Abstract
The strategic objective of BIOACT is to develop practical regenerative agriculture strategies to improve the resilience of agro-ecosystems to climate change in the Mediterranean area.
Within the overall objective of the call, the cultivation of durum wheat will be implemented through intercropping with a leguminous crop in order to increase soil carbon storage, limit soil erosion and decrease fertiliser inputs. Furthermore, through the development of regenerative farming practices, it will be possible to re-use wheat crop residues for the development of a soil conditioner and/or biostimulant by means of the Solid State Fermentation (SSF) technique.
The results of this project could provide an innovative approach to improve the sustainability of agriculture in arid and marginal areas of the Mediterranean basin.
In particular, the use of cultivation practices aimed at limiting soil erosion and the application of organic waste enriched with microorganisms could be a viable strategy to improve cropping systems by i) increasing the resilience of the agroecosystem to unforeseen adverse events (ii) improving the ability of crops to respond adequately to climatic perturbations (climate change-adapted crops) and biotic stresses for sustainable pest management, and (iii) reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, chemical inputs and waste production. Such an approach could certainly provide a more environmentally and water-efficient model of agriculture, ensure the economic stability of farmers and increase food security in the Mediterranean region.
Participants
- UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO (Coordinator), Italy
- UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI BRESCIA, Italy
- UNIVERSITA' DELLA TUSCIA, Italy
- UNIVERSITAT JAUME I CASTELLON, Spain
- CENTER OF BIOTECHNOLOGY OF SFAX, Tunisia
- ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE AGRONOMIQUE (ENSA)- Algery
- INSTITUTE DE RESEARCH POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT, France
Contribution for UniBS: € 562.225,00