Nutrients are in the news this month as the Farm to Fork strategy continues to roll out new improvements to the way we produce and consume our food. This involves generating new knowhow on better nutrient management through the Farm Sustainability Tool for Nutrients (FaST).
Each Member State will establish a system for supplying farmers with FaST as part of their national CAP Strategic Plan. FaST is a digital agriculture tool that can be operated on smartphones, tablets and computers. It combines existing data with manual input from farmers to provide customised recommendations on crop fertilisation through a nutrient management plan, which will have economic and environmental benefits for farmers and EU society.
Latest FaST developments are featured in a recently published FaST Navigator study which focused on nutrient management algorithms, input values and greenhouse gas assessments. This study’s outcomes will help address one of the main challenges for FaST’s implementation - the availability of operational models that are necessary to provide standardised and consistent advice on the use of fertilisers across different conditions of data availability. Find out more about the FaST platform’s opportunities for sustainable and competitive agriculture that contribute to the modernisation of Member States’ agricultural sector.
