The loss of biodiversity is one of the largest and most important challenges worldwide. The current rate of species extinction, due to human influences, is up to 1000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. Agriculture is the most important land use in Europe, with around 50% of the surface used for agricultural production. In the past, agriculture significantly contributed to increasing the diversity of landscapes and species in Europe. Today, intensive agriculture is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss in the cultural landscape. Sound knowledge is available regarding food production and protection of biodiversity and ecosystems. But that knowledge is still not sufficiently considered and production methods not sufficiently adapted. One important reason for that is that biodiversity is still not enough considered in a farmer´s professional education or further training nor do they receive consulting directly on the farm. In addition, vine growers do not carry out systematic analyses of their impacts on biodiversity on their whole farm. The EU is a leading producer of wine. Spain, Portugal and Turkey belong to the top ten countries in Europe with the largest vineyards. The main target group of the project was the organic vine growers - farmers producing grapes in the vineyards - either for viticulture as for sultana production. As organic vine-growers work constantly on improving biodiversity in their fields, because vivid ecosystems and a high diversity in the soil and between vine rows are a prerequisite for healthy grapes and a good quality. However, the results are also interesting and applicable for conventional vine-growers. The project aimed at adapting vine-growing practices to protect, enhance and promote biodiversity in vineyards. This was achieved with a transfer of knowledge between the partners, to train each other and to develop high quality training materials for vine-growers. The training materials and the implementation of training courses contribute to specify the professional education of a vine-grower and to high quality VET. The partnership consisted of eight partners; of tandems between nature conservation organizations and farmer/wine grower associations in Germany, Spain and Portugal and of an organic agriculture company in Turkey. The partners are experienced in the topic of viticulture and/or biodiversity and while developing each output the exchange of those experiences and the training of each other was the first achievement. The training material support vine-growers to integrate biodiversity into their work. They consist of information materials where knowledge was made more accessible to vine-growers and of specific biodiversity training modules with a focus on systematic analyses of their impacts. All results are available in 5 languages: • Biodiversity Fact Sheet for vine-growers: explains biodiversity, shows links between viticulture and biodiversity and names best practices• Biodiversity Guide in viticulture: introduces on approx. 60 pages typical species in vineyards and gives some interesting facts. Icons were explicitly developed for that purpose indicates areas in the vineyards and measures to promote these species. • Educational videos: a number of videos introduce important measures for biodiversity in viticulture and outlines advantages of biodiversity for making good vines and sultanas. • Biodiversity Check: with this output, comprehensive individual training with external expertise is facilitated to assess potential negative impacts and give recommendations for improvement where necessary. • Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP): a catalogue of possible measures for all viticulture/grape growing relevant areas. It enables vine-growers to manage their biodiversity activities Due to the project, project partners could sharpen their profile in all aspects of biodiversity and viticulture and became national specialists in carrying out both biodiversity training modules. In addition all partner organizations implemented the outputs into their training programs and continue to work in this area. Vine-growers having already received individual trainings could specify their professional education and increase competitiveness. The outputs can be used in different scenarios: in training courses in agrarian schools/universities; advisors or technicians giving advice directly on the field or it can be used by the vine-growers directly. Due to this approach time expenditure for additional time-demanding schooling activities can be reduced. But vine growers still receive the needed knowledge to adapt production methods and to specify their professional education. Most of the outputs can be use directly or with the easy adaptations in other vine-growing regions or countries. The concept of the training materials can be used and adapted to other (agricultural) sectors. This already happened for example for banana production in Central America.

