Drought, the silent enemy of the Mediterranean
On 22 March 2022, on the occasion of world water day, Prima Program published an article about SUPROMED project.
Finding solutions through research
How can we adapt to and mitigate the effects of droughts? PRIMA works on different lines of action to meet this challenge. On the one hand, it is necessary to preserve the soil, which suffers from an advanced state of erosion in the Mediterranean. Some of the PRIMA funded projects, such as CAMA, work on this line of action by trying to reduce the risk of soil quality degradation. One of the critical factors of conservation agriculture is a cropping system that covers the soil surface with crop residues to avoid humidity evaporation.
On the other hand, it is also essential to develop sustainable farming practices to tackle the drought problem, considering that almost 75% of fresh water is used for agricultural purposes. A more resilient approach is needed, reducing or adapting water resources.
Here it comes SUPROMED (Sustainable Production in Water Limited Environments of Mediterranean Agro-ecosystem), an R&I project co-funded by PRIMA, which aims to enhance Mediterranean farming systems’ economic and environmental sustainability through more efficient management of water, energy and fertilisers. Partnering with ten organisations from Spain, France, Greece, Lebanon and Tunisia, the project will provide a holistic water management system resilient to climate change. In detail, what is going to be delivered is an end-user technology platform specially designed to smartly advise farmers in the efficient water management of Mediterranean cropping.
Read the full article here: https://prima-med.org/drought-the-silent-enemy-of-the-mediterranean/