Exploring different feasible, desirable and viable site-specific transition scenarios of agroecology territories where below and above ground biodiversity could be enhanced in complex, heterogeneous landscapes through a more circular agricultural bioeconomy. To devise these agroecology transition scenarios we apply a nonlinear optimizing model called Sustainable Agroecological Farm Reproductive Analysis (SAFRA) as a bottom-up deliberative tool with policymakers, farmers and other stakeholders. Each scenario brings about different combination of land uses/covers, as well as a biomas flow for soil replenishment of organic matter and nutrients. These prospective landscapes can be further analysed for their capacity to host biodiversity using another model called Energy-Landscape Integrated Analysis (ELIA).

Agriculture
Flow of energy and matter
Forestry and forest sciences
Landscape ecology
Livestock Systems
Spatial planning and urban development
Technologies for biomass production

We are currently applying as a pilot project the SAFRA model to the island of Menorca, fed with site-specific data on the best agricultural, livestock and forestry practices as well as with nature protection data from the Observatory of this UNESCO Biodiversity Reserve, to explore feasible scenarios for a participative deliberation on desirable paths of agroecology transition. We aim at applying this type of SAFRA modelling at wider scales and diverse EU bioregions to fine and tune the model before offering it as an open source resource to help accelerate the agroecological transition with living labs and research infrastructures evrywehere.

agroecological transition, scaling up organic farming into agroecology territories, landscape agroecology, agricultural and food system circular bioeconomy, material and energy flow accounting (mefa), nonlinear programming optimization, trade among basically self-sufficient agroecology interdependent territories, soil regeneration, above and belowground biodiveristy, ecosystem services

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