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Project Topic
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The project proposal aligns with PRIMA Section 2-2024 Topic 2.2.1 (RIA*) ‘Revitalizing agroforestry practices for sustainable land use and climate resilience in the Mediterranean Region’. Agroforestry systems are land-use systems where woody perennials (e.g., trees, shrubs, palms) are deliberately used on the same land-management units as crops and/or livestock, with a specific spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In the Mediterranean region, agroforestry systems are traditionally associated with pastoral activities and provides a wide array of ecosystem services (e.g., habitat services, food production, and soil carbon sequestration). However, challenges such as the abandonment of maintenance practices, low farm productivity, and limited technical expertise hinder their full potential.
SHARE aims to address these challenges through ecosystem service analysis, efficiency assessments, and policy proposals across six demonstration sites in Italy, France, Portugal, Cyprus, Tunisia, and Morocco. The project adopts a transdisciplinary and participatory approach to co-design new models, practices, and strategies. Taking into account the different perspective of stakeholders (e.g., farmers, policymakers, researchers), SHARE will engage stakeholders to (i) co-identify the barriers underlying these challenges, (ii) test new practices and (iii) co-design models, practices, and strategies to overcome the identified challenges. Through the Living Labs (LL) established in each case study, current and new management practices will be analysed for their impact on ecosystem services, and site-specific best practices will be co-designed using the hybrid knowledge generated from the blending of local expertise, policy insights, and scientific understanding. The LL and creation of Communities of Practice (CoP) will both empower vulnerable actors (including women) within agroforestry communities and facilitate the exchange of knowledge among stakeholders during and after the project's completion.
The project is organized into Working Packages (WP), each dedicated to specific activities aimed at achieving project objectives: WP1 coordinates activities; WP2 is the cornerstone of the project activities as interacts with the other WP to co-analyse barriers, opportunities, and best practices; WP3 assesses biodiversity and ecosystem services in agroforestry systems within LL; WP4 enhances efficiency, productivity, and sustainability through performance indicators; WP5 addresses policy and market-based solutions in agroforestry value chains; WP6 handles communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities to increase awareness and transfer project outputs to stakeholders.
SHARE aims to have significant impacts by co-creating new models, practices, and strategies for agroforestry systems primarily through establishing LL and CoP, enhancing system resilience to societal and climate change. The project's bottom-up approach ensures that relevant issues (e.g., wildfire prevention, soil cover enhancement), are co-addressed, with continuous knowledge exchange focusing on key ecosystem services. Capacity-building initiatives will deepen understanding of societal preferences and value chains, benefiting agroforestry farmers, including women. Collaboration with other projects will facilitate dissemination and replicability of identified practices, contributing to the revitalization of Mediterranean agroforestry systems. SHARE is aligning with several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to climate change mitigation, food security, biodiversity conservation, and economic development, as well as EU policy frameworks such as the ‘Farm to Fork Strategy’ and the mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’.
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