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Let us cultivate the future with traceable, sustainable, supportive and inclusive agriculture.

Context:

Project to support the agroecological transition in Lebanon through the promotion of agroecology and the facilitation of access to national and international markets.

Lebanon has been facing a severe crisis since the end of 2019, on economic (with growing inflation), food (85% of food needs are imported), social (with increasing intercommunal tensions and 1.5 million Syrian refugees), and environmental levels (with anarchic exploitation of natural resources and unregulated use of agricultural inputs).
The agricultural sector in Lebanon represents almost 5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs around 12% of the active population. In the poorest regions of the country, such as Akkar and the Bekaa, agricultural-related activities can represent up to 80% of the local GDP.

ARADINA aims to support and accompany, in a context of climatic, security, and socioeconomic crises, the agroecological transition in Lebanon for a larger and healthier food production, a more efficient management of natural resources, and a more inclusive and sustainable economic development.
This transition seeks to develop sustainable, traceable, fair, and job-generating agricultural value chains, particularly benefiting vulnerable populations in rural areas.

The project includes three components:
1️⃣ Defining and implementing agroecological practices and providing the necessary support for their adoption at the household farming level;
2️⃣ Supporting SMEs and cooperatives to create jobs and facilitate access to markets for products derived from agroecology;
3️⃣ Capitalizing on knowledge and implementing advocacy for agroecology in Lebanon.

The project aims to support 2,500 farmers (at least 30% women) in the agroecological transition, increase the income of affected farming households, and support 145 SMEs/cooperatives.
It also aims to increase the share of agroecological products among consumers, reduce agricultural water consumption by 20%, and enhance climate resilience for at least 5,000 people.

The project’s funding recipient is CIHEAM Montpellier, which will act as project lead, in consortium with the NGOs Fair Trade Lebanon (FTL) and Action Against Hunger (ACF Spain).
CIHEAM Montpellier will ensure project coordination and the implementation of the first component, which will involve defining relevant agroecological practices and training farmers by incorporating socio-behavioral factors.
CIHEAM Montpellier will also establish community infrastructure (three nurseries, one composting unit, and three processing units), as well as install 20 hectares of drip irrigation networks.
FTL will lead the second component, which aims to strengthen the technical capacity of at least 100 SMEs and 45 cooperatives to market agricultural products.

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Contacts

• Project Manager: Hatem Bellouchette – Contact: belhouchette@iamm.fr
• Project assistant: Anne Cobacho- Contact: cobacho@iamm.fr

Partners: 

• Fair Trade Lebanon
• Action contre la Faim (ACF Spain)

Mainstreaming pollinator stewardship in view of cascading ecological, societal and economic impacts of pollinator decline

BUTTERFLY aims to significantly enhance society’s capacity to appraise, foresee, and respond to the threats posed by cascading impacts of pollinator decline. To reach that goal it will establish a test system of geographically well spread multi-actor communities across sectors for co-creating proactive pollinator restoration solutions and:

• (1) collect, integrate, manage and share ecological and spatial information on a wide range of known and lesser known pollinators and pollination services provided for wild and cultivated plants, across Europe and selected overseas territories;
• (2) advance the monetary and non-monetary valuation of marketed and not marketed direct and indirect ecosystem functions and services provided by pollinators, and advance ecosystem accounting;
• (3) comprehensively model and quantify the macro-economic implications of pollinator decline and country-specific economic butterfly effects of dependencies on pollinators, and assess policy options and scenarios;
• (4) assess how five key biomass supply chains (food/micronutrients, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biomaterials, biomass energy) depend on pollination and co-create pollinator restoration options that increase resilience of these supply chains;
• (5) devise, co-create, test and implement transferable tools, interactive atlases and guidelines that enable systematic mainstreaming of proactive pollinator stewardship in vulnerable sectors;
• (6) conceive indicators for human dimensions and assess and exploit the sociocultural capacity of the concepts: ‘pollinator stewardship’, ‘eco-literacy’, ‘historical agency’ and ‘slow hope’ in reversing pollinator decline.

It will inform EU policy processes and build strategic alliances for high-level impact. The BUTTERFLY network of Living Labs will accelerate knowledge transfer and uptake of new business models and serve as breeding place for multi-actor co-creation of knowledge and sustainable solutions, paving the way to pollinator stewardship in all sectors.

