AllEcoSys
EN
The AllEcoSys project aims to promote sustainable and resilient agricultural systems through the implementation of a European network of Living Labs. These labs will facilitate the adoption of agroecological practices designed to improve soil health, enhance biodiversity, and foster the natural control of pests and diseases. Through these practices, AllEcoSys seeks to support the development of prosperous agricultural and horticultural businesses that contribute to sustainable food production and environmental conservation. The co-creation process – combining traditional and indigenous knowledge with scientific expertise – emphasizes the key role of producers’ know-how and their collaboration with the research infrastructure.
Project funded by: ERA-NET, AGROECOLOGY, Call 1
Project type: Transnational collaborative research projects (multi-actor, multinational)
Project title: Agroecology living labs fostering prosperous and sustainable agri-food systems
Project acronym: AllEcoSys
Project code: Proposal ID 165
Contract no.: 107/2025
Total project value: €2,229,000 (of which €1,994,000 is funding requested under the AGROECOLOGY call)
Funding value for USAMV Bucharest: €200,000
Project duration: 36 months
Implementation period: 01/05/2025 – 30/04/2028
Contracting authority: Ministry of Education / UEFISCDI (for the national component) and ERA-NET AGROECOLOGY (for the international component)
International coordinator: Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway – Prof. dr. Lene Sigsgaard
Institutional coordinator (Romania): University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (USAMV Bucharest)
Project director (USAMV Bucharest): Dr. Roxana Ciceoi
The objective of the AllEcoSys project is to promote sustainable and resilient agricultural systems through a European network of Living Labs, where agroecological practices contribute to improving soil health, enhancing biodiversity, and supporting the natural regulation of pests and diseases, thus fostering prosperous and durable agro-businesses. The project aims to:
- Improve soil health and increase its carbon storage capacity through practices such as cover cropping and minimum tillage, optimizing nutrient cycles and maintaining soil moisture;
- Promote crop diversification to enhance plant resilience to environmental stress by using locally adapted varieties, crop rotation, and intra-field diversification, aiming to optimize nutrient cycles and create varied habitats for beneficial organisms;
- Enhance functional biodiversity for natural regulation by promoting habitats for natural enemies and antagonistic soil organisms through intercropping, flower strips, and cover crops;
- Reduce energy, water, and nutrient losses through efficient management practices (e.g., intercropping, mulching), prioritizing soil and water conservation;
- Strengthen key ecological processes through biological interactions by creating habitats that support diverse organisms, including beneficial insects and soil microbiota;
- Assess the socioeconomic impact of agroecology-based farming methods to identify drivers, trade-offs, and potential barriers in the implementation of new practices.
The AllEcoSys project will actively contribute to the objectives of the Green Deal by addressing global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, and by supporting environmentally friendly and economically viable agricultural practices in direct collaboration with farmers and other relevant stakeholders.
P1 – Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Country: Norway
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Lene Sigsgaard
P2 – University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (USAMV)
Country: Romania
Contact person: Dr. Roxana Ciceoi
ACASA
P3 – Institute for Food and Environmental Research (ILU)
Country: Germany
Contact person: Dr. Daniel Pleissner
Startseite
P4 – University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
Country: Denmark
Contact person: Ms. Stine Kramer Jacobsen
P5 – Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
Country: Norway
Contact person: Dr. Junbin Zhao
P6 – University of Limerick (UL)
Country: Ireland
Contact person: Prof. Achim Schmalenberger
P7 – University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)
Country: France
Contact person: Prof. Essaid Ait Barka
P8 – Benfarm
Country: Denmark
Contact person: Prof. Ole Green
P9 – Cueillette de Muizon (CdM)
Country: France
Contact person: Mr. Thibault Deville
https://www.cueillettedemuizon.fr
P10 – Rosée des champs (RdC)
Country: France
Contact person: Ms. Véronique Fleury
USAMV Bucharest plays an active and strategic role in the AllEcoSys project, contributing to all work packages, with direct involvement in:
- Coordination of communication, dissemination and public engagement (Work Package 6). USAMV develops and monitors the implementation of the communication and dissemination plan, ensuring the effective dissemination of project results to farmers, decision-makers, researchers and the general public. Actions include: organizing workshops, field demonstrations, popular science articles, media presence and educational activities.
- Co-lead for socioeconomic evaluation and scale-up (WP5) – USAMV collaborates on the development of socioeconomic analysis tools, translation of questionnaires, organization of interviews and workshops with farmers and local actors, assessing the impact of agroecological practices on income, labor, gender roles, and local sustainability.
