Sustainable business models
We create profitable business opportunities for farmers and cooperatives, moving from waste disposal to value creation.
Transforming farm byproducts into local business opportunities.
New business for farmers and cooperatives in rural areas by local upcycling solutions using underutilized agricultural feedstocks
The challenge
The PRIMARY project aims to unlock the potential of underutilised agricultural biomass such as grass and byproducts from greenhouses, cotton, and olive trees by developing and piloting local, sustainable solutions.
The solution
Through a collaborative multi-actor approach, the project fosters innovation and creates new business opportunities for primary producers and rural communities across Europe.
Key focus areas
Smart feedstock management
We optimize harvesting and logistics for grass, greenhouse waste, cotton, and olive tree byproducts using advanced sensing and simulation technology.
Innovative processing
We develop 6 cutting-edge technologies to convert agricultural waste into food ingredients, bio-materials, biofuels, and fertilizers.
Proven impact
We validate environmental benefits and economic viability through comprehensive sustainability assessments and safety standards compliance.
European expansion
We scale successful solutions across Europe through €900K funding program and stakeholder platform, supporting rural communities and climate goals.
Project impact
Before
After
Cotton stems/leaves burned in open fires or buried
Converted to pellets, biochar, protein, and bio-materials
Olive prunings burned or used as basic mulch
Processed into chips for biomass boilers, biochar, compost, and construction materials
Greenhouse residues incinerated as waste or composted
Transformed into mycoprotein ingredients via fermentation and foam-formed packaging materials
Grass used only as ruminant feed, green manure, or biogas
Processed into high-value protein ingredients for food and feed, bio-based materials, and optimized feed through biorefinery technology with protein separation and fiber utilization
Latest from PRIMARY
Jul 27, 2026
From waste to value: can olive tree prunings power local communities?
Most olive tree prunings in Crete still go up in smoke. A PRIMARY co-creation workshop in Arkalochori brought farmers, cooperatives and local authorities together to explore realistic alternatives — and the logistics challenges standing in the way.
Jul 6, 2026
Opening up biomass: steam explosion in action
Before underutilised agricultural feedstocks like grass, cotton residues, or olive tree prunings can be broken down by microorganisms, their tough, fibrous structure needs to be opened up. At VTT's Bioruukki pilot facilities, steam explosion does exactly that — using high-pressure steam and a rapid pressure release to disrupt the biomass from within. We look at how the process works, and why grass, greenhouse byproducts, olive tree prunings, and cotton residues each need different treatment conditions.
Jun 25, 2026
Grass as an underutilised feedstock: PRIMARY featured in Kehittyvä Elintarvike
The latest issue of Kehittyvä Elintarvike (3/2026), a Finnish food science trade publication, features a four-page article on the potential of grass as an underutilised agricultural feedstock.
Mar 27, 2026
Grass is not just grass
During summer 2025, the project's first grass harvesting season took place in Jokioinen, Finland. Despite a rainy summer, researchers from Luke, Valio and VTT successfully collected and processed timothy and red clover samples — frozen, dried and ensiled — to explore their potential across a range of applications.
Mar 12, 2026
PRIMARY Project Launches €900,000 Open Innocation Call for Agricultural Bioeconomy Innovation
The PRIMARY project is opening applications for financial support to validate and adapt innovative approaches to transforming underutilised agricultural feedstocks into valuable products. The Open Call will fund 6-9 consortia with grants of up to €150,000 to pilot processing technologies and business models in their regions.
Dec 15, 2025
Unlocking cotton residues: insights from PRIMARY’s field trials in Greece
PRIMARY's Greek field trial in Karditsa tests two methods for harvesting cotton residues, comparing forage harvester and baling systems for rural bioeconomy.
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