PoLaRecCE

The PoLaRecCE project aims to develop innovative tools and approaches to support land management practices to better adapt degraded soils to the environmental, social and economic needs of the local community. It is in line with the EU Green Deal policy and is a response to the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change. In Central Europe (CE), the sustainable management of agricultural soils contaminated or degraded by various human activities is an administrative and social challenge. In many regions of Europe, agricultural or marginal soils are contaminated by various types of pollutants. Moreover, these soils are still used for growing food and feed, leading to uncontrolled uptake of pollutants into the food chain. 

This project provides an innovative and coherent management program to restore agricultural activity on contaminated and marginal land. It also focuses on disseminating the knowledge and practical experience of European organisations from different climatic regions to implement the most up-to-date strategies for rapid remediation and restoration of degraded soils for non-food agricultural production. Such an approach preserves the basic functions of soil and minimises the transfer of pollutants from soil to the food chain. Taking up non-food agricultural production is seen as an alternative source of income for farmers. In the case of brownfields managed by municipalities, this project will propose their conversion into more environmentally friendly areas. Selected pilot areas (0.5-2 ha) in different regions of CE will be established to test the most innovative methods for rapid detection of different pollutants. If the soil needs remediation, the most appropriate and cost-effective techniques will be promoted to strengthen sustainable environmental management practices and enable non-food agriculture. It is also planned to carry out an economic calculation of the proposed solutions, focusing on the needs of local markets.