OrganicYieldsUP – a new project to enhance organic crop yields across Europe

The OrganicYieldsUP project has officially started its activities with a kick-off meeting held on the end of February 2024. Hosted by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL in Switzerland, the event brought together all 17 partners from 13 European countries to lay the foundation for collaborative efforts aimed at increasing yields in organic cropping systems.

OrganicYieldsUP addresses the critical need for enhancing yields in organic farming, a topic that often brings up debates and questions within the agricultural community. While organic farming systems are recognised for their environmental benefits, they typically yield less than conventional systems. However, the project emphasizes on a change of narrative, as yield is just one aspect of the equation, with broader considerations such as ecosystem services and socio-environmental impacts also playing crucial roles in addressing global challenges.

Central to OrganicYieldsUP is the joint effort to bridge the gap between organic and conventional farming systems without compromising environmental sustainability. The consortium recognizes that simply comparing yields between the two methods overlooks the environmental exploitation inherent in many conventional practices. As such, OrganicYieldsUP aims to push organic farming to its highest potential within planetary boundaries while reframing the conversation around farming methods.

FiBL Europe is tasked with the coordination of the project while FiBL Switzerland’s task is to elaborate current guidelines and produce a concise and validated database template to compile existing data and knowledge related to crop yield enhancing strategies within organic farming.

Led by partners at the kick-off meeting, the OrganicYieldsUP consortium aims at fostering knowledge exchange, developing tailored yield-increasing strategies for diverse European regions and promoting innovation to achieve the target of at least 25 % of the EU’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2023. Furthermore, OrganicYieldsUP aims to provide inputs for developing a fresh Research and Innovation agenda to tackle pressing issues such as climate change.