Sustainable water use securing food production in dry areas of the Mediterranean region – an introduction to a new EU FP7 Project

The strategic objective of the project “Sustainable water use securing food production in dry areas of the Mediterranean region (SWUP-MED)” is to improve food crop production in the Mediterranean region, which is influenced by multiple abiotic stresses. These stresses are becoming even more pronounced under changing climate, predicted to result in drier conditions, increasing temperatures, and greater variability, causing desertification. The project will mainly operate in farmers’ communities and focus on the improvement of farming systems by strengthening a diversified crop rotation and using marginal-quality water for supplemental irrigation with the aim to: Introduce and test new climate-proof crops and cultivars with improved stress tolerance, selecting promising varieties of cereals, grain legumes and new crops. Climate-proof traits will be identified for breeding programmes using advanced physiological and biochemical screening tools. Supplemental irrigation will be performed as deficit irrigation by different sources of water. Investigate the sustainable field applicability of the farming systems, such as environmental effects related to irrigation water quality assessed by monitoring groundwater and soil quality. Financial implications for the farmer and economic costs and benefits in the food sector will be analysed. Develop a research synthesis in dialogue with the food sector, based on experimental results and advanced simulation modelling to improve farming systems management, utilizing dynamic tools that ease adaptation to the effects of a variable and changing climate. The approach is participatory, involving the farmer’s community, the market and the political level. The expected outcome is improved productivity and sustainable use of agricultural lands by developing a more diverse farming system, supporting economic development in non-European Mediterranean countries while ensuring mutual interest and benefit for the EU. It will accelerate adoption of improved agricultural practices and technologies to meet future constraints imposed by climate changes. Expected results of SWUP-MED: New climate-proof crops and farming systems ́ management Based on an assessment of the farming systems, new varieties and species with improved tolerance to drought and salinity will be introduced in the crop rotations of rainfed and irrigated farming systems. This is expected to interact synergistically with improved agronomic practices. Tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses will be assessed by physiological, biochemical and molecular methods, and new crops with outstanding properties (food quality and multiple stress tolerance) will be selected from the test-material. New irrigation techniques will be tested, such as deficit irrigation, applied as supplemental irrigation. Three water sources will be mobilized: water from rainwater harvesting, saline and treated wastewater, which all contribute to saving of fresh water, and to increase yield of the farming systems of the small-scale farmers of the Mediterranean countries. Sustainable field applicability: The environmental effects will be assessed by monitoring groundwater quality and level. Soil related parameters such as salinity, sodicity, hydraulic properties, and organic matter content will be evaluated. The impact of treated wastewater will be evaluated by monitoring the levels of potential contaminants (e.g. nitrate, metals) as well as of indicator pathogens in surface and groundwater. Barriers such as legal issues for the use of the combination of marginal-quality water and improved irrigation systems, and other agronomic strategies, as well as crop species and varieties with improved tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, will be identified and discussed with key stakeholders. The environmental impact assessment of the introduced interventions will lead to the development of guidelines for best practices to avoid adverse impacts. The financial implications for the farmer, and the economic costs and benefits for the food sector, will be analysed. Research synthesis in dialogue with food sector: Important deliverables of the project are crop, field and water management tools for end-users in the agricultural and irrigation sector, and for the environmental sector and water policy planners. SWUP-MED comprises a range of subjects that are of general interest to the public, such as food and water resources. Most of the research will be performed in a participatory manner, involving farmers and their communities directly in the work. In addition, a strong list of stakeholders has been created, in order to secure constant interaction and mutual benefit with private companies and governmental bodies. Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions IOP Publishing IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 6 (2009) 372020 doi:10.1088/1755-1307/6/7/372020