The project ‘TRANSITION’ presents its final results at the Mediterranean Forest Week in Barcelona

The ‘TRANSITION’ project, coordinated by the BETA Technology Centre of the UVic-UCC, made its final event last week in the framework of the Mediterranean Forest Week in Barcelona. This international meeting served as a platform to present the results of a project that, in recent years, has worked to analyse the potential of agroforestry systems and mixed farming to increase the sustainability of Mediterranean agricultural landscapes.

With its findings, ‘TRANSITION’ aims to guide the agricultural sector in its transition towards more resilient and sustainable models, thus helping to address the challenges posed by global change in the Mediterranean region. The event was also a starting point for further networking and knowledge transfer towards new future policies and practices.

The project has been funded by the PRIMA Programme (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area), an initiative that fosters scientific collaboration and innovation to address key challenges in the Mediterranean region.

A participatory approach

The main objective of the ‘TRANSITION’ project was to understand the role that agroforestry systems and mixed cropping can play in increasing the resilience of Mediterranean agroecosystems in the face of global change. In the region, the effects of climate change and other environmental pressures make it necessary to transform conventional agricultural practices towards more sustainable models in the long term.

The consortium has relied on a participatory approach and case studies to identify barriers to the implementation of these practices. With the information gathered, tools have been developed to facilitate decision-making and a regional roadmap has been drawn up, aligned with the priorities and needs of stakeholders, especially farmers.

International cooperation and fieldwork

‘TRANSITION has been an example of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, involving partners from six countries: Catalonia, France, Italy, Algeria, Egypt and Greece. Field studies have focused on five specific areas, spread between the northern and southern Mediterranean. In these regions, the project has developed and tested agroforestry and mixed farming practices, thus contributing to the generation of practical and applicable knowledge.

During the project, activities have combined research work with visits to innovative farms. In Catalonia, for example, visits have been made to several farms in Osona, Segarra and Solsonès, where agroforestry techniques or new farming models are already being implemented.