Due to climate change, the agri-food system is increasingly exposed to risks which contribute to food and nutrition insecurity. Climate-resilient, water-efficient, and self-sustainable agri-food systems are the only viable approach for the future. Locally sourced fertilizers and closed-looped hydroponic farming systems are attractive solutions for several reasons: reuse (and reduction) of water resources, use of natural and optimized fertilizers, and controlled, more predictable and improved food security. Hydroponics systems, while being efficient technologies, still require a source of fertilizers.

The LIFE project aims to transform traditional agricultural waste (i.e. animal manure) into sanitary, rich, water-soluble nutrient solutions for hydroponic farms by using novel bacterial and/or chemical transformation technologies. Since such fertilizers may entail risks, and may have an unstable nutrient concentration, the project leverages on the Digital Twin (DT) technology to control both the transformation process and crop evolution in the farm. The project will demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of the proposed approach in a Pilot farm, in Luxembourg.