NOVATERRA

Target audience

The project is aimed at all stakeholders in the vineyard and olive grove sectors, including farmers, farmers' associations, cooperatives, agricultural advisory and extension services, research and innovation networks, and the crop protection equipment manufacturing industry.

Project objective

Develop new, integrated and sustainable strategies for applying plant protection products in vineyards and olive groves that are both technically and economically viable.

Reduce the use and negative impacts of the most controversial plant protection products, known as pesticides, used for the integrated management of pests, diseases and weeds in Europe's two main Mediterranean crops: grapevines and olive trees.

Project description

Throughout the various phases of the project, a set of new, integrated and sustainable strategies will be developed and tested, while also ensuring their technical and economic viability. The aim is to reduce environmental pollution and harm to non-target organisms, while achieving greater economic sustainability for Mediterranean farmers.

Three approaches are being pursued to establish these new strategies:

• Developing new combinations of alternative (non-synthetic) products and biological control techniques for crop protection,

• Optimising the application and dosage of plant protection products through smart farming technologies,

• Reducing the incidence of pests and diseases through new soil management strategies

Project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.