More than half of Europe's soils are degraded by pollution, erosion, and compaction, among other problems, and, in a climate change scenario, this degradation is likely to worsen. Currently, the loss of soil quality is costing an estimated €50 billion per year. However, soil health is still considered an abstract concept that cannot be introduced into financial activities and on which it is very difficult to legislate. The objective of InBestSoil is to co-create a framework for investment in conservation and recovery of soil health, by developing an economic valuation system of the ecosystem services delivered by a healthy soil and the impacts of soil interventions, and its incorporation into business models and incentives. This will allow public and private organizations to give economic value to their actions over soil health, codesign strategies with local stakeholders, and work collectively to deliver national and EU policy ambitions. InBestSoil will provide data, evidence, tools and models to assess how investment in soil health can contribute to the transition to a long-term resilient and sustainable use of soil, using 7 lighthouses and 2 living labs, which provides a total of 9 study areas across 4 biogeographic regions from Europe (Boreal, Continental, Atlantic, Mediterranean), and different land uses (agriculture, forest, urban, mining), as models for co-creation and co-design (multi-actor approach, responsible research and innovation and open science). This 48-month project will involve twenty partners from ten countries, with very different profiles (universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, consultancies, farmers, and NOGs, among others). This design will facilitate the scaling up of results and their internationalisation, facilitating investments in soil health for companies, public administrations and investment groups around the globe.

"People are nowadays becoming increasingly aware of the positive influence of Nature on their health. Nature, among others, fulfills their physical needs by providing unique sensory experiences. The constant desire to return to Nature may be associated with ""innate feelings that people are part of all living things on Earth"" (so-called Biophilia Theory). But also its mystery, depth, beauty, fragility and strength are what attract us at these days of rapidly changing Environment. We are more and more surrounded by inanimate things with monotonous, unchanging and ever-repeating rhythm and way of life that reduces our attention and flexibility.Some human senses may suffer from a lack of contact with nature. Most of the technologies work primarily with sight and hearing, but we also have other senses that weaken by less frequent use. Played down senses, such as smell and taste, are also important for our wellbeing. So called ""3D perception"" of the surrounding environment flattens to ""two-dimensional reality"". Obesity, decreased mobility and overall fitness are successive consequences. Contribution of Nature and Garden Therapy consists of strengthening the physical and mental health, improving relaxation and wellbeing and also shortens hospital stay and leads to reducing of the medicament consumption. Inalienable is also the profit of increasing social integration and intercultural understanding, which are the most current needs of changing Europe. Nature does not know boundaries and can thus become a medium of communication of different social groups regardless of their religion and political view. The garden is an ideal space for intergenerational living and sharing experience. We live in a world where technology and mobility simplifies everyday life, but our contact with natural environment is becoming scarcer. The garden is a safe space for improvement in this situation, which lies right outside our door. It can help improve our motor skills, social skills, increase creativity and enables spontaneous elimination of aggression.Garden Therapy is defined as treatment and relaxation through contact with nature. The nature is represented by garden and as therapeutic remedy are used plants and work in garden. Garden Therapy has preventive effect on health, in social sphere and on relapses. The target group of this project is wide range of people with disadvantages, such as people with health disadvantages (different handicaps or developmental disorders), people after injuries, surgeries or people with mental illnesses. The other target group is defined by people with social disadvantages, such as people in difficult social and economical life situation (migrants, war veterans and refugees, minorities, children from families that fail to fulfil some of its functions, abused people, addicted people, inmates, people in hospices, retirement or nursing homes, single parents and people seeking re-integration or relational competencies, etc.). Each of us is a potential client in current hasty time.In this project we are focused on sharing experiences and best practices when working with target groups. Many of them are on the edge of social interest. They are currently perceived as an economic burden on the social system. Social and Therapeutic Gardening helps build mutual confidence, to acquire knowledge and enthusiasm. It improves employability of the target groups and support their entrepreneurship. The Social and Therapeutic Gardening also helps them to develop their communication, social and entrepreneurial skills. The project partners will become regional coordinators, which will be gradually followed by other organizations from this field and the idea of nature based therapies will eventually spread to the whole Europe.During the project we want to connect organizations dealing with Garden Therapy and Nature based therapies in various European countries. Activities within the project enables mutual exchange of cultural, work and learning experience. Each partner country has a different approach to working with target groups. Therefore it is very useful to be familiar with these different approaches on the spot and show each other what, where and how it works, or what problems they face elsewhere.Seven five-day educational activities for representatives of each partner will be held during project. Each educational activity is hosted by different partner. There are two educational activities per a year; each activity is designed for 2-4 representatives of each partner. The output of the project is summary of experience, creation of a network of potential educators and finding educational needs similar in all countries. In following project we find areas to supplement education common for all EU member states and we set further education in Garden Therapy that is specific for each target group."