs et les acteurs du secteur, un besoin d’accompagnement des agriculteurs en matière de gestion culturale a été identifié. En réponse, il a été proposé, entre autres, une nouvelle séquence de culture adaptée aux spécificités régionales:

• Une séquence CIVE d’hiver (maïs-CIVE-maïs): semée après la récolte d’un maïs demi précoce mi-octobre et un travail superficiel du sol, la CIVE d’hiver (avoine/vesce/pois/triticale ou triticale seul) est récoltée début mai et suivie en TCS par du maïs (+2 u/q de digestat).

Pour s’assurer de la réussite agronomique, économique et environnementale de l’introduction de CIVE, des besoins complémentaires en R&D ont été identifiés:

• Espèces/variétés adaptées aux contraintes d’apport de digestat en fin d’été.

• Modalités d’implantation dans le précédent.

• Évaluation des impacts des apports de digestat sur le tassement des sols selon les périodes d’apport.

• Préconisations techniques sur l’emploi et l’équipement en semis direct.

• Modèle technico-économique adapté régionalement pour l’introduction de ces systems.

On February 22, 2021, PANACEA's final event was organised online format bringing together eighty people from all over Europe. The scope of this event was to present the main findgings of PANACEA project (which are the nea to practice non-food crops for Europe, which are the farmers and industries needs, which is proposed roadmap for the ten participating countries for the successful implementation in EU agriculture) to the relevant stakeholders as well as to present projects with high relevance to PANACEA. All the findings of PANACEA project are presenting in PANACEA website (www.panacea-h2020.eu) and the PANACEA platform (https://app.panacea-h2020.eu/). In PANACEA platform around 800 users had been registered. A focus group had been proposed by PANACEA project on industrial crops and the main findings of this multi-actor group were present to the participants by the leader of the group. The main findings covering the whole production chain of industrial crops (https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/focus-groups/sustainable-indust…). PANACEA created linkages with the projects; MAGIC, 4CE-MED, UNTWIST, EURAKNOS and EUREKA on the common subject which was the industrial crops. 4CE-MED and UNTWIST projects focus on camelina the first in Mediterranean countries and the second in Europe. MAGIC is focus on industrial crop growing on marginal lands. EUREKA & EURAKNOS are networks that connect and preserve project like PANACEA that are thematic networks for ideas on agriculture that are close to practice.

The second European Value Chain Event took place online on January 20, 2021. The event, focused on Carbohydrate and Specialty Crops and the opportunities for the agriculture sector. The starting point was PANACEA platform and which kind of information the practitioners can found on it (which projects, information on the crops, actions and activities of PANACEA on those crops). Selected on-going projects had been presented as good examples. More specifically, the ADAPT project (Accelerated Development of multiple-stress tolerant Potato) presented the current research of potato in Europe under combined environmental stress conditions. The UNTWIST project (Uncover and promote tolerance and water stress in camelina sativa) is a new project on camelina with emphasis on water stress. It should be pointed out that camelina is a valuable cover/catch oilseed crop that is being prometed for the marginal lands of Europe that allow the farmers to have double cropping on the same year. Cactus is promoted by MEDIOPUNTIA project (Promoting cactus plantation on large scale in marginal lands of Mediterranean countries) for the dry areas around Med that having too many industrial applications and thus considereing as multi-purpose crop. On the very same event it was presented the main finding of two focus groups; the first was on medicinal plants (https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/focus-groups/diversification-op…) and the second on industrial crops (https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/focus-groups/sustainable-indust…). All the information for these two focus groups is available on eip agri website under focus groups.

A European Value Chain Event was held in March 2019 at ICL premises dedicated to oilseeds crops close to agricultural practice. The whole workshop concentrated on the following oilseed crops: camelina, crambe, castor, safflower, industrial hemp, cardoon and lupin for two reasons: a) considered as ready for practice (PANACEA) and being able to grown successfully on marginal lands facing natural constraints (MAGIC). On-going successful projects on oilseeds crops were presented as possibilities to increase the farmers’ income though the access to new markets (high value biobased materials, biofuels, and bioenergy). Apart from MAGIC, cardoon had been established on marginal lands in Sardinia by NOVAMONT to produce valuable chemicals for the possible manufacture of a range of products including cosmetics and bioplastics. The goal of FIRST2RUN was harness the potential of local areas and builds a sustainable, profitable and job-creating value chain. The value-chains of camelina and crambe were presented by COSMOS with sound field trials in Italy, Greece, Poland and the Netherlands with seed yields for both crops between 1.5 and 2.5 t seeds/ha and oil content around 40%. Camelina seems quite interesting oilseed crop (1-3 t/ha) that can be grown throughout Europe having an increasing industry demand and ability to be grown on marginal lands with seed yields (at least 1 tn/ha), having a short growing cycle allowing the double cropping and as feedstock for advanced aviation biofuels (BIO2A). The area of industrial hemp has been tripled from 2014 to 2018 as a result of the increasing demand for hemp seeds and CBD. Lupin is an oil and carbohydrate crop able to be grown on marginal lands as feedstock for cosmetics and other value added bioproducts (LIBBIO).

NFCs are those that do not enter the food chains and are used to produce a wide range of bio-based products including polymers, lubricants, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, as well as bioenergy and fuels. Despite considerable investment in research and development, NFCs are not widespread in European agriculture, mainly due to challenges in supply chains as well as gaps in the policy framework and in the investment incentives. Thus, the increasing need for feedstock to supply the bio-based industries makes the successful penetration of NFCs in EU agriculture necessary. In this context, PANACEA Network addresses the challenge of increasing the implementation of NFCs into the EU Agriculture and Bioeconomy. To improve and foster the NFCs, PANACEA will create and disseminate an inventory of scientific results near to practice on the sustainable production of NFCs. Project partners will also analyse and contribute to the role that NFCs can play in the rural renaissance of Europe taking into consideration the farmers’ and bio-based industries’ needs and interests. In this sense, interactive multi-actor communities will be created involving a wide range of actors from science, industry and agricultural practice that will facilitate the dissemination of near to practice NFCs solutions and capturing and spreading innovative ideas. In addition, training programs will be addressed to farmers, agronomists, and agricultural students on practice-oriented knowledge on specific NFCs value chains. PANACEA is a Thematic Network which activities will take place both at national and European level. PANACEA Online Platform will facilitate the dissemination of results and interaction between stakeholders from all over Europe.

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