The 3rd General Assembly of Ecoloop took place in Ljubljana on April 2-3, marking a crucial moment to review the project’s progress 18 months after its launch and to outline the next steps. This meeting was particularly important in demonstrating the achievements to date to the European Commission.
The event was hosted by The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS) and the Institute for Innovation and Development of University of Ljubljana (IRI UL). Additionally, the consortium visited one of the Slovenian pilot sites located at Grajska cesta, operated by KIS. As Slovenia’s leading national research institution in agriculture, KIS focuses on applied research, innovation, and support for sustainable agriculture, agri-environmental systems, and rural development.
During the visit, KIS showcased its micro biogas plant (7 kWe CHP), which operates using slurry and agri-waste. The institute is currently upgrading this facility to produce biomethane for use in agricultural machinery. This pilot site will play a key role in testing and demonstrating several Ecoloop solutions, including the Decision Support System, biogas production, renewable energy integration (RES), soil health, farmer support processes, and the Soil Living Lab.
At this stage, evaluating the project is essential. The foundations have been laid, and now it’s time to accelerate progress, developing the project’s seven solutions and fine-tuning the pilot programs. This requires a well-coordinated effort to ensure all components align and move forward in sync.
A key focus of the meeting was assessing progress across different work areas, including:
• Efficient production of renewables in the agriculture and forestry sectors
• Renewable-based agricultural protocols
• Decision-support tools for farmers and foresters
Despite challenges faced by Spanish pilot projects due to the impact of Valencia’s floods in October 2024, progress continues across other sites. Structured meetings and communication frameworks are being established to strengthen collaboration within the Ecoloop ecosystem. Notably, two key tools—the Carbon Tool and the Decision Support Tool (DST)—have already been deployed as part of the initial demonstration phase.
The assembly also reviewed advancements in economic and social support for farmers and foresters, as well as updates on the deployment and demonstration activities in the pilot sites of Bulgaria, Estonia, Slovenia, and Spain.