Sponsor:
European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) – LIFE Project Grants
Duration:
5, 5 years
Start: September 2024, End: February 2030
Project leader:
Beleco, z.s.
Project partners:
Univerzita Karlova, České vysoké učení technické v Praze, Ústav zemědělské ekonomiky a informací, Asociace soukromého zemědělství České republiky
Responsible person:
Ing. Jana Hlaváčková
Other investigators:
Ing. Jaroslav Pražan, Ph.D.; Ing. Hana Šejnohová, Ph.D.; Mgr. et Mgr. Tereza Válková; Doc. Ing. Radka Váchalová, Ph.D.
Annotation:
The goal of the Agristructure LIFE project is to increase the resilience of landscapes, agricultural enterprises, and biodiversity to climate change by introducing a systematic approach to structural adaptation of agricultural landscapes, with maximum environmental benefits and minimal impact on the economic and technical functioning of agricultural businesses.
Landscape elements—such as small woodlots, flower strips, fallows, field edges, buffer strips, agroforestry systems, isolated or clustered trees, as well as ditches and small wetlands—are crucial for adapting European agricultural land to climate change. They support water retention, soil protection, biodiversity connectivity, and landscape heterogeneity. Increasing the share of landscape elements on agricultural land is therefore a key adaptation goal.
As part of the project, a set of agristructural element proposals will be created and tested. Implementation will be tested on 10-14 pilot farms. Based on data collected from the farms, political recommendations will be proposed. Additionally, tools will be developed to enable relevant companies to support the introduction of agristructural elements in their corporate sustainability programs. Tools for replicating the project’s results in similar European countries will also be developed and presented to potential users.
The team at IAEI is the lead organization for Work Package WP5, which focuses on evaluating the economic balance of farms related to the implementation of landscape elements
Goals – Selected Project Steps in Each Project Year
2024
- Secondary literature analysis and best practices review
- Study of relevant tools and regulations
- Study of farmer motivations and barriers through a survey
- Start of collaboration with pilot farms
2025
- Selection, prioritization, and design of landscape elements
- Mapping the baseline status on pilot farms
2026
- Data collection on pilot farms (landscape condition, financial, organizational, operational, ownership, etc.)
- Creation of a publication on landscape vulnerability risks for business sustainability
- Assessment of the economic balance of farms related to adaptation
- Workshops with farms and relevant companies on implementing landscape elements on agricultural land (continuing into the 5th year of the project)
2027
- Implementation of selected landscape elements on pilot farms
- Start of work on project outputs – methodology for synergistic landscape adaptation; landscape measures catalog; farmer manual; instructional videos, etc.
2028
- Draft report with proposals for changes in policy instruments
- Draft report on the impact of institutional economic indicators on landscape elements
2029
- Second phase of farmer survey on motivations and barriers
- Creation of a manual for farmers (Agristructural elements as a tool for farm adaptation)
- Webinars for companies and European WWF representatives
- Roundtable for policymakers
Created with the support of the European Union. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA is responsible for the content of this text.
