Full Title and Acronym

 Adaptation to Climate Change of Mediterranean Agricultural Systems (ACLIMAS)

Target Countries /  Areas

ALGERIA:     Khemis Melanah, Wilaya Ain Defla  

EGYPT:         Entlak, Tiba - Western Nubaria Region

JORDAN:      Bani Kananeh, Bani Obaid, Quasbat Irbid, Al-Ramtha – Irbid Governorate

LEBANON:    El Hermel, Baalbeck, Zahle, West Bekaa  – Bekaa Valley Region

MOROCCO:  Oulad Said, Sidi El Aidi, Tamadroust, Berrechid – Chaouia OurdighaRegion

TUNISIA:       Capbon, Manouba, Saida, Mhamedia, Grombalia – North-Eastern Tunisia

Overall Objective(s)

To bring a durable improvement of the agricultural water management and a broader socio-economicdevelopment of target areas in the context of adaptation to climate change, increasing water scarcity, and desertification risks.

Specific Objectives of Demonstration Activities

• To improve the initial conditions (local offices, stations, and demonstration fields) for lasting promotion of sustainable agricultural practices in target areas;
• To demonstrate the applicability for the selected combinations of genotypes and water management practices (including water harvesting and conservation tillage) at demonstration fields;
• To adapt/stabilize agricultural production through large scale on-ground implementation of the best performing genotypes and water harvesting/management practices;
• To evaluate the on-ground sustainability of the proposed adaptation measures considering the economic, social and environmental dimensions at farm level;
• To train local farmers and growers on the application and implementation of proposed management practices;
• To disseminate the results of the action through the thematic guidelines, brochures, field days, seminars, video material and a dedicated web page;

• To bring a durable improvement of the agricultural water management and a broader socio-economic development of target areas in the context of adaptation to climate change, increasing water scarcity, and desertification risks.

Expected outputs of Demonstration Activities

• 6 demonstration fields equipped with agro-meteorological stations, other equipment and excel-based irrigation scheduling tool;
• 2 years of demonstration/testing with at least 48 combinations of genotypes and water management practices;
• 2 years on-ground implementation of the best performing varieties and water management practices in a surface area of at least 240 ha with the involvement of at least 120 farmers;
• 24 training courses and 600 farmers, technicians and water managers trained;
• 60 field days with the participation of 1200 local stakeholders;
• 2 guidelines, 24 brochures, 6 seminars, 180 minutes of video material, etc.;
• Support/promotion of local communities to market a quality durum wheat  products (in Lebanon and Morocco);
• Support/promotion of women cooperatives for durum wheat transformation to several types of couscous on downstream value chain (in Morocco).

 Leader Organisation / Institution

Centro Internazionale di Alti Studi Agronomici Mediterranei – Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo di Bari  (CIHEAM-IAMB)

Partner Organisations

1. International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

2. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Morocco

3. Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie (INAT), Tunisia

4. West Nubaria Rural Development Project (WNRDP), Egypt

5. National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE), Jordan

6. Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI), Lebanon

7. Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per I Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), Italy

8. National Research Council, Institute for Agricultural and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM), Italy

9. Universitat de Barcelona (UdB), Spain

10. Universitat de Lleida (UdL), Spain

11. University of Nottingham (UNOTT), UK

12. Agriculture Environnement et Développement, pour l’Avenir (AGENDA), Morocco

13. Association of the Friends of Ibrahim Abd El Al (AFIAL), Lebanon

14. Technical Institute of Field Crops (ITGC)

Contact details

Prof. Dr. Mladen Todorović, Project Coordinator

Phone: +390804606235

Fax: +390804606206

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.aclimas.eu

Activity

Beneficiary country

• Technical visit to monitor and discuss on-going demonstration and implementation activities 
• Training course on Use of remote sensing techniques for improving resource use efficiency in cereals cultivation
• Training course on Best management practices for cereals cultivation in Mediterranean environments
  Training course on Water stress impact to wheat morpho-physiological characteristics and yield

