DairyPathS rethinks dairy farming towards more sustainable, resilient and diversified systems. The project supports the co-design, evaluation, and scaling of regionally adapted agroecological practices, aiming to better integrate livestock, grasslands, crops and agroforestry. Grounded in principles such as diversity, circularity, soil and animal health, participation and co-creation of knowledge, DairyPathS aims to reduce input dependence and environmental pressures while improving ecosystem services and farm viability.
The project brings together researchers, farmers, advisors, industry representatives, policy makers and other stakeholders to co-design, test and evaluate innovative solutions that improve the environmental, economic and social sustainability of dairy production. By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, DairyPathS supports the development of agroecology transition pathways that are scientifically sound and locally relevant.
Seven Living Labs established across Europe represent a wide range of dairy production systems, from intensive lowland farms to mountain and mixed farming systems. These Living Labs provide real-world environments for identifying sustainability challenges, co-creating solutions with stakeholders and assessing their impacts under different regional conditions. The project combines participatory Living Lab approaches with advanced sustainability assessment, modelling and decision-support methods to evaluate transition pathways at both farm and regional levels. Particular attention is given to climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, nutrient cycling, resource efficiency, animal welfare, farm resilience and the socio-economic viability of dairy farming.
Through close interaction between scientific disciplines and stakeholders, DairyPathS is developing harmonised methodologies, practical recommendations and decision support for farmers, advisors and policy makers in navigating the transition towards more sustainable dairy systems across Europe.