- Significant contributions to WP2 – USAMV is responsible for developing the Living Lab in Romania, which will include multiple testing and collaboration sites, where various agroecological practices will be tested.
- Implementation of field experiments in WP3 and WP4. USAMV leads the activities for testing agroecological practices (intercropping, flower strips, mulching), collecting soil and plant samples, sending them to partners, and assessing functional biodiversity and crop quality.
- Training and knowledge exchange activities. USAMV supports student exchanges, study visits, and peer-learning activities with partners from the other European Living Labs.
- Active participation in project management (WP1), through involvement in the Management Committee and in other working groups.
Rezultate așteptate și impact
Proiectul AllEcoSys va genera o serie de rezultate științifice, practice și sociale cu impact pe termen lung asupra sistemelor agroalimentare europene:
- Crearea unei rețele transnaționale de 5 laboratoare vii agroecologice, în România, Norvegia, Germania, Franța și Danemarca, fiecare cu specific agronomic regional, care vor testa și adapta practici agroecologice în condiții reale de fermă.
- Generarea de cunoștințe validate științific privind:
- efectele diversificării culturilor asupra dăunătorilor, bolilor și randamentelor,
- influența managementului solului asupra stocării carbonului, eroziunii și microbiomului,
- impactul habitatelor perene asupra biodiversității funcționale și controlului biologic.
- Elaborarea de soluții agroecologice inovatoare și scalabile, dezvoltate prin co-creare cu fermierii, adaptate condițiilor din fermele comerciale, compatibile cu agricultura ecologică, IPM și cerințele de reducere a inputurilor chimice.
- Instrumente de evaluare socio-economică a practicilor agroecologice, incluzând analiza cost-beneficiu, studii de impact de gen și vârstă, identificarea barierelor și factorilor favorizanți ai tranziției agroecologice la nivel de fermă.
- Creșterea capacității fermierilor și actorilor locali prin instruiri directe, vizite de schimb de experiență, rețele de învățare și demonstrații în teren.
- Recomandări pentru politici publice europene și naționale, derivate din analiza integrată a datelor și rezultate practice ale proiectului, susținând adoptarea pe scară largă a principiilor agroecologice.
- Contribuții măsurabile la Pactul Verde European în locațiile studiate, inclusiv:
- creșterea biodiversității cu cel puțin 10%,
- reducerea utilizării de substanțe chimice cu 20%,
- reducerea impactului asupra mediului cu 20% (eroziune, emisii GHG),
- creșterea profitabilității fermei cu 20%.
Impactul proiectului va fi consolidat printr-un plan de comunicare și implicare a publicului larg, promovând beneficiile agroecologiei prin diverse evenimente, materiale educaționale, acțiuni de diseminare și implicare în procesul decizional al actorilor locali și europeni.
long-term impact on European agri-food systems:
- Establishment of a transnational network of 5 agroecological Living Labs in Romania, Norway, Germany, France, and Denmark, each reflecting regional agronomic conditions, where agroecological practices will be tested and adapted under real farm conditions.
- Generation of scientifically validated knowledge on:
- the effects of crop diversification on pests, diseases, and yields,
- the influence of soil management on carbon storage, erosion, and the soil microbiome,
- the impact of perennial habitats on functional biodiversity and biological control.
- Development of innovative and scalable agroecological solutions, co-created with farmers, tailored to commercial farm conditions, and compatible with organic farming, IPM, and chemical input reduction requirements.
- Socioeconomic evaluation tools for agroecological practices, including cost-benefit analysis, gender and age impact assessments, and identification of barriers and enablers for agroecological transition at the farm level.
- Capacity building for farmers and local actors through direct training, knowledge exchange visits, peer-learning networks, and on-site demonstrations.
- Policy recommendations at European and national levels, based on integrated data analysis and practical project results, supporting the broad adoption of agroecological principles.
- Measurable contributions to the European Green Deal in the studied sites, including:
- at least a 10% increase in biodiversity,
- 20% reduction in the use of chemical inputs,
- 20% reduction in environmental impact (erosion, GHG emissions),
- 20% increase in farm profitability.
The project’s impact will be reinforced through a dedicated communication and public engagement plan, promoting the benefits of agroecology via events, educational materials, dissemination platforms, and the inclusion of local and European stakeholders in the decision-making process.
