INTERESH

The Apulia Region is renowned for its diverse agricultural output, a fundamental element of its economy. However, climate change poses significant threats to the health of soils, due to diverse degradation factors, water scarcity, and non-sustainable land management practices.The depletion of water resources, the prolonged droughts, and deficiencies in soil nutrients threaten the region's agricultural productivity, its biodiversity, and its overall environmental sustainability. Addressing these issues requires a systemic approach through collaborative, transdisciplinary research with practical, on-the-ground involvement of stakeholders (farmers, land managers, local administrators). The University of Foggia (UNIFG), is ideally positioned to lead innovation activities to co-design an innovative model for soil health enhancement at regional level, in collaboration with farmers, land managers, policy makers, and civil society organizations.The project will combine different solutions, to be tested with the support of international leading partners, at a scale that is representative of the regional dimension and characteristic of most geographical regions of Mediterranean Europe. In particular, the project will develop experimental actions using Nature Based Solutions (with the support of FC.ID from Portugal), developing short supply chains for high potential biofertilisers (with local industrial partners), cutting edge precision fertigation systems (with Ugent) and a digital dashboard to enhance data-driven soil policies based on scientific evidence.The project will reinforce UNIFG’s positioning as a leading knowledge institution in rural economies and agrarian sciences, as well as contributing to sustainable regional soil health policies in the framework of the new European legislation on soil health and monitoring.