On June 8, 2021, this suggestion was acted upon: an online meeting was held – adapted to current health requirements – in which the scientists of the research group presented themselves and their fields of work to the relevant departments. Afterwards, questions regarding environmental assessment and management, as well as currently planned development topics, were discussed with the participants.

Formation of the research group

In an initial project, "Individual Life Cycle Assessment of Agricultural Enterprises in Austria," the life cycle assessment tool of the Agroscope research center (Switzerland) was adapted to Austrian conditions and tested on 50 Austrian farms between 2011 and 2015 in cooperation with the Agroscope research center (Switzerland). The resulting digital farm management tool was named "FarmLife.".

At the end of 2015, following the completion of the first project and the development of the new FarmLife tool, the need to explore further aspects through an interdisciplinary approach became apparent. Thus, the research group "Eco-efficiency of Agricultural Production Systems" at the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein emerged from the small group of colleagues involved at that time. In 2019, the research group was officially established, and Dr. Markus Herndl was appointed its head. As early as 2017, the collaboration with Agroscope was strengthened within the framework of a national cooperation agreement. Composed of scientists and staff from various organizational units of the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, the group decided to provide a comprehensive tool for aspects of the environmental and sustainability assessment of agricultural operations.

The initial FarmLife project spawned a diverse range of research activities across various disciplines, all with the overarching goal of promoting site-appropriate agriculture in Austria based on a comprehensive environmental assessment. Resource efficiency, climate protection, biodiversity, animal welfare, and digital technologies are among the key areas of focus in ongoing and completed projects, which continuously expand the FarmLife tool and refine the environmental assessment. To encourage the widespread practical application of FarmLife, an educational component was established alongside the research initiative. This component, through teacher training and specialized educational materials for agricultural schools, brings the appropriately adapted FarmLife tool into classrooms.

Online presentation by the Eco-efficiency Working Group for the BMLRT on June 8, 2021

Following a brief welcome by Angelika Steger and Johann provided ^Johann , research group leader Markus Herndl an overview of the research activities. The members of the research group then introduced themselves with short statements. Afterwards, Thomas Guggenberger explained the approaches to environmental assessment in agriculture, before current projects and new developments were presented^by Elisabeth Finotti in 10-minute presentations (educational aspects), an^Elfriede Ofner-Schröck (animal welfare), and Christian Fritz (environmental impacts of digitalization, greenhouse gases). Dr. Herndl then offered Herndl of completed projects and significant related publications. A question and answer session concluded the program. In this way, the interested participants from the specialist departments of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism (BMLRT) gained a comprehensive overview of FarmLife and how the tool connects research, education, and practice.

The team of the Eco-efficiency research group was very pleased with the opportunity to showcase their work and would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved at the BMLRT once again for their interest and for promoting and supporting all projects and initiatives related to FarmLife.

Author: Elisabeth Finotti