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Contacts

• Project Manager: Kleftodimos Georgios – Contact: kleftodimos@iamm.fr 
• Project assistant: Nhien Nguyen – Contact: nguyen@iamm.fr 

Partners: 

• Coordinator: University of Bergen / Universitetet i Bergen (Norway)
• International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies / Centre International de Hautes études agronomiques méditerranéennes (France)
• Toulouse-Auzeville National College of Agricultural Education / Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Formation de l’Enseignement Agricole de Toulouse-Auzeville (France)
• Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research / Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e. V. Müncheberg (Germany)
• Technical University of Munich / Technische Universität München (Germany)
• University Of Thessaly / Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλίας (Greece)
• Aarhus University / Aarhus Universitet (Denmark)
• Teagasc – Agriculture and Food Development Authority of Ireland (Ireland)
• National Centre for Scientific Research / Centre national de la recherche Scientifique (France)
• University of Eastern Finland / Itä-Suomen yliopisto (Finland)
• Norwegian Institute for Nature Research / Norsk institutt for naturforskning (Norway)
• CLM Research and Advice / CLM Onderzoek en Advies BV (Netherlands)
• University of Agder / Universitetet i Agder (Norway)
• Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research / Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ (Germany)
• Stiftinga Jærmuseet (Norway)
• Jagiellonian University in Kraków / Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie (Poland)
• French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development / Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (France)
• University of Milano-Bicocca / Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (Italy)
• University of Murcia / Universidad de Murcia (Spain)
• Ghent University / Universiteit Gent (Belgium)
• Trier University / Universität Trier (Germany)
• University of Sussex (United Kingdom)
• BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination (Belgium)
• Rifcon (Germany)
• Globi

Website: https://butterfly-europe.eu/

Social media:

• https://bsky.app/profile/butterfly-project.bsky.social
• https://www.facebook.com/Butterfly.EU/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/butterfly-project-eu-horizon/
• https://www.youtube.com/@Butterfly-HorizonEU

Institutional, Sustainable and Innovative Strengthening of Vocational Agricultural Training in Albania

INSIST-VAT is a project coordinated by the CIHEAM-IAMM, co-funded by the European Union within the scope of the Erasmus+ programme “Capacity Building in the field of vocational education and training” (CB-VET).

Objectives

The national strategy of the Albanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) for rural development and fisheries underlines the role of Agricultural Knowledge as the main pillar to improve sustainable food systems: ln January 2022, the MARD launched a strategy to strengthen producers’ capacity and enable them to adopt resilient practices by national training. In this context, the current offer in terms of agricultural advice -partly deployed via Technology Transfer Centers- has to strengthen its capacities.

The aim of this project is to set up a training offer at the Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT) which gathers and cooperates with national and regional actors, serving as a seed of the Albanian Agricultural Knowledge & Innovation Systems (AKIS).

The INSIST-VAT CB VET project will meet the missions entrusted to the AUT by the MARD for designing a “producers’ academy” and offering training courses to producers and extension workers.

Results expected

INSIST-VAT will participate in:

• The identification of the training needs of producers and extension workers;
• The design of a training offer to meet the needs of producers and extension workers;
• The organization, structuration and integration of a training center at the AUT, in connection with the departments & faculties concerned;
• The setting-up of an interactive online platform as a tool for producers’ training;
• The sustainability of the training center in terms of training offer, financing and national and international networking;
• The involvement of Kosovo in this process -a country that faces the same agricultural challenges and training needs so as to allow the future transferability of this training tools to Kosovo.

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Contacts

Coordination

• Christophe MUR, Head of project, mur@iamm.fr
• Virginie AVIGNON, Project manager

CIHEAM-IAMM team

• Anne COBACHO, Vocational Training Supervision
• Kitty PAPADOPOULOU, Administrative and Financial Management
• Teachers-researchers

Partners

• International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies-Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM), France
• Agriculture University of Tirana (AUT), Albania
• Agriculture Technology Transfer Centre (QTTB) Fushe Kruja, Albania
• University of Prishtina (UP), Kosovo
• Association de Coordination Technique Agricole – Les Instituts Techniques Agricoles (ACTA), France
• Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza-International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (IAMZ-CIHEAM), Spain
• Agriculture Technology Transfer Centre (QTTB) Korca, Albania
• Association pour la Qualité en Recherche et en Enseignement Supérieur (QUARES), France

Source of funding

Follow INSIST-VAT!

on Facebook -> INSIST-VAT

on LinkedIn -> INSIST-VAT

Operational adaptation of WEFE (Water, Energy, Food and Ecosystems) Nexus-based systems solutions in Mediterranean

DIONYSUS is a PRIMA-funded project (2024-2026) on the Nexus approach in the Mediterranean Region, coordinated by CIHEAM-IAMM in Montpellier.

