Project title
VALorization of Mediterranean small-scale FARMs by cropping wild UnExploited species
Award URL
https://www.era-learn.eu/network-information/networks/prima/section-2-call-2019-multi-topic/valorization-of-mediterranean-small-scale-farms-by-cropping-wild-unexploited-species
Funding code
VALUEFARM
Start date
September 1, 2020
Expected Completion
2025-12-31
Description
Small-scale farms are the backbone of the Mediterranean farming sector, whereas agriculture advances are targeted to large farms; however, the average land farm shrinks and the ongoing climate change makes farming prohibitive, especially for small-scale farms. Mediterranean agriculture is relatively more intensive in terms of per ha labor and output, but undermined by strong land fragmentation, making farms too small to be viable due to high production cost. The result is land abandonment and rural population ageing, since farming sector is unattractive to young farmers. Although efforts have been made to reallocate small farms and increase average farm size, several factors have hampered the progress. Agriculture intensification and mono-crop cultural approach has caused soil degradation and organic matter loss, with high impact on small-scale farms viability. Besides, conventional crops cannot feed the growing population and alternative/complementary food sources such as wild edible plants (WEPs) could be an important addition to human diet. Mediterranean agro-ecosystems host a rich patrimony of WEPs that have always been an important food source, while they are able to grow under arduous conditions and low input regimes. The main goal of VALUEFARM is to exploit selected WEPs of the Mediterranean basin as alternative crops, focusing on small-scale farms through the production of high added value products. Innovative farming systems will be designed based on traditional cultivation knowledge to allow the shift from mono-crop approach to sustainable and diversified cultivation systems, as well as to soil improvement. Physical and living lab platforms will be key elements for transferring the proposed farming systems to the related stakeholders. The interdisciplinary approach of the consortium allows the elucidation of the complex interaction of plant x environment, with special focus on soil conditions.