2025
Oral presentations (O) / poster presentations (P) at international conferences
- Roxana Ciceoi, Oana Crina Bujor-Nenita, Cosmina Oana Arabela Venat, Alina Ortan, Liliana Badulescu,”Agroecology Living Labs: Innovative Tools for Climate-Neutral and Resilient Agriculture. Addressing global challenges through sustainable solutions”,“NeXT-ChemINNOVATIVE CROSS-SECTORAL TECHNOLOGIES” NeXT-ChemVII Conference, organized between 22-23 May 2025, by Institutul Național de Cercetare – Dezvoltare pentru Chimie și Petrochimie (O).
https://icechim.ro/wp-content/uploads/BoA-NeXT-Chem-2025-1.pdf.
- Roxana Ciceoi, Lene Sigsgaard, Daniel Pleissner, Stine Kramer Jacobsen, Junbin Zhao, Achim Schmalenberger, Essaid Ait Barka, Ole Green, Thibault Deville, Véronique Fleury, Martin Almendinger, Oana Bujor, ”The Allecosys project. Agroecology living labs as drivers of resilient and thriving agri-food systems”, International Conference “Agriculture for Life, Life for Agriculture” (https://agricultureforlife.usamv.ro/), Horticulture Section, Vegetable Growing, organized between 05-07 June 2025 by USAMV Bucharest, Romania (O).
- Roxana Ciceoi, Oana Venat, Milena Yordanova, Rumen Tomov, Oana Crina Bujor-Nenița, ”Enhancing agroecological transitions through living labs in eastern Europe”, International Conference “Agriculture for Life, Life for Agriculture” (https://agricultureforlife.usamv.ro/), Agronomy Section, Miscellaneous, organized between 05-07 June 2025 la USAMV Bucharest, Romania (O).
https://agricultureforlife.usamv.ro/images/2025/Book_of_Abstracts/Agronomy_Book_of_Abstract_2025.pdf
- Lene Sigsgaard, Roxana Ciceoi, Daniel Pleissner, Stine Kramer Jacobsen, Junbin Zhao, Achim Schmalenberger, Essaid Ait Barka, Ole Green, Thibault Deville, Véronique Fleury, Oana Bujor, Oana Venat, ”Agroecology living labs fostering prosperous and sustainable agri-food systems”, International Conference IF-ALL, organized by INRAE and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), supported by OECD Co-operative Research Programme and AGROECOLOGY Partnership, ”2nd International Forum on Agroecosystem Living Labs” between 15 – 17 October 2025, Bordeaux, France. (O)
https://zenodo.org/records/17478595 (Public repository)
- Nitulescu Florin-Daniel, Stoicea Paula, Ciceoi Roxana, Bădulescu Liliana,”Agroecological assessment of tomato performance under different varietal and companion planting systems”, International Conference ”Life Sciences Today for Tomorrow Congress”, 23-24 October 2025, organized by Universitatea de Științele Vieții “lon lonescu de la Brad” Iași, Horticulture section (P)
https://iulscongres.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BROSURA-REZUMATE-IULS-2025-final-22.10.25.pdf
- Oana Venat, Roxana Ciceoi, Oana Bujor, Liliana Badulescu, Lene Sigsgaard, Daniel Pleissner, Martin Almendinger, Stine Kramer Jacobsen, Simon Weldon, Achim Schmalenberger, Essaid Ait Barka, Ole Green, Thibault Deville, Véronique Fleury, ”The AllEcoSys project. Agroecology living labs as drivers of resilient and thriving agri-food systems. Laboratoare vii agroecologice care promovează sisteme agroalimentare prospere și durabile”, Simpozionul de Agro-Economie și Antropologie Rurală (SAAR), Iași, 27-28 November 2025 (simpozion.rdrp.org), organized by Romanian Academy-IasI Brench, Asociația Rural Development Research Platform et all. (O)
https://simpozion.rdrp.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Programul-SAAR-27-28-Noiembrie-2025.pdf
Workshops – participation (W) and international professional events
- ”Practical workshop on agroecolo-gy and ICT-Agro. AllEcoSys & HolosEU experimental points”, at Royal Point@Moara Domnească, 3 June 2025, within Erasmus Blended Intensive Program (BIP) ”Agroecology, Low-Carbon Technologies, and IoT for High Food Quality”, organized between 02-06 iunie 2025, by Research Center for Studies of Food Quality and Agricultural Products, USAMV Bucharest.
- 2. Codrin Dinu Vasiliu, Roxana Ciceoi, Oana-Crina Bujor-Nenița, Oana Venat, Ioan Sebastian Brumă,”Agroecology living labs fostering prosperous and sustainable agri-food systems”, international conference “FOOD2030 Networks Conference 2025”, organized by the University of Copenhagen, 02 – 04 December 2025.
https://zenodo.org/records/17693041 (public repository)
Stakeholder workshops
- Workshop – ”Practici agroecologice și provocări în cultura de tomate – Consultări pentru crearea unui laborator viu eficient și adaptat nevoilor fermierilor”, Outdoor greenhouse, Experimental Field, Faculty of Horticulture, organized within the Bucharest Horticulture Days, 08–11 May 2025.
