DAGRI Department, University of Florence

The project “MedAgriFoodResilience: Socio-environmental shocks assessment and resilience empowerment in Mediterranean agri-food heritage systems: Italy, Morocco, Algeria FAO GIAHS sites” is funded under the Joint Call of the Cofund ERA-NETs SUSFOOD2 (Grant N° 727473) and FOSC (Grant N° 862555).

The project is coordinated by Dr. Antonio Santoro on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI) of the University of Florence (Italy). Project partners are: Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco), University of Biskra (Algeria), Scientific and Technical Research Center on Arid Regions (CRSTRA) (Algeria), University of Ibn Zohr (Morocco). MedAgriFoodResilience project is supported by the FAO GIAHS Programme Secretariat.

Traditional agri-food and agroforestry systems developed over the centuries by local communities to adapt to various environmental conditions are more resilient towards possible environmental and socio-economic shocks with respect to modern and intensive food systems. The selected study areas are part of the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme and are all examples of systems developed to adapt to difficult environments: dry and hot climates, water scarcity, steep slopes. These systems, despite socio-environmental changes, are still fundamental for the livelihood and food security of local communities, and they can offer effective solutions and strategies to be replicated in other traditional agri-food and agroforestry systems for the mitigation and adaptation to socio-environmental shocks.

MedAgriFoodResilience focuses on three Mediterranean agroforestry and agri-food systems developed throughout the centuries and strongly linked with the identity and culture of local communities. These systems are also based on the Mediterranean Diet, today widely recognised for its multiple health benefits and its low environmental footprint, that in 2010 has been included in the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The three sites are: Olive orchards between Assisi and Spoleto (Italy), Ghout oases of El Oued (Algeria), Argan tree agroforestry system of Ait Souab-Ait Mansour area (Morocco).