e.c.a.f

Agricultural Research & Advocacyecaf.org

ECAF (European Conservation Agriculture Federation) is a Brussels-based non-profit federation coordinating 19 national farmer associations across Europe to promote Conservation Agriculture through EU-funded research projects, policy advocacy, and demonstration farms.

Company typePrivate
Founded1999
HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What e.c.a.f does

ECAF (European Conservation Agriculture Federation) is a non-profit international association constituted in Brussels on 14 January 1999 under Belgian law, dedicated to promoting Conservation Agriculture across Europe through research, advocacy, and coordination of national farmer associations. The federation brings together 19 national member associations spanning Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Moldova, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Its core functional remit centers on three agronomic principles: minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation diversity, with associated benefits documented at up to 60% increased soil carbon storage, 78% CO2 emission reduction, 90% runoff reduction, and €40-60 per hectare cost savings for farmers.

The organization's product surface consists of the Conservation Agriculture Database (a public online resource at conservationagriculturedatabase.eu), the INSPIA Sustainability Index Platform monitoring 58 European farms against 25 indicators in partnership with IAD and ECPA, and a portfolio of EU-funded research projects including LIFE+ Agricarbon (€2.7M budget, €1.2M EU funding), LIFE+ Climagri, H2020 SolACE, H2020 AgroFossileFree, and LIFE Agromitiga. ECAF publishes books, technical leaflets, and newsletters, and engages in policy advocacy at the European Parliament, including the Written Declaration 51/2016 supported by over 130 MEPs.

Revenue mechanics are entirely non-commercial: ECAF does not sell products or services and is funded through EU research grants (LIFE and Horizon 2020 programmes) and member association contributions. The organization operates with 1-10 employees from offices in Brussels (headquarters) and Córdoba, Spain, and reaches European farmers horizontally through member associations rather than direct sales or licensing.

e.c.a.f firmographics

Firmographics

Name: e.c.a.f
Legal name: European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF)
Website: https://ecaf.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1999
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: ECAF (European Conservation Agriculture Federation) is a Brussels-based non-profit federation coordinating 19 national farmer associations across Europe to promote Conservation Agriculture through EU-funded research projects, policy advocacy, and demonstration farms.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

e.c.a.f industry classification

Industry

Product category: Agricultural Research & Advocacy
NAICS: Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
SIC: Agricultural Services (700)
akta.pro primary industry: Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BPADALAE)

Keywords

Conservation agriculture
Sustainable farming practices
Agricultural research federation
Soil biodiversity advocacy
Climate-smart agriculture

Where e.c.a.f is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Brussels
HQ country: Belgium
HQ region: Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

e.c.a.f business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services

Revenue model

EU Research Project Funding: ECAF participates in EU-funded research projects (LIFE, Horizon 2020) including LIFE+ Agricarbon (2.7M euro budget with 1.2M EU funding), LIFE+ Climagri, H2020 SolACE, and H2020 AgroFossileFree. These grants support research activities but the organization is described as non-profit.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

e.c.a.f product offering

Product offering

Core offering

ECAF (European Conservation Agriculture Federation) is a non-profit international association constituted in Brussels in 1999 that promotes Conservation Agriculture through research coordination, policy advocacy at the European Parliament, and federation of 19 national member associations across Europe. It delivers the Conservation Agriculture Database, Best Management Practices research, and participates in EU-funded projects (LIFE, Horizon 2020) focused on carbon sequestration, soil protection, and sustainable farming techniques.

Product overview

ECAF (European Conservation Agriculture Federation) is a non-profit organization (constituted in Brussels on 14 January 1999) that does not offer a commercial software product. Its primary offerings consist of: (1) the Conservation Agriculture Database — an online resource providing data on CA adoption and practices across Europe; (2) multiple European-funded research and demonstration projects including LIFE Agromitiga, H2020 SolACE, H2020 AgroFossileFree, INSPIA, LIFE+ CLIMAGRI, and LIFE+ Agricarbon — each focused on promoting Conservation Agriculture techniques, carbon sequestration, climate change mitigation, and sustainable farming practices; and (3) published materials including books, technical leaflets, and newsletters. These offerings work together to promote sustainable agriculture across Europe's nearly 5 million hectares under conservation agriculture, though ECAF explicitly states it is not involved in any commercial product, equipment, or trademark.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

200 million tonnes CO2 removal potential through CA adoption in Europe
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use e.c.a.f

