The conference closed with the presentation of the European Land and Soil Management Award, introduced by jury president Martin Gerzabek. This edition saw the strongest field in his recollection with over 30 applications from 13 countries.

The criteria, Mr Gerzabek said, were innovativeness, social and economic viability, and scalability. He thanked supporting organizations including the European Landowners’ Organization, the European Commission, the Joint Research Centre, Syngenta, and the Universities of Ljubljana, Leuven, and Vienna.

Winner: Asociación Semillistas

Semillistas is a non-profit based in Andalusia dedicated to reversing desertification through direct seeding. Their method replaces conventional nursery-grown sapling transplantation with seed priming, protective pelleting, and contour barriers to prevent erosion. Semillistas has published its seeding and pelleting machine blueprints as open source. The award was accepted by Óliver Ruiz Garrido.

Diplomas of Recognition

Silvija Aile, Deputy Head of Land use and management, DG ENV presented three additional diplomas.

– Alnarp’s Agroecology Farm (Sweden): a youth-led project combining soil regeneration, sustainable agriculture, and social inclusion, engaging over 3,000 people.

– Shyrokostup Farm: an innovative model implementing Plant Health Management (PHM) to restore biodiversity and reduce chemical inputs.

– Rock Harvst (Ukraine): a resilient, high-tech farming initiative reducing soil erosion and fertilizer use by 50% while restoring soil health under challenging conditions.