DairyMix

The Institute of Sociology at the University of Zielona Góra is a partner in DairyMix, an international research project focused on developing assessment methods, decision-support tools, and management strategies for sustainable, circular dairy farming within mixed crop-livestock systems. 

In Poland, the project is coordinated by the Institute of Environmental Engineering, with funding from the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) through the ERA-NET 2021 Joint Call on Circularity (grant no. DWM/Circularity/41/2022).

The project DairyMix brings together expertise from the natural, technical, and social sciences in an interdisciplinary collaboration.

The project is coordinated by the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Technology Assessment and Substance Cycles (ATB) in Germany.

Project partners: Teagasc – Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Ireland; University College Dublin, School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, Ireland; University of Milan, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences – Production, Landscape, Agroenergy (DISAA), Italy; National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAe), France; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Feed and Livestock Division, Norway; Ruralis – Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway; Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Belgium; National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), Argentina

Project description

The DairyMix project aims to support the transformation of European dairy farming from a linear, specialized, and intensified model toward more sustainable and circular systems of production. In many regions, the decoupling of crop cultivation from livestock husbandry has led to ecological imbalances, increased pollution, simplified rural landscapes, and growing dependence on external inputs.

However, the project goes far beyond environmental assessments. Social research plays a central role, offering insights into how agricultural households and rural communities adapt to sustainability-related challenges.

The social science team within DairyMix is responsible for:

• Developing a methodology to assess the social dimension of sustainability in dairy production, including a set of indicators and calculation principles;
• Diagnosing social drivers and barriers to the adoption of circular farming practices, such as crop diversification, inter-farm cooperation, and improved nutrient management;
• Analyzing the social consequences of agricultural transformation, particularly in the fields of labor organization, knowledge exchange, support networks, and local partnerships.

These studies are being conducted across Europe and South America, enabling comparative analysis of diverse socio-cultural, economic, and institutional contexts.

The findings of the project will be integrated into the MilKey knowledge platform, established during a previous international project. This platform promotes dialogue among scientists, farmers, advisors, and policymakers. Thanks to DairyMix, it will be expanded with new tools to support the design of more integrated, resilient, and socially just dairy production systems.

Project duration: March 2022 – December 2025

Funding for the Polish partner: PLN 1,008,545.99

Total project budget: EUR 9,682,041.50

National project coordinator: Dr. Monika Suchowska-Kisielewicz
Head of the social science research component: Dr. Joanna Frątczak-Müller

Project logo: