ALPA - Land for Life

This is ALPA! We secure land for agroecology, biodiversity conservation and bioregional regeneration. We secure Land for Life in the bioregion of Tara Calatei/Kalotaszeg, Romania. Check out our short teaser! We also have a 30 minute beautiful documentary on the need to secure Land for Life in our bioregion. If you would like to do a community screening just contact us!

🎉 We are proud to announce that Miklos Attila Szocs Boruss, the board member of ALPA, has won a fellowship with the Bertha Foundation (https://lnkd.in/gx-tdnK6), along with Szabo Tunde, investigative journalist from Átlátszó Erdély. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧? 🍃 Attila will research the correlation between political power, farming practices and ecology 🍃 1-hour documentary about challenges in the local food systems and agroecological solutions manifested through ALPA 🍃 Bioregional festivals in Tara Calatei/Kalotaszeg 👀 Only a dozen people got selected out of hundreds of applications. So we are very proud of Attila. He will also soon go to South Africa to meet with fellow journalists and activists from all corners of our world. How exciting!! More about project Bertha here: https://lnkd.in/dYMYnZEv #fellowship #southafrica #berthafoundation #bioregion #power #investigating #research

❄️🎄The celebrations are close, and winter has set in our region. This picture was taken by Lars close to Vladeasa in Tara Calatei/Kalotaszeg. ☕Although this time of year is a rich season, full of reflection, love, togetherness - it also an eye opening period. It is a wake up call to be more conscious about land use for Christmas tree productions, how our food is sourced on the family table and how farmers can/could take an essential role in all of this. 👣Topics that we will have the opportunity to work with next year. For now, a joyful, heartful, wholeful celebratioms to all our followers, friends and family. #bioregion #alpawork #sustainablechristmas #peasantchristmas #newyears #newboost #reasontoworkfor

🥜𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐥𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲: 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝟐𝐋 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 Going to Spain doesn’t always mean we are going to the beach! On the contrary! 🎒This time around Miklos Attila Szocs Boruss and Zsofia Gaudi from ALPA - Land for Life attended the Annual Assembly of the Access to Land Europe Network in the beautiful Igualada between the 6-8𝑡ℎ 𝑁𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟. (Fun Fact: Part of the El Camino route goes through Igualada). The main goal of the assembly was to gather like minded projects and share experiences. The trip consisted of: 🌿 Visiting an arboretum that Xarxa per a la Conservació de la Natura purchased whereby they grow different native varieties of hazelnuts and other fruit trees. 🌿 Workshops - we could have a glimpse into the economic model of Terre de Liens and Kulturland-Genossenschaft, learnt about biodiversity conservation in farming projects and got connected to the RENETA network about farm incubators in France. 🌿Field visit to Jorba to an NGO called Col·lectiu Eixarcolant whereby they experiment different recipes and dishes with wild plants from around the area - using biodiversity otherwise unused by locals. 🌿Very exciting next steps towards an 𝐄𝐔 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 proposal for #policymakers 🌿 Voting sessions of the future of A2L 🌿 A Catalan mini concert with amazing food! ✨ We shout out a special thank you for Xarxa per a la Conservació de la Natura, Terre de Liens and the Access to Land Network for organising this eye-opening and experience-rich event - it makes our work easier knowing that we are not alone. ✨ #accesstoland #LandforLife #annualassembly #networking #sharing

📢 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐚 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞: ALPA joins the SPADES project! We’re proud to announce our involvement with the newly launched #Horizon Europe project - SPADES4Soils —an ambitious European project uniting NGOs, research institutions, and local communities to protect and regenerate our soil health. As part of this #partnership, ALPA - Land for Life as a pilot partner, is committed to ensuring that innovative spatial planning and design work in harmony with nature, farms, and rural livelihoods. 🎉 ♠️ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫?  Research shows that #healthysoils can increase agricultural yields by up to 58%, reduce erosion, and bolster resilience against #climatechange. By participating in SPADES, we’ll connect with international experts to develop land-use strategies that support biodiversity, restore degraded farmland, and promote rural economic vitality. 💪This initiative represents a bold step toward resilient landscapes and communities—and we’re excited to share the journey with you. Stay tuned for more updates as we work together to secure the land for future generations. 🤓 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑃𝐴𝐷𝐸𝑆 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: ℎ𝑡𝑡𝑝𝑠://𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒.𝑒𝑢/𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠-𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡-𝑘𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑜𝑓𝑓-𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠-𝑏𝑜𝑙𝑑-𝑛𝑒𝑤-𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒-𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙-ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ-𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙-𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔-𝑎𝑛𝑑-𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛 Some of our partners are: 🌱Deltares, 🌱ICLEI Europe, 🌱ISOCARP Institute | Centre for Urban Excellence, 🌱BRGM, 🌱BURST, 🌱Chalmers University of Technology,🌱Umweltbundesamt - Environment Agency Austria, 🌱ILVO (Instituut voor Landbouw, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek), 🌱Politecnico di Milano, 🌱INRAE, Delft University of Technology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), 🌱Laboratoire Sols et Environnement #landforlife #regenerativeagriculture #bioregion #soil #pilotfarms

