Acronym | WaterMellon

Project name | Development of novel farming systems combined with water harvesting techniques to address extreme drought in the Mediterranean region, including saline and drought resilient species

Duration | 39 Months (01/03/2025 to 01/05/2028)

Funding amount (PRIMA) | 4 799 785, 00 euros

Project Summary:

Mediterranean basin is a water-stressed region, situation is expected to worsen due to climate change making water availability a significant challenge for its agriculture. In recent years, the region has experienced prolonged and severe droughts, accompanied by record-high temperatures and dwindling water resources. This urgent situation makes it necessary to quickly reconsider our traditional agriculture towards new and more resilient farming systems with a more efficient use of natural resources to maintain a competitive Mediterranean agriculture. The dominant agricultural model in the Med region is rainfed agriculture, which, in the view of increasing water scarcity caused by climate change, results in poor yields, affecting the farmers’ incomes, and contributing to land abandonment and migration to urban areas or other countries. However, many ancestral hydro technologies3 developed worldwide to collect and store water in arid regions fostering food production were progressively abandoned with the development of intensive agricultural systems and the massive use of other irrigation technologies. Efficient and innovative systems with low carbon footprint and minimal water and energy requirements could be developed by combining the re-vitalization and reuse of ancestral hydro technologies with naturally-based solutions and new farming practices (e.g., drought-resistant varieties, underutilised species and smart irrigation technologies). These agricultural systems can provide practical solutions for smallholder farmers to maintain their livelihoods while ensuring food security in the region under the challenging conditions of climate change.

WaterMellon aims to improve the resilience of Mediterranean dry farming to withstand and adapt to climate change and water scarcity by combining traditional and modern hydro-technologies with innovative agricultural techniques. The initiative aims to achieve sustainable food and feed production while improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by training local farmers, introduce new products and value chains, and provide practical, affordable solutions to boost yields and profitability.

Partners:

1. Centre for Renewable Energy Sources & Saving (CRES), Greece- Coordinator

2. Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’ economia agraria (CREA), Italy

3. International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), Morocco

4. Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna (UNIBO), Italy

5. University of Skikda (SKIKDA), Algeria

6. Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España (CoopsAgroES), Spain

7. Iniciativas Innovadoras S.A.L. (INI), Spain

8. University of Catania (UNICT), Italy

9. City of Scientific Research & Technological Applications (SRTA), Egypt

10. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie (INRAT), Tunisia

11. Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), Portugal

12. Frederick Research Center (FREDERICK), Cyprus

13. Irrigation Consortium for the Emilia Romagna Canal (CER), Italy

14. Hellenic Association for Conservation Agriculture (HACA), Greece

15. Istituto per la Cooperazione Universitaria (ICU), Lebanon

16. Centre de Développement de la Région du Tensift (CDRT), Morocco

17. Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Greece

18. Centro para a Valorização de Resíduos (CVR), Portugal

19. ILIOS Consulting (ILIOS), Greece

20. KOINSEP AGRIMA (AGRIMA), Greece