Algeria

• Field day on the best management practices of cereal cultivation under arid and semi arid conditions
• Technical visit to Jordan to monitor/discuss the on-going demonstration and implementation activities 
• Training Course on Optimizing Resource Use in Cereals: Application of Physiology in Agronomy and Breeding
• Field day on Weed Control
• Field day on Sowing dates and fertilizer application
• Training course on Canopy Sensors
• Training Course on Conservation agriculture as an active measure to cope with climate change
• Training Course on Wheat under full-package practices - comparing full-package with conventional practices
• Presentation of the performance of introduced varieties and management practices to farmers, extension agents, researches and decision makers
• Training Course on Conservation Agriculture
• Field day on Planting Dates and Fertilizer Application
• Videos-Interviews

Jordan

• 2 Field Days on 1) Effect of drought on wheat yield; 2) New wheat and barley varieties; and 3) How to save water in irrigation.
• Field Day on 1) Dry year versus normal year; 2) Crop rotation; 3) Soil analysis; 4) No-till practice.
• Field Day on 1) Drought effect on crop production; 2) frost effect on crop production; 3) new wheat and barley varieties; 4) how to save water in irrigation
• Technical visit to monitor and dicuss the demonstration and implementation activities 
• Training course on Climate smart agriculture: capacity building for extension services and related video
• Field Day on the first year results of ACLIMAS demonstration activities
• Field Days on the first year results of ACLIMAS implementation activities
• Field Day on Farming methods to adapt to climate change
• Field Day on a) Conservation tillage versus conventional tillage, b) Weed management in conservation tillage, c) New wheat and barley varieties, d) Climate change impact on crop production (Shaat village and Baalbeck) and related videos.
• Field day on the promotion of cereals products from Bekaa Valley
• Videos-Interviews

Lebanon

• Training course on Technical aspects of harvest and storage, Settat
• 2 Field Days on Water productivity under conservation agriculture, Sidi El Aydi Experimental Station
• Field Day on Constraints of adoption of No-TILL package, Ain Nzagh 
• Field Day on Rotation under conservation agriculture, Souaka 
• Field Day on Disease and insect control in Sidi M’hammed be Rahal
• Fertilization under conservation agriculture, Tamadroust 
• Technical visit to monitor and discuss the demonstration and implementation activities 
• Training Course on Sustainability analysis of adaptation to climate changes of Mediterranean region
• Field Day on Weed control in Gdana
• Field Day on Crop establishment in Lahyout
• Video about Canola cultivation
• Interview with farmers after the first year of implementation of ACLIMAS best management practices in Settat area
• Field Day on Best farmer’s practices in limited rainfall areas
• Field Day on Disease and insect control, Gdana and Oulad Said
• Training course on Improving water productivity of the Mediterranean Agricultural Systems
• Field day with focus on Food legumes management at Toualet (Lahyout)
• Training course on Principles and concepts of Conservation Agriculture
• Field Day on Pre-mergence treatments and planting, Sidi Boumehdi
• Field Day on Crop rotation, Sidi Mohamed Ben Rahal and Souaka
• Videos-Interviews

Morocco

• Training course on Advanced tools to predict water stress and its effect on the yield of field crops
• Technical visit to monitor and discuss the demonstration and implementation activities 
• Field Day on wheat crop, fertilization, weed and pest control Menzel Temime, Nabeul
• Technical visits to monitor and discuss the demonstration and implementation activities 
• Training course on Integrated management of water and soil resources
• Field Day on Varieties Fertilization / weed control
• Field Day on Best practices : fertilization-pest control
• Field Day on Best Practices : weed and pest control under supplemental irrigation
• Field Day on Best practices : varieties resistance and yield
• Training Course on the Use of modern technologies (GIS) for spatial elaboration and analysis of agro-ecological and sustainable management of Mediterranean agricultural systems
• Field Day on Improving rainfed cropping systems
• Videos-Interviews

Tunisia

• Participation in the Scientific days of the INAT 2014 on: Climate change and adaptation measures
• EXCEL-IRR software for the estimation of reference evapotranspiration (with 5 different methods), simulation of soil water balance, irrigation scheduling, estimate of yield (with single and multi Ky approach), water productivity, irrigation costs, product added value, etc.
• Farmers sheet for monitoring of on-ground implementation
• Protocol for Wheat Phenology Measurements to be used in demonstration / implementation / training activities
• Sowing activities (winter season 2013)
• A total of 31 videos was produced with a duration of 109 minutes

All project’s countries