SWIM-ACLIMAS project News - Adaptation to Climate Change of the Mediterranean Agricultural Systems

The project is implemented in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia and promotes the adaptation of Mediterranean agricultural systems to climate change through a combination of modern and traditional water management and conservation techniques and new and indigenous varieties of cereals and legumes resistant to difficult climatic conditions.

ACLIMAS activities in the months of October-December 2013 mostly focused on carrying out sowing activities in all beneficiary countries and organizing field days in Lebanon to promote the varieties tested by the project in this country:

• In the months of November-December the sowing activities in all demonstration sites were carried out.

• Two field days have been organized in Lebanon on November 11th and 12^th, respectively in Shaat village and in Baalbeck, in collaboration with the Lebanese partners of ACLIMAS, the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) and the Association of the Friends of Ibrahim Abdel Al (AFIAL).The field days were addressed to farmers living in the target areas whowere called to participate to sowing activities held in the fields owned bysome of them who showed interest to test ACLIMAS suggested varieties and management practices. A total of 38 farmers participated in two field days.

• The following topics were discussed: 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.

• On 3 December 2013 a field day on the promotion of cereals products from Bekaa Valley was organized in Byblos (Lebanon) in collaboration with the Byblos international festival and the Local Action Group (GAL) Via Appia. More than 150 people participated in the event, including the local authorities of Jbeil - Byblos, the board of Byblos international festival and the partners of the Local Action Group (GAL) Via Appia, women associations from the Bekaa valley and the Region of Jbeil, several NGOs (as child circle, etc..) a group of CIHEAM-BARI Alumni. Boiled wheat was prepared with nuts and raisin and offered to the citizens participating in the event. The project coordinator consigned the ACLIMAS brochure to the Major of Byblos. 

www.aclimas.eu