{"id":708,"date":"2025-06-13T07:03:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T05:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/comenca-el-projecte-cosmos-per-a-revaloritzar-lecosistema-mediterrani-amb-nous-models-agroforestals-a-partir-del-cultiu-de-la-tofona\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T13:02:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T12:02:40","slug":"cosmos-project-begins-to-enhance-the-mediterranean-ecosystem-through-new-agroforestry-models","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/cosmos-project-begins-to-enhance-the-mediterranean-ecosystem-through-new-agroforestry-models\/","title":{"rendered":"COSMOS Project Begins to Enhance the Mediterranean Ecosystem through New Agroforestry Models"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n <li>The <i>COSMOS<\/i> project (<i>Coordinated Optimization for Sustainable Mediterranean Agroforestry with Truffles and High-Value Species<\/i>) has officially commenced. This initiative is part of the <i>PRIMA<\/i> program (<i>Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area<\/i>), supported by the European Union and the participating member states.\u00a0<\/li>\n <li>The project is led by the <i>Agrotechnology Research Center \u2013 Agrotecnio<\/i> and involves the participation of the <i>Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC<\/i>), the <i>Ru\u0111er Bo\u0161kovi\u0107 Institute <\/i>(<i>RBI<\/i>), the <i>Croatian Forest Research Institute (CFRI), \u00c7ukurova University (\u00c7\u00dc), Agmiso Company<\/i>, in collaboration with the <i>University of Siena (UNISI)<\/i>, the <i>French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Applied Forest Biotechnology Ltd. (IDForest)<\/i>, and the <i>Slovenian Forestry Institute<\/i>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nRepresentatives from the various partner institutions of the <i>COSMOS<\/i> project gathered in Siena, Italy, on June 3 and 4 for the project\u2019s kick-off meeting. During the event, participants reviewed the project\u2019s tasks, partner responsibilities, the work schedule, and the next steps to be taken. The meeting also included a field visit to truffle plantations at the Il Sole di Nebbiano farm.\u00a0\n\nThe overarching goal of the project is to identify and optimize innovative agroforestry strategies that integrate truffles, medicinal and aromatic plants, fruit trees, vineyards, and plant species suitable for pollination and honey production, while overcoming current barriers to the adoption and scalability of these strategies.\u00a0\n\nThis transnational collaboration will facilitate knowledge exchange, and the development of tools tailored to territorial needs, contributing to the development of a more resilient, sustainable, and profitable Mediterranean agroforestry model. The project\u2019s specific objectives are structured into four main areas of work:\u00a0\n<ul>\n <li aria-setsize=\"-1\"><b>Innovative Practices for Sustainable and Resilient Agroforestry Systems<\/b>\nPractices, models, and strategies will be developed and optimized to revitalize agroforestry systems based on truffles, vineyards, medicinal and aromatic plants, fruit trees, and melliferous species. Ecosystem services will be promoted, and the environmental, social, and economic impacts of these practices will be assessed.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n <li aria-setsize=\"-1\"><b>Market Access and Business Models for Agroforestry Products<\/b>\nThe project will analyse and improve the value chains and market access for a wide range of agroforestry products. Certification systems, branding initiatives, and business models will be developed, including emerging opportunities such as truffle and culinary tourism.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n <li aria-setsize=\"-1\"><b>Regulatory and Institutional Framework for Mediterranean Agroforestry<\/b>\nThe project will examine the regulatory and institutional framework governing agroforestry practices in the Mediterranean region, identifying technical, policy, and socioeconomic barriers, and proposing policy recommendations to foster sustainable adoption.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n <li aria-setsize=\"-1\"><b>Awareness and Inclusive Training on the Benefits of Agroforestry<\/b>\nThe project aims to improve knowledge and awareness of agroforestry systems through training programs, educational materials, and outreach actions with a gender perspective, specifically tailored to the needs of rural women.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe project will support broader adoption of sustainable agroforestry practices in the Mediterranean region through the creation of accessible training materials, technical guidelines, and demonstration activities adapted to diverse territorial contexts. This approach will help increase agricultural productivity, improve soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, and enhance resilience to climate change.\u00a0\u00a0\n\nThe project will support broader adoption of sustainable agroforestry practices in the Mediterranean region through the creation of accessible training materials, technical guidelines, and demonstration activities adapted to diverse territorial contexts. This approach will help increase agricultural productivity, improve soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, and strengthen resilience to climate change.\u00a0\n\nMoreover, the development of value chains, innovative business models, and new opportunities linked to rural and culinary tourism will contribute to enhancing the livelihoods of local communities. These actions will ensure a long-term impact beyond the duration of the project, with a strong focus on the active inclusion of women and the effective transfer of knowledge through a wide network of engaged stakeholders.\u00a0\n\n<b>Duration and Funding<\/b>\u00a0\n\nThe project will run for three years, from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2028, with a total budget of \u20ac1,667,530. This project is part of the PRIMA Programme supported by the European Union.\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-19354\" src=\"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/prima-logo-hor-600x184.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"92\" \/>\n\n Ismail Sen\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-19329\" src=\"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/9adda663-db90-4da1-b0a1-bbf78e85491f-600x452.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-19332\" src=\"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/a044f686-d43f-4bab-a8d0-7fcdbdaf9309-600x452.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-19335\" src=\"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/b4a9011a-2632-4eba-8432-01af0e152c90-600x452.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The COSMOS project (Coordinated Optimization for Sustainable Mediterranean Agroforestry with Truffles and High-Value Species) has officially commenced. This initiative is part of the PRIMA program (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area), supported by the European Union and the participating member states.\u00a0 The project is led by the Agrotechnology Research Center \u2013 Agrotecnio [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticies"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=708"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5306,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions\/5306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}