On April 2–3, 2025, the European research project WATERMELLON PRIMA officially launched with its kick-off meeting in Crete, Greece, bringing together partners from across the Mediterranean region. The event marked the beginning of a shared effort to foster climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural systems tailored to the challenges of drought and salinity.
The opening session featured a welcome by Fabrice Dentressangle, representative of the PRIMA Partnership, who presented the monitoring and implementation framework of the project. The session continued with a presentation by the project coordinator, Efthymia Alexopoulou from the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (CRES), outlining the project’s main objectives and activities over the 39 months of implementation.
During the meeting, each partner organisation had the opportunity to introduce itself and explain its role in the project. The coming months will focus on co-designing and testing novel cropping systems combined with water harvesting techniques, with special attention to drought- and salinity-resistant species and the development of new value chains.
As part of the meeting, the consortium visited a demonstration site of carob trees in Crete, one of the key crops included in the project trials. The site is promoted by the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA OFC). Each tree in the trial plot has been tagged to indicate the type of soil amendment applied and equipped with humidity sensors to measure soil moisture levels before and after application. The visit provided valuable insights into the practical implementation of the project’s goals.
The partners also had the opportunity to interact with local farmers, who warmly welcomed the group and shared their experiences, along with samples of carob-based products currently being marketed.
This kick-off meeting marks the beginning of an exciting collaborative effort across multiple countries. In the coming months, partners will work closely with farmers and other stakeholders to develop and share innovative, locally adapted agricultural practices. Interviews with farmers and experts involved in the project will also be published soon.
INICIATIVAS INNOVADORAS is responsible for the Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation of the project.
