Consortium

WP1’s key objectives include:

1.  The production of an initial assessment on the use and impact of pesticides in targeted crops and update on EU legislation trends.
2.  The set-up of a “Stakeholder Advisory Committee” in order to boost the direct participation of key stakeholders in the initial diagnosis and the monitoring of current and future legal requirements.
3.  A diagnosis on farmer-consumer needs and acceptance of technological use.
4.  The establishment of a “Social Sciences, Humanities and Ethics Committee”, with the objective of reviewing and analysing the ethical implications of the project, and identifying the impacts to be monitored at the social level.

The objectives of WP2 are to:

1. Develop sustainable bio-solutions to protect grapevine and olive production from its main pests and diseases in the Mediterranean region;
2. Define the optimal application parameters to obtain best results from these bio-solutions, with less environmental and social impact, while maintaining economic viability from crop production;
3. Provide growers with sustainable integrated strategies based on biological tools for the best management of key pests and diseases in grapevine and olive crops.

WP3 focuses on exploiting the possibilities of digital technologies to optimise the use of pesticides in vineyard and olive groves and to promote adoption of new technologies in the agrifood sector.

Taking advantage of data generated from ground and satellite spectral sensors, an advanced and user-friendly methodology will be developed to improve efficacy and efficiency within the crop protection process, while increasing sustainability, reducing environmental risk and enlarging the economical revenues for farmers. All those benefits are to be aligned with the European Farm to Fork strategy.

Soil management techniques and the use of chemical inputs (fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, and fertilisers) 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 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.

The overall objective of WP5 is to provide tools, best practices and sustainable strategies for farmers to implement the innovative solutions developed in NOVATERRA, mainly IPM updated guides for both olive and vineyards, using sustainable solutions that are economic, environmental, and socially acceptable.

IRTA will also further develop 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.

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 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, based on the framework of the Open Research Data Pilot in Horizon 2020.

WP7 aims to position NOVATERRA as a European and International reference in the best integrated strategies, tools and solutions for the use and impact of pesticides. Other objectives include:

1. Raise awareness of NOVATERRA’s results among the different target audiences and promote their implementation in the agricultural sector.
2. Promote the participation and leadership of NOVATERRA in the social debate about the use and impact of pesticides.
3. Inform and communicate to the general public NOVATERRA’s work and the fund obtained by H2020.

WP8’s aim is to implement an effective management organisation in order to ensure an optimal performance of the project: achieving the project’s technical objectives and a timely submission of deliverables; an efficient reporting to the EC and; the communication, dissemination and transfer to (internal and external) stakeholders, users and society.

The objective of WP9 is to ensure compliance with the ethics requirements set out in the grant agreement.