Customer profile

Segments3 records

e.c.a.f technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

e.c.a.f partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

INSPIA Project Consortium (IAD, ECPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECAF leads the INSPIA (European Index for Sustainable Productive Agriculture) project in partnership with the French Sustainable Agriculture Institute (IAD) and European Crop Protection Association (ECPA). The project monitors 58 farms across Europe using 25 sustainability indicators to demonstrate Best Management Practices effectiveness.
LIFE+ Agricarbon ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIFE+ Agricarbon project coordinated by Spanish Conservation Agriculture Association Living Soils (AEAC.SV) with partners including Andalusian Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IFAPA), ECAF, and University of Córdoba. Budget of 2.7 million euros with 1.2 million EU funding.
LIFE+ Climagri ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIFE+ Climagri project coordinated by AEAC.SV with ECAF, IFAPA, and Young Farmers' Agricultural Association (ASAJA-Sevilla). Develops climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for Mediterranean agriculture.
H2020 SolACE ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU Horizon 2020 project helping European agriculture face rainfall variability and reduced fertilizer use. ECAF participates in designing novel crop genotypes and farming management innovations.
H2020 AgroFossileFree ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU Horizon 2020 project creating framework to evaluate and promote Fossil-Energy-Free Technologies in EU agriculture. ECAF collaborates with stakeholders to develop online platform and policy guidelines.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

e.c.a.f competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Emerging players

Soil Association: The UK-based Soil Association is a prominent sustainability advocacy organization working on soil health and regenerative farming, overlapping with ECAF's mission at the policy and farmer-education level across Europe.
FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture): FiBL is a leading European research and advocacy institute for organic and sustainable agriculture, competing for the same EU research grants and policy influence around sustainable farming as ECAF, though with a broader organic-agriculture focus.

Direct peers

Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC): CTIC is a US-based non-profit promoting conservation tillage and agricultural sustainability; it is the North American analogue of ECAF, with a comparable federated model and emphasis on soil-health adoption metrics.
IAD (Institut de l'Agriculture Durable): IAD is the French Sustainable Agriculture Institute and a core ECAF partner in the INSPIA project; it serves the same member-association model at the national level and pursues the same Best Management Practices agenda as ECAF in France.
European Initiative for Sustainable Development in Agriculture (EISA): EISA is a European multi-stakeholder initiative promoting sustainable agriculture through integrated farming, closely paralleling ECAF's mission to harmonize sustainable farming practices across Europe and serving a similar farmer and policymaker audience.

Regional players

No-Till on the Plains: No-Till on the Plains is a North American farmer-led non-profit promoting no-till and cover-crop practices; it mirrors ECAF's regional federation structure but operates in a different geography (Great Plains US/Canada).

Others

European Environment Agency (EEA): EEA is the EU agency providing environmental data and policy analysis relevant to soil health and agriculture. While not a direct competitor, it is a comparable Brussels-based institution informing the same EU sustainability policy space where ECAF advocates.
European Crop Protection Association (ECPA): ECPA is a core INSPIA consortium partner of ECAF, representing the crop-protection industry; while its mission differs, it is a comparable Brussels-based agricultural policy and sustainability advocacy stakeholder with overlapping policy relationships.

Broad incumbents

IFOAM - Organics International: IFOAM is the global umbrella for organic agriculture, including sustainable soil management. It is a much larger advocacy and standards body but competes with ECAF for EU agricultural sustainability funding and policy positioning.
FAO Global Platform for Conservation Agriculture Community of Practice: The UN FAO hosts a global Community of Practice on Conservation Agriculture moderated by ECAF Honorary Member Amir Kassam. It is the most global counterpart to ECAF, operating at a larger scale and convening CA stakeholders worldwide, directly overlapping in mission and membership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

e.c.a.f financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

e.c.a.f leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

e.c.a.f funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

e.c.a.f M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about e.c.a.f

What does e.c.a.f do?

Is e.c.a.f a public or private company?

e.c.a.f is a private company. It is currently operating.

When was e.c.a.f founded?

e.c.a.f was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is e.c.a.f based?

e.c.a.f is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.

How does e.c.a.f make money?

One revenue line is on record: EU Research Project Funding.

Who are e.c.a.f's main competitors?

Emerging players on record are Soil Association and FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture). Direct peers are Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), IAD (Institut de l'Agriculture Durable) and European Initiative for Sustainable Development in Agriculture (EISA). No-Till on the Plains is listed as a regional player. Others are European Environment Agency (EEA) and European Crop Protection Association (ECPA). Broad incumbents are IFOAM - Organics International and FAO Global Platform for Conservation Agriculture Community of Practice.

Does e.c.a.f have an API?

No public API is recorded for e.c.a.f.

What industry is e.c.a.f in?

e.c.a.f's product category is Agricultural Research & Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAE, Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation. Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 700.