The final report of the INTERREG IV project “Agricultural Construction within Regional Cycles” highlights the significant potential of using regional raw materials in agriculture. Focusing on agricultural buildings such as livestock housing, the report demonstrates how locally sourced timber as a renewable construction material can strengthen regional value chains, reduce transport distances and actively contribute to climate protection. Wood not only serves as a building material but also acts as a long-term carbon store within circular economy systems.
Based on pilot projects in Bavaria and Vorarlberg, the report shows how regional value chains—from forest owners and sawmills to craft enterprises and farms—can successfully work together. The analysis confirms that timber construction offers clear advantages over conventional steel or concrete structures in terms of primary energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, investments and jobs remain within the region, reinforcing rural economies.
The report underlines that future-oriented agricultural construction is more than a technical issue. It requires advisory services, strong networks and supportive policy frameworks. Regional construction cycles can therefore become an important building block for sustainable, circular agriculture—environmentally sound, economically viable and socially embedded.