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Project Topic
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The adoption of regenerative agriculture systems to cultivate the most widespread crops in the Mediterranean region is the most effective response to environmental problems caused by climate change, water scarcity, increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, soil erosion and consequent desertification. OVERALL OBJECTIVE of REVINE is to prove that the application of regenerative agriculture practices in farms located in the Mediterranean area is capable of preserving water resources and soil fertility, controlling soil erosion, and creating the soil physico-chemical conditions that favor the presence of beneficial microorganisms. This will be achieved through a combination of new knowledge acquired from physiology, pathology, and genomics, along with innovative applications in agronomic and breeding processes, thus reaching a better adaptation to the ongoing climate changes. New developed strategies and/or selected stress-adapted genotypes will be profiled and made accessible to the local farming community. The vineyard will be used as an agroecosystem model for the Project, considering that grapes (V. vinifera L.) both for table and wine production are a widespread and high-income crop in all Mediterranean countries, and also one of the most difficult crops to grow, being sensitive to subtle changes in temperature, rain, humidity and exposure to sunlight, especially at key developmental stages. The approaches used in REVINE, namely the application of biostimulants, biofertilizers, amendments and the use of tolerant/resistant grape genotypes provide environmentally friendly alternatives to the existing control methods, and allow to reduce the use of chemicals, thus increasing food safety and improving human and plant health. The project will deliver environmentally sustainable and cost-effective tangible outputs, such as selected genotypes adapted to climate change (efficient in using limited resources/productive in Mediterranean area), and sustainable crop management practices suitable for local varieties. The proposed solutions will be developed under conventional agriculture conditions, but their nature (cover crops, organic amendments, microbial selection, etc.) will make them potentially usable also for integrated and organic systems. The uptake of these results will be enabled through demonstration in Mediterranean vineyards and will contribute to mitigate the risks posed by climate-change to food security, health, and social well-being in the Mediterranean basin and beyond. REVINE addresses the topic 2.2 (2.2.1 Re-design the agro-livelihood systems to ensure resilience) aiming to promote the adoption of regenerative agriculture systems in the Mediterranean region as an effective response to environmental constraints caused by climate change. The project based on multi-actor approach, addresses the scientific challenges and the full scope of the call. REVINE aims at mitigating the effects of climate change in the Mediterranean area by adopting regenerative agricultural farming systems increasing the tolerance and resilience of several grapevine varieties (both table and wine grapes) to global-change induced stresses. REVINE will uncover and characterize stress tolerance traits in the selected grape genotypes, focusing on molecular, genetic, and metabolic traits with application as potential markers for novel breeding and crop management tools. REVINE will build researches and innovative solutions from the lab to the farm using a multidisciplinary approach, aiming to adopt sustainable practices with ecological benefits in the Mediterranean area. Finally, the proposed farming systems will be verified for their environmental, economic and social impact by a structured socio-economic analysis that will target the diagnostic identification of the causal links between the innovative strategies, economic profitability and adoption decisions.
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