DSC04425-Kornspeicher-quer-s.png

This is the home of EUCALAND's projects, research and publications lists, their cooperation and results. Here you will be updated about the projects and activities that are going on. If you have questions, contributions, cooperation proposals, please contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you want to cooperate/participate in one of the activities: Please contact the secreatriat or the responsible person. Our projects on landscape elements are open to all interested persons and organisations.

Landscape elements - permanent ongoing project

One of EUCALAND's main aims is to collect information about the European Agricultural Landscapes (EAL). In order to fulfil this task in a feasible way, it was decided to chose ONE landscape type per year. A manual was developed which serves as guideline. There is one main responsible person for each landscape type. If you want to contribute, please contact the coordinator.

  • 2024: New and old commons (Transhumance landscapes), coordinator: Alexandra Kruse,
  • 2023: Firescapes, coordinator: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • 2019: Dispersed settlement landscapes, coordinator: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Szent Istvan Unvisity/HU
  • 2018: Orchard landscapes, coordinator:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Slovakian Academie of Science/SK (submitted)
  • 2017: Hay landscapes and hay making structures: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Slovakian Academie of Science/SK & This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., insitu/FR (see publications)
  • 2015: Terraced landscapes, coordinator: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. zrc-sazu/SI (see publications)
  • 2014: Enclosed landscapes, coordinator: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., insitu/FR (see publications)
  • 2013: Water meadows, coordinator: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Universities of Utrecht and Amsterdam/NL (see publications)
  • 2012: Wooded grasslands, coordinator: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Szent Istvan Unvisity/HU (see publications)

The descriptions will be published one by one as articles, but later, there will be a database and an atlas on European Agricultural Landscapes

Accomplished projectsIMG 8948 FR Pyreneen Artouste sheep 2008 Kruse

Transfarm 2021-2024: TRANSFARM is a European-wide project that aims at developing training material for transhumance practitioners including those who want to start with transhumance or develop their business. At the same time, the project wishes to raise awareness about the existence of transhumance and its benefits. The training material is available online, free of charge and in different languages. The project involves seven different organisations from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Norway, Slovakia, and Spain. It is co-funded through the Erasmus+ programme. homepage, flyer.

2016-2019: FEAL: multifunctional Farming for the sustainability of European Agricultural Landscapes (EAL) within Erasmus+ Homepage

FEAL Project was awarded as part of ECHY: European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018. The Erasmus+ Project was awarded by the Slovakian Academy as one of the best Erasmus Projects in Slovakia. We received an evaluation of 97/100. Please help to disseminate our results. The aim is to reach farmers! Please spread the training material around you! Project number: 2016-1-SK01-KA202-022502 within Erasmus+, Key Action 2: Strategic Partnership (2016.01.12 until 2019.05.31). More information on the project's homepage.

We are pleasFEAL screenshoted to announce the successful evaluation of the project FEAL: multifunctional Farming for the sustainability of European Agricultural Landscapes (EAL), Nº: 2016-1-SK01-KA202-022502. It has started since 1st December 2016 and the Kick-off meeting was held at the Technical University in Zvolen (Slovakia). The project is funded by the Erasmus+ grant, Key Action 2 (Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices, Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training), its duration is 30 months (31st May 2019) and totally approved budget is 374. 951 €.
EUCALAND is one of the partner organisations as well as currently the following EUCALAND members are involved within the project: Alexandra Kruse, Johannes Dreer, Bénédicte Gaillard, Maurizia Sigura and Martina Slámová, who is also the contact person of the coordinating organisation – Technical University in Zvolen.
The FEAL project aims at providing young farmers, young rural entrepreneurs and family farmers a training system about conceptualisation and implementation of sustainable/multifunctional farming practices linking the diverse interests of farmers and rural society within European Agricultural Landscapes - highlighting positive external effects on EAL of their genuine production.
Main expected outputs are:
O1. A report about the State of the Art of the relation between multifunctional/sustainable farming practices and European agricultural landscapes.
O2. Case Studies showing best practices of multifunctional/sustainable farming over European countries in different landscape types and socio-economic situation.
O3. Complementary Open educational resources (OER) (interactive e-atlas of EAL + training modules).
O4. A training system gathering the previous output in a digital format compatible with OER repositories and e-learning platforms.The training system will be based on the OER methodology thus guaranteeing a totally free access to a wide audience and especially to the project primary target group: young farmers, young rural entrepreneurs and family farmers. Due to the flexibility and the availability free of charges of the training materials even trainees in structural disadvantaged areas or who cannot leave their farms will have barrier-free access to them. The training materials will be edited in English and then translated into the partners languages.

2014-2018. COST Action RELY TU 1401: Renewable Energies and Landscape Quality

Logo RELY whiteThe main objective of the Action is to develop a better understanding of how European landscape protection/management and renewable energy deployment can be reconciled to contribute socio-environmentally to the sustainable transformation of energy systems.

This Action investigates the inter-relationships between renewable energy production and landscape quality, and the role of public participation for the acceptance of renewable energy systems. The Action will develop a better understanding of how landscape protection and management, and renewable energy deployment can be reconciled to contribute socio-environmentally to the sustainable transformation of energy systems. This Action will consolidate and extend knowledge from a pan-European perspective using a modular methodological framework. This Action will enhance the science base for decision-making, and develop guidelines for public participation in planning renewable energy systems. The potential of sustainable landscape development, with innovative land uses producing synergies for landscape quality and renewable energy, will be revealed.

  • 2012: Wooded grasslands, coordinator: Csaba Centeri, Szent Istvan Unvisity/HU (published: "Biocultural Diversity in Europe" - available as Springer Book)
  • 2009: cooperation for: COST-ESF Policy Briefing 41: Landscape in a changing world (contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for pdf)
  • 2008: Questionnaire on „How to communicate Cultural Landscapes“ – to be presented on a homonymous conference in Germany, German Forum for Cultural Landscapes
  • 2007-2009: Eucaland-Project, funded within the culture2007-2013 program of the European Commission. The project was lead by the University of Cambridge, Department of Geography.

Main results of this project, see also the EUCALAND book, which can be ordered through the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or amazon:

  • I. Methodes for describing European agricultural landscapes: definitions, cultural character and values (coordinator: María Dolores Velarde, ES)
  • II. European agricultural landscape history (coordinator: Hans Renes, NL)
  • III. Complexity and contingency: classifying the influence of agricultura on European landscapes (coordinator: Graham Fairclough, UK)
  • IV: Assessement of policies considering cultural heritage in European agricultural landscapes (coordinator: Lionella Scazzosi, IT)
  • V. Planning the future of Europan agricultural landscapes considering their cultural value and heritage (coordinator Christian Steiner, AT)
  • VI: Glossary on agricultural terms & Travelling exhibition (coordinator: Alexandra Kruse, Helmut Kruckenberg, DE)