EU projects show how nature-based solutions help farmers strengthen biodiversity, improve resilience, and support sustainable agriculture across Europe.
Integrating biodiversity and nature conservation into agriculture is essential to addressing the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution. As pressures on food systems grow, balancing agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability has become more urgent. As a result, nature-based solutions (NbS) are gaining prominence as practical, multifunctional approaches that can support the transition towards more resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.
The CORDIS Results Pack, published in January of 2026, responds to that challenge by showcasing key findings from 12 EU-funded research and innovation projects that support the development and deployment of nature-based solutions in agriculture. The publication brings together evidence, tools and insights that demonstrate how working with nature can help restore biodiversity while maintaining food security and strengthening climate resilience. Its intention is to highlight pathways through which biodiversity considerations can be more systematically embedded into farming practices across Europe. The Results Pack places particular emphasis on sustainable farming approaches such as agroecology, agroforestry and organic farming. These approaches might use different methods, however, they all integrate biodiversity considerations and show how agricultural systems can become more robust and environmentally sustainable. If applied at scale, they can help lower environmental pressures and support the long-term sustainability of food production. The Results Pack provides guidance for policymakers and researchers aiming to accelerate the transition towards sustainable agri-food systems in Europe. It also emphasises the need to create a more resilient and environmentally friendly agricultural future.
One of the projects featured in the Publication focuses on delivering digital tools to support biodiversity and promote agroecology. PATH2DEA – Paving the Way towards Digitalisation Enabling Agroecology for European Farming Systems – has developed a platform to help farmers integrate biodiversity into their practices. By combining real-time data, decision-support functions and practical examples from farms across Europe, the platform allows farmers to better understand ecosystem dynamics and make informed management decisions. Such tools can improve soil health, reduce reliance on external inputs and strengthen climate adaptation, reinforcing the resilience of European agriculture. The project brings together a consortium of twenty organisations from across Europe, including eighteen partners from nine EU countries and one associated partner from Switzerland. FiBL Switzerland (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture), based in the canton of Aargau, plays a key role, contributing its expertise in organic farming and sustainability. FiBL is one of the world’s leading research centres for organic agriculture and works closely with farmers to develop innovative, cost-effective solutions that balance productivity with environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Within PATH2DEA, FiBL Switzerland contributes by analysing the barriers and drivers for adopting digital technologies using stakeholder surveys, scientific literature and inventories from past and ongoing projects, assessing economic performance, and supporting dissemination and advisory activities for specific stakeholders. PATH2DEA is coordinated by the Austrian Institute of Technology and it is funded through Cluster 6 – Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment – of Horizon Europe and supported by the Swiss Confederation.
The CORDIS Results Pack highlights the value of international collaboration in driving sustainable agriculture and shows how EU research can support evidence-based solutions for biodiversity and resilient farming. Swiss expertise, as exemplified by FiBL’s involvement, plays an important role in these efforts, contributing knowledge and experience that strengthen both national and European initiatives. Looking ahead, continued cooperation and innovation will be key to scaling up nature-based solutions and ensuring a more sustainable and climate-resilient future for European agriculture.