Identification & Background:
Project title: FORECAST – Fostering Resilient Agroforestry Systems with climate-ready Tree and Herbaceous Germplasm
Project code: PRIMA/0008/2024
Main objective: FORECAST will deliver new sustainable solutions for the revitalization of agroforestry systems in the Mediterranean region. An innovative strategy will be implemented, based on the use of highly resilient, locally adapted orphan legumes and dedicated seed technology into existing agroforestry systems, addressing a range of different socioeconomic/pedoclimatic conditions across the Mediterranean Area. Precision farming techniques will be integrated with traditional practices. The FORECAST strategy will allow to overcome barriers to adoption and scaling up of the new deployed AF practices.
Intervention region: Mediterranean
Beneficiary entities:
University of Pavia (UNIPV) – Coordinator
Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement
(INRAE)
University of Sfax (US)
University of Constantine 1 (UC1)
MORE – Laboratório Colaborativo Montanhas de Investigação – Associação (MORE)
CREA-Research Centre for Forestry and Wood (CREA-FW)
AgroParisTech (APT)
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri (CNR)
DEIFIL TECHNOLOGY LDA (DEIFIL)
HIT HYPERTECH INNOVATIONS LTD (HIT)
Approval date: 17/12/2024
Start date: 01/07/2025
Conclusion date: 30/06/2028
Total eligible investment: 1 567 024,89€
MORE CoLAB’s eligible investment: 80 000,00 €
Objectives
FORECAST will provide sustainable technical solutions to revitalize Mediterranean agroforestry (AF) under the challenge of climate change. It will exploit orphan legumes (OL’s), seed technology, precision agriculture (PA), and climate data analysis to:
- Promote diversification in silvoarable/silvopastoral AF systems, allowing farmers access to selected climate-resilient, locally adapted tree and orphan legume germplasm. This will enhance productivity under challenging environments and improve/integrate traditional practices with PA techniques.
- Support the diversification of value chains, by promoting novel products (e.g. raw materials, circular economy-driven outputs), tailored certification schemes, and new business models.
By applying a multi-actor approach (MAA), FORECAST will ensure that the real needs of stakeholders (as co-creators) are addressed, particularly in relation to advisory services and solutions demanded across the Mediterranean region.
Activities
WP1 – Participatory activities for AF/OL’s co-creation
WP2 – Resilient, locally adapted AF/OL’s systems: productive/environmental performance & management
WP3 – Fostering transition to AF/OL’s
WP4 – Sustainability, resilience & profitability of AF/OL’s
WP5 – Policy & socioeconomic tools to promote AF/OL’s
WP6 – AF/OL’s-derived products
WP7 – Training/Dissemination/Engagement
WP8 – Management
Expected results
- Increased Adoption of Sustainable AF/OL’s Practices
- Improved Agricultural Productivity
- Enhanced Soil Health and Biodiversity
- Increased Resilience to Climate Change
- Improved Livelihoods for Farmers
- Participatory Capacity Building