In common culture, Dionysus is often associated with being the god of wine. However, in Greek mythology, Dionysus symbolized the regeneration and the arrival of spring. According to ancient Greek beliefs, Dionysus was seen as the god who brought about the renewal of life in the springtime after a period of dormancy. Similarly, the objective of the DIONYSUS project is to bring about a new spring in WEFE (Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems) resources in the Mediterranean Basin

Based on 4 Demonstration Sites (Egypt, Greece, Morocco, and Italy) and 3 Replication Sites (Algeria, Tunisia, and Türkiye) that produce cornerstone agricultural products (i.e. cereal crops, fruits, vegetables, cotton, livestock, fodders, and other industrial crops), and by considering the main trends for the next 30 years of climate, natural resources (water, soil), urbanization (including migration and labor), markets (supply, demand, prices), and macroeconomic variables (i.e., GDP, interest rates, investment in agriculture), the project objective is to co-design, test and develop operational adaptation solutions and sustainable market solutions via innovative business-based models for the efficient and sustainable use of water-energy-food-ecosystem resources, that rely on local and regional initiatives, bring together and engage local and international stakeholders, and use a Cross-Sectoral Nexus adaptation tool for a transition to a Green Economy and Sustainable Development.

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Programs and contacts

• Project Coordinator: Kleftodimos Georgios
• Contact: kleftodimos@iamm.fr 

Partners : 

• FRANCE : CIHEAM-Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier (coordinator)
• GRECE : University of Thessaly, TOEV Tavropou Karditsas
• ITALIE : Consorzio di Tutela Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP, Università degli Studi di Catania, Almaviva The Italian Innovation Company S.p.A.
• ALLEMAGNE : Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung, e.V.
• TURQUIE : Ankara University
• EGYPTE : Institute of National Planning, Egyptian Association for Sustainable Development
• MAROC : Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, University Ibn Zohr
• ALGERIE : Research Center for Applied Economics for Development
• TUNISIE : National Institute of Agronomic Research of Tunisia

Social Networks :

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dionysus_nexus/
• X: https://x.com/Dionysus_nexus/media
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dionysus_nexus

Enhanced Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus (WEFE) Decisions in Dry Land Agri-food Production

The project seeks to promote innovations that improve irrigation water efficiency, reduce fossil fuel consumption, improve food and animal production, and preserve natural resources. This objective will be addressed in a changing, uncertain, climatic, and socio-economic context. The main hypothesis that will be tested during this proposal is that agricultural systems that combine more diverse components (diversity of farms in a region, of activities in a farm, and of crops and varieties in a field or crop sequence) would support both the resilience/sustainability of agricultural systems and water resource use efficiency.

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Source of funding: CGIAR Trust Fund Contributors

Contact references

• Project Scientific Coordinator: Hatem BELHOUCHETTE
• Contact: belhouchette@iamm.fr 

Website : https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/climate-resilience/?section=about 

Partners

• The Initiative engages 130 partners across six focus countries and globally on demand for the Initiative’s outputs, innovation, and scaling. Partners include ministries that coordinate climate action; ministries of agriculture; national agricultural research and extension systems; meteorological departments; disaster management units; local, national, and international NGOs; farmers’ organizations; United Nations organizations; other regional organizations and networks; insurance providers; micro-finance institutions and cooperatives; academia, training, and research partners; and public-private partnerships.
• Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, INRA- Meknès, IAV-Hassan II, Direction de l’irrigation et de l’aménagement de l’espace agricole (Meknès).

Countries concerned

• France
• Morocco

MODELLING AND TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS TO PREVENT SURFACE AND GROUND-WATER BODIES FROM AGRICULTURAL NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION UNDER MEDITERRANEAN CONDITIONS

The general objective of NPS-SOL is to prevent diffuse pollution of water resources due to non-point agricultural pollutants under the Mediterranean soil and environmental conditions, according to the objectives of the new Green Deal and Farm-to-Fork strategies.

NPP-SOL will integrate site-specific best management practices for improving soil, water, fertilizers, and crop management with site-tailored and affordable-costs technologies for preventing natural bodies pollution. Common to all the adopted methodologies-technologies will be their sustainability and economic efficiency, and their adherence to circular economy approaches.

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Source of funding: PRIMA program supported by the European Union

Programme and contact references

Project Coordinator: University of Basilicata

Project Manager of CIHEAM Montpellier : Belhouchette Hatem

Contact: belhouchette@iamm.fr 

Partners

University of Basilicata (UNIBAS)

University of Cagliari (UNICA)

Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM)

Israel Institute of Technology (TECHNION)

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MOAG)

National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA)

Mohammed V University of Rabat (UM5)