SAFE-H2O-FARM Project International Meeting Held at Akdeniz University

 

The second project meeting and workshop of the SAFE-H2O -FARM project, funded by TÜBİTAK under the European Union PRIMA Section 2 Programme, was held in a hybrid format (face-to-face + online) on 4–5 November 2025, hosted by the Faculty of Agriculture at Akdeniz University.

The project is coordinated by the University of Perugia (UNIPG – Italy); the consortium includes ZALF (Germany), CYI (Cyprus), IAC (Croatia), ARO (Israel), UAL (Spain) and Akdeniz University.

The opening speeches of the meeting were delivered by Dr Gülçin Ece Aslan and Dr Mustafa Erkan, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture. Following the opening, coordinator Dr Michela Farneselli (UNIPG) presented the current progress report covering the project objectives, work packages and activities carried out.

During the workshop section of the event, faculty members from our university, BATEM researchers, and private sector representatives gave presentations on topics such as variety development in tomato production, plant resilience, nitrogen management, drought and heat stress, market demands, and innovative agricultural practices. In addition, the Living Lab studies and WP6 socio-economic assessments carried out within the scope of the project were shared.

On the second day, the project team conducted technical visits to the Mediterranean University Research Greenhouses and local tomato greenhouses in Antalya, where production conditions, water management strategies, farmer experiences, and sectoral needs were assessed on-site.

The SAFE-H2O-FARM project aims to reduce water and soil pollution and salinity in the Mediterranean region, increase environmental sustainability, support the development of innovative farm strategies, and share scientific outputs with stakeholders. Akdeniz University plays an active role in the project in terms of both scientific research and international cooperation.