Available at https://horticultura-bucuresti.ro/zilele-horticulturii-bucurestene/;
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1112927410879377&set=a.560739902764800;
Program: https://horticultura-bucuresti.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Program-ZHB_30.04.25-.pdf)
Workshop dissemination on the Bucharest Faculty of Horticulture website: https://horticultura-bucuresti.ro/allecosys-agroecology-living-labs-start-oficial-in-romania/
- Workshop for presenting results VermiPoint and working meeting between the project members and Cristian Ghiorghe. SuperPământ farm (https://www.facebook.com/superpamant/), on 24 October 2025. Participants: attendees from Iași, parents and children, and the project members (Roxana Ciceoi, Oana Venat, Florin Nițulescu, Cristian Ghiorghe, Sebastian Brumă, Codrin Dinu Vasiliu).
Published articles
- Paula Stoicea, Adina Magdalena Iorga, Roxana Ciceoi, Liliana Badulescu, Florin Daniel Nitulescu, Perspectives on the sustainable development of the tomato sector in Romania through agroecological practices and alignment with European standards, Scientific Papers Series Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development, Vol. 25, Issue 4, 2025, PRINT ISSN 2284-7995, E-ISSN 2285-3952.
https://managementjournal.usamv.ro/pdf/vol.25_4/volume_25_4_2025.pdf - Roxana Ciceoi, Elena Cofas, Florin-Daniel Nitulescu and Paula Stoicea, Agroecology and Structural Performance of European Tomato Cropping Systems, Agriculture, MDPI, submitted for review.
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16020263
Popularization articles on the project results for stakeholders
- Popularization article ” România în rețeaua europeană “AllEcoSys”: cum pot laboratoarele vii să transforme modul în care ne producem hrana”, written by Oana Venat, Center for Studies of Food Quality and Agricultural Products, USAMV Bucharest, published online in Agrotehnica – Lumea Satului https://www.lumeasatului.ro/component/tags/tag/allecosys.html
Republished on Facebook page of the jurnal on 03 Decembre 2025, https://www.facebook.com/lumeasatului.ro/posts/pfbid05FjFQS1XuXchkiBvKQCujr9E293bJy6jGFE1w685sCSboujvMvWeZQqqqf9LNxcZl
- 2. Popularization article ”Agroecology in practice-life returning to the soils”, written by Oana Venat, Center for Studies of Food Quality and Agricultural Products, USAMV Bucharest, published online Linkedin web project, on 28 November 2025, Articles section https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7400081651478855680/
- Popularization article ”Romanian AllEcoSys Living Lab presented at the FOOD 2030 Networks Conference 2025. Engaging, Collaborating and Partnering for Maximizing Impact”, written by Oana Venat, Center for Studies of Food Quality and Agricultural Products, USAMV Bucharest, published online Linkedin web project, on 02 Decembre 2025, Articles section
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7401596174907928576/
Invention and Innovation
- Diploma and Gold Medal for ”AGROECOLOGY LIVING LABS FOSTERING PROSPEROUS AND SUSTAINABLE AGRI-FOOD SYSTEMS”, “Traian Vuia” International Exhibition of Inventions and Innovations Timisoara, 03-04 Octombrie 2025, authors Lene Sigsgaard, Roxana Ciceoi, Daniel Pleissner, Stine Kramer Jacobsen, Junbin Zhao, Achim Schmalenberger, Essaid Ait Barka, Ole Green, Thibault Deville, Véronique Fleury. (P)
Media
- Web page Romania
- a) dedicated page RO – https://usamv.ro/allecosys/
- b) dedicated page ENG – https://usamv.ro/en/allecosys/
2) Facebook, AllEcoSys Project
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579122940755
3)Linkedin, AllEcoSys – Agroecology Living Labs
https://www.linkedin.com/company/109465728/admin/dashboard/
4) Instagram Allecosys
https://www.instagram.com/allecosys/
5) 2 roll-ups in English and Romanian
6) 2 posters
7) 1 flyer
8) Project logo
University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest
Research Center for the Study of Quality of Agro-Food Products – Qlab
Address: 59 Mărăști Boulevard, Sector 1, Bucharest, 011464, Romania
For any information regarding the AllEcoSys project, please contact:
Project Director: Dr. Roxana Ciceoi
Email: roxana.ciceoi@qlab.usamv.ro