EU-funded project to develop practical solutions to reduce nitrogen losses in agriculture
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Resilient rural areas
- Prosperous rural areas
- Soil health
- Climate
- Nature and environment
- Agriculture and food
The new EU-funded project NitroScope will establish an extensive nitrogen monitoring network to help build a more resilient agriculture in Europe. As part of the EU Soil Mission, the project will contribute to the objectives of the Soil Deal for Europe, fostering improved soil health and cleaner water and air.
Image by Jan Kopřiva on Canva
NitroScope is funded under the Horizon Europe programme. Running from 2025 to 2029, it aims to provide integrated and reliable solutions to understand nitrogen losses and contribute to healthier soils and more sustainable farming systems across Europe.
Effective nitrogen management and increased soil health are essential to sustaining vibrant rural communities. By protecting landscapes and local ecosystems, rural areas become more attractive to residents and tourists, while also reducing health risks linked to pollution.
The NitroScope project will produce methodologies to accurately quantify and manage nitrogen fluxes to improve nitrogen use efficiency and reduce losses which pose environmental threats.
Nitrogen is essential for plant growth, but current agricultural systems exhibit low nitrogen use efficiency, resulting in nitrogen from fertilisers leaching into groundwater or being released as the potent and long-lived greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. This compromises soil functionality and increases soil and water pollution.
NitroScope will develop 5 pilot sites, 9 intensive monitoring sites and more than 100 regional data collection sites. These will make it possible to measure nitrogen flows from field to national and continental levels, support the testing of mitigation strategies under real-world conditions and provide strong evidence for improving nitrogen management across Europe.
The project is part of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, a European initiative dedicated to restoring and preserving soil health by 2030.
Explore the latest Rural Pact resources on the topics of soil health and agriculture and food.