Farmers planting Euro-MED research future

On 29-30 November 2018, the National Research Institute for Rural Engineering, Water and Forestry (INRGREF) and the Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre (CREAF) co-organised the FASTER Kick-off meeting gathering for the first time representatives of its consortium partners. This event allowed the participants to familiarise with the planned work for the next three years of the project’s duration, and to agree on the imminent actions for the coming months.

The H2020 project FASTER stands for Farmers’ Adaptation Sustainability in Tunisia through Excellence in Research. It aims to reinforce research and knowledge transfer capacity of INRGREF related to innovative land and water management in view of climate change and its implementation through the use of Farm Advisory Systems (FAS). To achieve its mission, FASTER will develop a sustainable framework for research capacity building, international networking and FAS practice.

The FASTER consortium gathers seven European and Tunisian partners: Two EU partners of established scientific excellence in the topic, CREAF and the Lund University, will ensure strengthening of researchers and technicians of INRGREF and the associated IRESA (the Institution for Agricultural Research and Higher Education) centres. Europe for Business will then evaluate the experience from the economic perspective, and Vision Communication will ensure an appropriate public awareness, dissemination of results, and, jointly with The Node, trainings support. Finally, AVFA (the Agriculture Extension and Training Agency) will serve as a liaison with policy makers and related stakeholders making sure to integrate the FASTER results in national policies.

A number of activities, trainings and networking events are planned throughout the project’s duration targeting junior and senior researchers, students, technicians, extension units as well as farming practitioners themselves. Among these, a capacity building training and first mobility programmes are already being planned and will take place during the first semester of 2019. More information will soon be available on www.faster-h2020.eu (currently under construction).