Research project ECOFLOURISH

Summary

The EcoFlourish project addresses the growing need for sustainable and resilient horticultural systems in response to social sustainability, resource scarcity, and shifting consumer demands for healthy food. Current agricultural models face productivity challenges, market disruptions, and environmental constraints, requiring innovative solutions that integrate biodiversity-friendly agroecological practices with digital tools.

EcoFlourish aims to enhance the social sustainability, profitability, and resilience of berry production by combining AI-driven decision support, IoT-enabled monitoring, and biodiversity-friendly farming techniques. The project applies precision agriculture technologies, such as UAVs and real-time data analytics, to optimize crop management, reduce input dependency, and improve farm-level decision-making.

At the core of the project is the Living Labs, established within operational berry farms, where agroecological solutions are co-developed, tested, and validated in collaboration with farmers, researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. This real-world experimentation framework ensures that digital innovations are tailored to practical farming needs, making them scalable and accessible.

EcoFlourish employs a multi-method approach, integrating multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), scenario-based modeling, and participatory research to evaluate the trade-offs between sustainability, economic viability, and farm productivity. The project also investigates the socio-economic impacts of digital agriculture, supporting the transition to climate-smart and biodiversity-enhancing farming systems.

Over its 36-month duration, EcoFlourish will:

• Optimize resource efficiency, reducing agrochemical inputs and improving soil health.
• Enhance biodiversity-friendly cultivation practices, supporting pollinators and ecosystem resilience.
• Leverage AI and IoT for real-time monitoring, improving decision-making at the farm level.
• Provide evidence-based policy recommendations, shaping EU agroecological strategies and CAP integration.
• Facilitate stakeholder-driven knowledge exchange, strengthening the adoption of agroecology across Europe.

The project establishes and/or develops 4 LL platforms located in Lithuania, Poland, France, and Slovenia. These LL serve as open collaboration environments where related stakeholders jointly co-create, test, and implement agroecological practices. Each LL is tailored to specific regional contexts, agro-climatic conditions, berry production systems, and socio-economic needs.

The LL approach ensures multi-actor co-creation, fosters knowledge exchange, and supports the development of solutions that are scientifically robust, practically applicable, and widely accepted by end users. The LL facilitate the design and testing of agroecological solutions, the deployment of monitoring systems, biodiversity enhancement measures, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, and the evaluation of social and economic models.

By integrating cutting-edge digital tools with agroecological best practices, EcoFlourish demonstrates a replicable model for sustainable horticulture, ensuring sustainable economic, environmental, and social benefits for the berry sector and beyond the project’s lifetime.