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Coordinator: Politecnico di Milano

Partners: Athens University of Economics and Business, Yezreel Valley College, University of Haifa, RWTH University of Aachen, Agrimatic Farms, FEEM

Funding institution: PRIMA Programme (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area)

DESCRIPTION

The AWESOME project will develop a decision-analytic platform based on a multi-level, integrated Water Ecosystems and Food (WEF) model aimed to explain multi-sectoral WEF tradeoffs and capitalize on potential synergies. The project will also explore the interdependencies and feedbacks across a hierarchy of spatial scales: from the macroeconomic development in the Mediterranean region and in single states, to regional planning at river basin scale, down to the level of the single farm.

The platform will simulate the impacts of alternative WEF planning portfolios composed of regional policies, river-basin strategic planning options, and innovative technological solutions demonstrated at the local scale, to generate shared economic, environmental, and societal benefits.

The project is funded by the PRIMA Programme (topic 1.4.1 Assessing social, technical and economic benefits of a cross-sectoral governance of the Water-Ecosystems-Food Nexus ) with the support by the European Union. Besides FEEM, it gathers five academic institutes of excellence – Politecnico di Milano as Coordinator, Athens University of Economics and Business, Yezreel Valley College, University of Haifa, RWTH University of Aachen – and a highly innovative firm in the field of agriculture – Zon Gardens, involving five countries (Italy, Greece, Germany, Egypt and Israel).

EXPECTED RESULTS

  • Decision-analytic platform based on a multi-level, integrated WEF model, which will allow to identify integrated policy decision at different spatial levels (macro, regional and local) on the basis of the WEF nexus in the Southern Mediterranean context.
  • Pilot project in Egypt, aimed at innovating the field of sustainable agriculture and improve Food-Water Security as well as Water Efficiency at the local level.
  • Stakeholder awareness on WEF Nexus approaches and innovative agricultural technologies.
  • Dissemination events of the project’s results.
  • Interdisciplinary scientific publications and technical reports, with the integration of different thematic, theoretical and practical skills and knowledge, in the field of WEF nexus.