NOVATERRA stands for ‘integrated novel strategies for reducing the use and impact of pesticides, towards sustainable Mediterranean vineyards and olive groves’.
This project has received a total of €4,884,346.35 in funding as a part of an Horizon 2020 grant from the European Commission for the duration of the project (October 2020 – October 2024).
Over the course of the next 4 years, the project will develop and test a pool of novel, integrated and sustainable strategies to eliminate or significantly reduce the use and negative impacts of contentious Plant Protection Products (PPPs), also known as pesticides. To meet this goal, the project will complete a series of case studies in the Mediterranean olive groves and vineyards.
The project will also liaise with a variety of stakeholders through the Stakeholders Network, which will involve not only farmers but also other relevant agents such as policymakers, experts, associations of olive oil and wine producers, auxiliary industries, and citizens. The stakeholders shall participate in the initial diagnosis, in focus group meetings and in workshops and other exploitation activities and provide specific consulting advice.
NOVATERRA’s new efficient strategies will be based on the integration of three key approaches:
- The use of alternative and natural protection products (biopesticides, biocontrol and innovative adjuvants and formulations);
- The use of a smart farming platform for a more precise application of the protection products;
- The testing of new soil management, functional biodiversity strategies and weed management robotics for a greater crop health with less chemicals.
Breakdown of the Project Work
For a better coordination and efficiency, our project work is divided into the following 7 work packages.
Work Package 1: Comprehensive initial diagnosis for a holistic picture of the contentious pesticides use-impact
WP1 is led by VITAGORA and it is established as a starting point for the project. Its aim is to review and update initial considerations from a technical, legal, social, and ethical view, since this could influence the scientific-technical decisions in the rest of the project definition, and its subsequent exploitation. The main objectives will be to establish:
1. An initial assessment on the use and impact of pesticides in target crop and update on EU legislation trends.
2. The “Stakeholder Advisory Committee”, which will boost its direct participation on the initial diagnosis monitoring on current and future legal requirements.
3. A diagnosis on farmer-consumer needs and acceptance of technological use.
4. The “Social Sciences, Humanities and Ethics Committee”, with the objective of reviewing and reanalysing the ethical implications of the Project, and the possible impacts to be monitored at the social level.
Work Package 2: Testing of new alternative plant protection products
WP2 is led by CORTEVA. Their aim is to develop new biological tools and natural products that will be integrated in programs to build up new efficient control strategies in vine and olive farms. The new technologies include botanical extracts, natural compounds, resistance inducers, biocontrol agents, semio-chemicals, entomopathogen fungi, ozone and nanoparticle formulations. The insect pathogens covered represent the main threats in both crops: powdery and downy mildew, botrytis, olive moth, grape berry moth, grapevine moth and olive fruit fly.
Work Package 3: Development of a ready-to-use smart farming platform for crop protection management
Work Package 4: New soil management strategies for improving crop health with less chemicals
Soil management techniques and the use of chemical inputs (fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers) have been widely investigated for their multiple effects on crop growth and yield, as well as on soil health and biodiversity (of plants, microbes, and animals), which in turn affect the crop performance and its health status both directly and indirectly.
WP4 of NOVATERRA will study new alternatives for soil management to reduce the input of chemicals and the consequent negative effects on soil health and on overall biodiversity, while maintaining crop profitability.
Work Package 5: Validation and impact evaluation of integrated global solutions for an effective and adapted IPM strategy
The objective of WP5 is to provide tools for final users to implement the innovative solutions developed in NOVATERRA: IPM updated guides for both olive and vineyards, using sustainable solutions that are economic, environmental, and socially acceptable. We will also develop further DSS which will include not only management aspects, but also web-based tools for impact evaluation and reports on consumers’ willingness to pay for wine and oil produced with these improved tools.
Work Package 6: Market compliance, exploitaition plan and after-life project setup strategy
WP6 aims to pave the way for a smooth exploitation of the results achieved during the project. Market, productive and economic feasibility study will be carried out in order to define the result protection means and the most suitable exploitation strategy, resulting in a clear exploitation plan for each partner and result produced. The WP will also deal with the aspects of data management for all data produced in NOVATERRA, according to the framework of the Open Research Data Pilot in Horizon 2020.
Work Package 7: Communications, dissemination and exploitation of results
WP7 aims at positioning NOVATERRA as a European and international reference in the best integrated strategies, tools and solutions for the use and impact of pesticides; raising awareness among the different target audiences about NOVATERRA’s achievements and promote their implementation in the agricultural sector; informing and communicating to the general public the activity developed by NOVATERRA and the fund obtained by H2020. The Brussels-based organisation European Business Summit (EBS) leads the communication and dissemination efforts, together with VITAGORA which is responsible for promoting the participation and leadership of NOVATERRA in the social debate.
Work Package 8: Project management
This WP is led by IRTA. Its aim is to implement an effective management organisation in order to ensure an optimal performance of the project: achieving all the technical objectives, the correct reporting to the EC and the communication, dissemination and transfer to stakeholders, users and society.
Work Package 9: Ethics requirements
Protocols on how to meet and guarantee the ethical performance of the project, specifically those regarding to animal welfare, genetic resources protection, environmental protection and safety, human recruitment and data protection, and protection of personal data.
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