In 2021 CCB has continued supporting the Greener Agriculture for a Sustainable Sea (GRASS) Conference, continuing its implementation in a hybrid off-/online mode and limiting involvement of policy-related regional partners, e.g., HELCOM, WWF BEP, CBSS and EUSBSR. 

The renewed concept was tested that consisted of several events, including hybrid Annual Conference in Minsk, Belarus on 22 December 2021, focused on profitable or subsidised composting, environmentally friendly solutions in agriculture, as well as experience exchange between farmers, who participated in BSFYA in Belarus and Ukraine since 2018. GRASS 2021 has gathered 58 participants from Ukraine and 30 from Belarus. 

Other conferences that were arranged under the ‘GRASS’ umbrella with CCB support included: 

- Webinar – Sustainable manure and nutrient management on 19 April 2021;

- 8th International conference on organic agriculture in Belarus on 30 March 2021; 

- Agriculture in Harmony with Nature on 10 December 2021;

- Webinar on the role of NGOs in developing, promoting and implementing best practices in environmental protection in agriculture in Belarus, was carried out by AgriEcoCulture, Belarus on 28 September 2021.

In 2021 CCB has continued with the development of agri-environmental educational curricula on efficient nutrient resources management, nutrient recycling and Best Agricultural Practices for practitioners of conventional and industrial agriculture through the network of agricultural universities and research institutions in the eastern part of BSR in Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. 

Five lectures have been developed in 2020-2021 on bioregulation of soil ecosystem, nutrient balance, energy crops, organic and water-protective agriculture. An E-learning online course has been offered for agricultural school students in 2021 in Ukraine and Belarus and will be further developed in the coming years. 

Within 2021, the CCB MO Ecoterra (Ukraine) has also carried out: 

- 5 open online lectures for students of agricultural and environmental specialties of the Lviv universities ;

- Study visits to demonstration farms, who took part in the BSFYA (Stary Poritsk, Jak Bdzola) for students of three agricultural schools in Lviv (Lviv National Agricultural University, Lviv National University and Lviv Environmental College);

- Launched a project “Rely but Verify” on storytelling about organic producers within Western Ukraine and so far produced 4 videos on FK Kostiv R.P., Agro Radekhov LLC, Organic Garden LLC and Zhivaya Zemlya Potutory LLC. 

A dedicated e-learning course on Agriculture for the Baltic that was developed in Poland in 2021 for agriculture students on sustainable agriculture and on-farm nutrient management, is offered for students in other countries.

Additionally, the CCB MO Ecoidea in Belarus has continued its Organic School consisting of off- and online lessons on organic production.

In 2021 CCB continued developing and promoting strategies to address wise nutrient resource management, following the EU roadmap towards a Circular Economy, and supported initiatives for management of critical raw materials like phosphorus and development of markets for raw materials like organic fertilizers. 

A campaign for the protection of surface waters through promotion of sustainable agricultural practices in Poland in 2021 was continued by CCB MOs

 – PKE and focused mainly on activities for farmers and students, as well as advocacy activities, consisting of:

- Five trainings for farmers on “Fertilizer management at the farm level” with over 150 participants;

- The seminar on “Impact of agriculture on surface waters and climate change” was arranged for 25 students of Warmińsko-Mazurski University on September 17-19 September 2021 at Juchowo, the biggest biodynamic farm in Europe;

- 2 videos were prepared about good practices in fertilizer management and practices that keep water in fields and catchments;

- Advocacy activities were mainly focused on comments on the national strategic plan. 

With the support of CCB MOs we have continued in 2021 advocating for full implementation of HELCOM actions on Industrial Animal Farming (IAFs) by: 

- Maintaining and updating the thematic webpage on IRPP in English;

- An information campaign on industrial livestock farming was carried out: Post 1 - Post 2 - Post 3;

- Information-statement to the Targeted Stakeholder Survey (TSS) associated with the Impact Assessment and revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive;

- Participation in the 16th IED Article 13 Forum on 17 December 2021.

Moreover,  the storytelling about IAF environmental, and, particularly, climate impacts from cattle breeding in Belarus has continued.

As a separate online event, CCB supported the organization and promotion of the “Nutrient-efficient agriculture in the BSR”- SuMaNu final conference, which was held in June with 9 speakers and more than 60 participants.