Webinar: Optimising Bioeconomy Value Chains in Marginal Lands

How can bio-based value chains built on marginal lands be both profitable and good for biodiversity? The second session of the MarginUp! Webinar Series looks at this question through market analysis, business cases and first-hand results from the field.

MarginUp! is a European research project working with stakeholders to increase farming system resilience and enhance biodiversity. It does this by cultivating biodiversity-friendly non-food crops for bio-based products. The project draws on five full-scale use cases in Europe (Germany, Greece, Hungary, Spain and Sweden) and case studies in Argentina and South Africa. Together they are developing sustainable, circular value chains that turn feedstock grown on marginal land into bioenergy, organic fertilisers, construction materials and cosmetics.

This webinar follows the series opener on 30 September and turns from cultivation to the value chain. Speakers will cover what makes a marginal-land business case viable, what the German use case has taught the project, and how these value chains affect biodiversity.

📅 Thursday 12 November 2026 | 🕚 11:00–12:30 CET | 💻 Online

Agenda

• Introduction by the moderator (10 min)
• Analysis of value chains, markets and business cases: Karen Hamann, IFAU (10 min)
• Q&A (10 min)
• Learnings from the German use case: ATB (10 min)
• Biodiversity impact: Johanna Reger, ZALF (10 min)
• The SustainCrop Project: Barbara Papai, INNOMINE (10 min)
• Q&A (20 min)

Who should attend?

The webinar is open to the MarginUp! Replication Network and anyone interested in the rural bioeconomy: researchers and academia, farmers, bio-based industries, civil society, education and training providers, and policy makers.

Join us!

Bring your questions to two dedicated Q&A slots and talk directly with the researchers and practitioners behind MarginUp!. You’ll come away with practical lessons and replicable examples you can apply in your own region or sector. Participation is free, but registration is required.

👉 Register here

The MarginUp! Webinar Series is organised by Greenovate! Europe. For questions, contact Patrick Rembe at p.rembe@greenovate-europe.eu.