Our infrastructure
60 ha of organic land
To carry out our tests, we have 60 ha of certified organic land in the immediate vicinity of our institute in Upigny in Hesbaye.
Offices and a training room located in the immediate vicinity of the land
Our offices accommodate BRIOAA researchers, trainees, trainers and guests.
Our structure is located just
45 'from the center of Brussels.
An ideal central location. Very easy access via the E411 motorway and the Bovesse or Gembloux stations.
Our research projects
Our founding project
First of all, we want to work specifically on cropping systems that produce little or no animal organic matter.
In order to be autonomous, we will test techniques to overcome this drawback: intercropping, fertilizing meadows, relay cropping, under-sowing, crop associations, etc.
At the same time, a focus on agricultural techniques favorable to soil and environmental conservation will also be carried out: simplified cultivation techniques, mixed harvests with post-harvest sorting and agroforestry arrangements.
The design of these trials will be based on a reflection between researchers and in partnership with the actors concerned (participatory approach of the co-design type) as well as on the basis of the results already obtained by our team.
We will study the impact of these different innovations on the agro-ecological functioning of these systems put in place (and the underlying mechanisms) as well as on the final quality of the products.
At the same time, we will study the impact of these innovations on the overall profitability of the linked agrifood chains.
SEA2LAND project
Producing advanced bio-based fertilizers from fisheries wastes
"Develop organic fertilizers from fishery and aquaculture by-products"
Funding: Horizon 2020 program of the European Union
January 2021 - December 2024
General summary of the project:
The SEA2LAND project, funded by the European Union, is based on a circular economy model to encourage large-scale fertilizer production in the EU from our own raw materials which will be derived from by-products here. fisheries and aquaculture.
To test this solution, the project will produce several organic fertilizers for crops and local conditions, as well as other fertilizers for export.
BRIOAA activities in the SEA2LAND project:
Active in Work-Package 5 of the project (“Evaluation of agronomic and environmental performance”) BRIOAA will conduct agronomic trials over two seasons in organic farming conditions in order to assess the performance of the most promising fertilizers.
Soil analyzes will make it possible to assess the way in which these fertilizers from recycling impact the quality of the soil, with a focus on the dimension of “living soil”.
Similar agronomic trials will be carried out in the following partner countries: Norway, Estonia and Spain.
Coordinator: Neiker (Spain)
BIOFAIR
BIOdiversity of soils and FArming Innovations for improved Resilience in European wheat agrosystems
BIOFAIR aims to identify agroecological innovations that can make soils more resilient to current and future climate changes.
Funding: European Research Program ERA-Net BiodivERsA
April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2024
General summary of the project:
The main objective of BIOFAIR is to assess the impacts of climate change and innovative agricultural practices on the productivity, nutritional quality and health of plants such as cereals.
Particular attention will be paid to the study of the functioning of the soil and the soil microbiome associated with it, as well as the biodiversity of the micro and mesofauna.
BRIOAA activities in the BIOFAIR project:
Field trials to increase the resilience of crops to climate change (mainly drought) will be conducted on the BRIOAA platforms and will characterize at soil level the mechanisms by which the innovations tested guarantee the sustainability of multiple soil functions. .
Coordinator: Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (Belgium)
Participants:
Ghent University
FiBL Switzerland
INRAE Clermont-Ferrand (France)
University of Hohenheim (Germany)
Functional and Evolutionary Ecology - Estación Experimental by Zonas Áridas (Spain)
FiBL Europe
Our outlook
The BRIOAA's outlook is both short and long term. Several poles are thus being launched:
- A soil department: innovative advice and diagnostics for living soils.
- A research department including a long-term trial project (> 20 years).
- An agro-biodiversity department.
- A training and information department.