💍𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞: 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 It is *vital* that when thinking about #farmland, about #FoodSecurity, about #agriculture we also think: #biodiversity. That we realise we are part of nature, and not nature part of us - so we put extra attention on #Conservation, on improving the place to live for the birds, and insects, plants and bats. 🐦🌿 Lars Veraart and Borbála Láng explored this, on 4-6 November in St. Martin de Londres in France within the framework of Biodiv’ Paysanne LIFE Project (2022-2027). 🌍Lars gave a presentation on #bioregional regeneration - to think about regeneration in a social, economical and cultural way as well - as ecology dictates us. We learnt great ideas from Titus F. Bahner about Kulturland-Genossenschaft a german land trust which secures land for agroecological farming, that they devote 10% of that land to biodiversity protection. Or other organisations such as Ackercrowd aims to build connections between nature conservation, agriculture and civil society. ✨Our dream?✨ That farmers can get rewarded for using and maintaining agroecological practices. This way, as Lars said, “𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒.” 🙏 We are very grateful for the organizers and hosts of this beautiful seminar and want to thank especially Fédération des Conservatoires d'espaces naturels, Terre de Liens and the Access to Land Network 👀Please read more about the meeting here: https://lnkd.in/dHvJG9NT 👀🇷🇴 Pe romana aici: https://lnkd.in/d7e-B7dx #alpa #accesstoland #transylvania

🌍🌱 Soil health is the key to our future! 🌱🌍 At SPADES, we're developing soil-inclusive #spatialplanning strategies to support #soilhealth across Europe. Soil is under pressure and its ability to provide essential #ecosystemservices needs to be strengthened to meet challenges such as #climatechange and the need for a healthy living environment. Through 17 pilot projects in 10 EU countries, SPADES4Soils is testing solutions that integrate #soilcare into urban, rural and peri-urban planning. Our goal? To develop tools and strategies to help policy makers, practitioners and communities improve soil health while balancing societal needs. Let's work together to ensure that soil gets the attention it deserves for a sustainable, healthy future! 💪✨ #WorldSoilDay #SPADES4Soil # #UrbanPlanning #RuralDevelopment #SoilConservation

SPADES Consortium Partner Spotlight: Meet ALPA - Land for Life 🌱 In the stunning Țara Călatei/Kalotaszeg region of Transylvania, Romania, ALPA is on a mission to secure land for agroecological farming and protect some of Europe's richest #biodiversity. Their vision? To transform farmland into new commons where nature thrives and local communities grow stronger through #sustainablefoodsystems. As part of the SPADES4Soils project, ALPA is immersing itself in the Romanian pilot, helping to develop soil-friendly planning strategies and policies that put nature at the heart of rural development. From preserving traditional knowledge to supporting smallholder farmers, ALPA is showing how healthy soils and vibrant communities go hand in hand. Let's cheer them on! 🌾✨ #SoilHealth #Agroecology #SPADES4Soils

📢 Let’s Support Regenerative Agriculture in Transylvania! 🌾 👩🌾 We’ve begun developing the first ALPA Pilot Farm, an innovative project that fosters the transition to regenerative agriculture and agroecology in our region! We are proud to have the support of trusted partners: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Romania, Netherlands Enterprise Agency , Wageningen University & Research, Nieuwe Bodem. 🌱 What does this project bring? ✅ Practical solutions for farmers, showcasing agroecological methods that respect nature. ✅ A concrete example of how we can combat the abandonment of farmland and of small-scale farms while regenerating biodiversity. ✅ A chance to create jobs in agriculture and keep rural traditions alive. 💡 Want to learn more about this project? Read the article 👉 https://lnkd.in/dMWTpCNx Together, we regenerate the land and rural communities in Țara Călatei/Kalotaszeg. ❤️🌾 #Agroecology #ALPA #Transylvania #RegenerativeAgriculture #Biodiversity

👩🔧 In a world where 60-70% of Europe’s soils are classified as unhealthy, there is an urgent need for tools and initiatives designed to protect and enhance soils. We are overjoyed to launch the EU project #SPADES to help improve soil health by integrating it across spatial planning processes. Over the next four years, SPADES will develop a unified approach to: ♠️ integrate soil health across all areas of land management; ♠️ work with 17 pilot projects in 10 European countries; ♠️ investigate the potential for integrating soil health into spatial planning and design in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. Our work will play a key role in supporting EU Member States in restoring land ecosystems by at least 20%, as required by the EU’s #NatureRestorationRegulation, and in achieving the soil health targets outlined by the proposed #SoilMonitoringLaw. Learn more about SPADES and how we will support the EU mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' 🪱 https://lnkd.in/e356nPrZ Deltares 🐌 ICLEI Europe 🐌 Linda Maring 🐌 Fransje Hooimeijer 🐌 Minke Themans 🐌 ISOCARP Institute | Centre for Urban Excellence 🐌 ALPA - Land for Life 🐌 BRGM 🐌 BURST 🐌 Chalmers University of Technology 🐌 Umweltbundesamt - Environment Agency Austria 🐌 ILVO (Instituut voor Landbouw, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek) 🐌 Ville de Grenoble 🐌 Politecnico di Milano 🐌 INRAE 🐌 Delft University of Technology 🐌 Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) 🐌 Laboratoire Sols et Environnement 🐌 Kassia Rudd 🐌 Almut Ballstaedt 🐌 Anna B. 🐌