The Hort2theFuture consortium gathered at Corvinus University in Budapest this September for its annual meeting, bringing together 28 project partners from 12 European countries. Over two productive days, the consortium reviewed the strong progress made in the first 18 months of the project and aligned plans for the next steps in advancing sustainable horticulture.
Sharing the project’s progress
The meeting opened with updates from each Work Package Leader, covering project management, communication, and knowledge exchange activities, followed by discussions on sustainability assessment, peat alternatives, and input reduction strategies. Highlights included early results from peat-reduced growing media trials, with wood fibre blends and other alternatives showing promising potential.
Next steps towards more sustainable growing media
After reviewing progress since the start of the project, the partners led a series of focused workshops, providing an opportunity for in-depth exchange. Technical sessions covered industry perspectives on growing media, practical demonstrations of sustainability assessment tools, and trial updates on optimising water, fertiliser, and pesticide use in crops such as strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, and celery.
The communications project lead, the European Association for Innovation in Local Development (AEIDL), engaged partners in planning communication and promotion activities for 2026. Attention then shifted towards the technical progress made in the project. The Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) presented its Life Cycle Assessment Tool, and the progress made in developing the sustainability assessment tools for horticultural production systems.
On day two, workshops continued. Growing Media Europe (GME) presented a in-depth overview of the growing media and ongoing sustainability work, including a digital tool to measure the environmental footprint of different substrate mixes. WP4 and WP5 partner presented progress made in ongoing trials and future plans. WP4 lead, Vlaco, presented the progress on the work done on the optimisation of horticultural inputs (water, fertiliser and pesticides). A practical demonstration of a nitrate probe and leaf water status sensors was held as part of the workshop by the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad (FTN). NIBIO continued to the next workshop by presenting the impact of cover crops on soil structure and compaction.
The final sessions focused on behavioural change, where partners from the Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) and the Newcastle University (UNEW)reviewed approaches to increase the uptake of sustainable growing media through labelling, point-of-sale materials, and digital engagement with growers. The emphasis of their work was on amateur growers and citizen science. An analysis of user interaction with the Fryd app was shared, and Steve Quarrie invited participants to take part in a citizen science experiment using tea bags to monitor microbial activity in the soil.
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UNEW presentation on Fryd App analyisis
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Corvinus University hosted the Consotium meeting
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GME presented on the history of the growing media industry
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AEIDL leading the communications workshops
Looking towards the future of sustainable horticulture
Beyond the formal sessions, the consortium dinner and networking opportunities strengthened collaboration, reinforcing the shared commitment to shaping a more sustainable horticultural future.
The meeting marked an important milestone for Hort2theFuture. By combining scientific expertise, practical demonstrations, and industry engagement, the consortium is driving forward solutions that balance innovation, responsibility, and sustainability.