Reflect, Adapt, Evolve: How EUFRAS and STRATUS Promote Sustainable Agriculture

As the climate changes, farmers management practices and the knowledge required for effective farming must changes as well. This means that rural advisors must become more creative, innovative, and knowledgeable—in other words, they must keep pace with the times, or better yet, aim to stay one step ahead.

In this process, knowledge exchange is especially important, because no single advisor or organization can cover all new technologies, approaches, and challenges alone. This is precisely the kind of collaboration enabled by EUFRAS—the European Forum for Agricultural and Rural Advisory Services—an organization that brings together agricultural advisors from most of Europe, fostering the spread of good practices and supporting the development of sustainable agriculture. EUFRAS involvement in various European policy and strategic initiatives, thematic groups, and projects is therefore vital for educating advisors and farmers and, ultimately, for advancing the entire sector and contributing to our collective health and well-being. Despite geographical differences, many challenges are shared, and solutions are often widely applicable—neither climate nor culture is a barrier to introducing and adopting new ideas.

This spirit of collaboration and knowledge transfer also defines the Horizon Europe project STRATUS, in which EUFRAS is a partner.

One of the goals of STRATUS is to create an integrated fertilizer management network that enables the development and transfer of knowledge from region to region. The project compiles and evaluates new approaches to soil fertilization, ensuring that agricultural specialists have access to the latest information and methods.

STRATUS expands the availability of information for advisors by providing modern tools and resources, fostering cooperation among different countries and organizations, strengthening communities’ ability to respond to industry challenges, and developing the competences needed for sustainable and competitive agriculture. Participation in this project is not only an investment in the development of EUFRAS, but also an inspiring step toward a future where knowledge and innovation are accessible to every advisor.

The project also focuses on improving digital and data-driven tools that support both farmers and advisors in nutrient management and fertilizer optimization. Within STRATUS, advisors learn the latest technologies for effectively analyzing soil and plant data, interpreting the results, and providing evidence-based recommendations. This helps reduce unnecessary fertilizer costs and losses, supports sustainable soil management, and enables more precise nutrient strategies. STRATUS is a strong example of how EUFRAS promotes knowledge exchange among experts and advisors across Europe, making integrated fertilizer management accessible in everyday fieldwork.

You can explore good practices directly on the STRATUS website at https://stratusproject.eu/news/ or through the multi-project platform https://www.advisoryagrihub.eu/, where you can deepen your knowledge in various fields, connect with other experts, and help your colleagues and farmers manage their operations economically and in an environmentally friendly way.