Variety of challenges faced by the Agricultural Systems of the Future

Current agricultural systems are the main driver for the transgression of the Planetary Boundaries, especially with regard to changes in phosphorus and nitrogen cycles, climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification and land use change. Climate change is having a negative impact on agricultural systems worldwide. Longer periods of heat lead to lower yields. In addition, the influence of climate change on energy systems and the resulting CO2 emissions will continue to increase. The SUSKULT joint project is responding to these changes by, among other things, moving plant cultivation indoors. This indoor production can take place independently of the climatic conditions prevailing outside, in some cases with higher yields. Dependencies in the food supply chain will also be broken by significantly reducing fertiliser and food imports, making our cultivation systems more resilient to current challenges. In addition, CO2 emissions will be reduced through short transport routes and in production. At the same time, future agricultural systems must meet the increasing demands for a sustainable and socially recognised agricultural economy in terms of product quality, resource conservation and regionality.

SUSKULT – regenerative, local, closed cycle

The relevance of the SUSKULT vision formulated in 2016 that in 2050 there will no longer be wastewater treatment plants in the sense of disposal facilities, but rather so-called ‘NEWtrient® centres’, has increased considerably in recent years in the context of current crises. The consequences of the energy crisis triggered by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the directly related jump in fertiliser and food prices have led to intensified debates both in scientific discourse and in the political context about the resilience and self-sufficiency of agricultural systems in Germany and the EU as well as about the transformation potential of circular approaches. The Science Council's 2023 position paper outlines a societal vision for 2050 for the transformation of agricultural and food systems, which, in line with the SUSKULT vision, pays particular attention to the holistic consideration of the ecological, economic, social and health aspects of agricultural systems and at the same time emphasises the essential importance of nutrient recovery within food value creation according to the principles of the circular economy.

The Final Communiqué 2023 of the 15th Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference highlights the critical importance of the volatility of fertiliser markets and emphasises the need to improve the production, availability and accessibility of fertilisers in a non-competitive way and to increase their sustainable and efficient use to mitigate risks. The European Commission is stepping up its commitment to efficient nutrient recycling and the use of organic fertilisers to reduce dependence on imported mineral fertilisers. This approach is in line with Germany's National Bioeconomy Strategy and the EU's new Circular Economy Action Plan, which emphasise the importance of nutrient recovery. At the same time, the new EU Fertiliser Products Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 promotes the use of secondary raw materials in the production of organic fertilisers, which provides additional support for the SUSKULT vision.

In order to realise the desired NEWtrient® transformation, the results and development strands achieved in the first funding phase will be consistently continued and expanded in the second funding phase and supplemented by new issues that have arisen. The research and development work in the 2nd funding phase will be carried out in a targeted and practice-orientated manner based on four central guidelines: 

1. optimisation - further development of the original SUSKULT approach

2. establishment - development of market access measures for SUSKULT products

3. roll-out - development of measures and technologies outside the original approach

4. internationalisation - valorisation of the SUSKULT approach on an international level

The following key results were achieved in the first funding phase: 

• It was shown that it is possible to produce a liquid fertiliser for hydroponic cultivation that is free of inherent risks.
• The process was successfully transferred from the laboratory to a pilot plant on a pilot plant scale.
• It has been shown that the liquid fertiliser can be used to cultivate various plant species hydroponically without any loss of yield.
• The plants cultivated in this way pose no risk to the consumer.
• New cultivation systems were developed for duckweed, sweet potatoes and moringa.
• It was shown that more than half of the consumers surveyed would consume SUSKULT products. The trade is ready.
• A secure information ecosystem based on blockchain has been developed.
• The legal course has been set for the future marketing of NEWtrient® liquid fertiliser on the EU internal market.
• The nutrient potential of wastewater treatment plants for hydroponic cultivation has been analysed along the entire process chain for the first time.
• The alliance is working effectively and purposefully together on the developments

The SUSKULT pilot plant at the Emscher-Mündung wastewater treatment plant of the project partner Emschergenossenschaft in Dinslaken, North Rhine-Westphalia, was inaugurated in autumn 2022 and represents the decisive milestone in the technical development. This development is based on extensive research in the project partners' laboratories in order to develop a completely new process for multi-component fertiliser production and link it to the requirements of crop cultivation. The centrepiece of the pilot plant is an innovative multi-barrier system that uses various biological and physical processes to ensure the effective separation of valuable nutrients and harmful substances. The innovative treatment technology produces a liquid fertiliser concentrate that can be successfully used directly in downstream cultivation systems without any further conversion processes.

Further information is available here.