From 16 to 18 June 2026, ICU – Institute for University Cooperation took part in the Third WaterMellon Project General Assembly, held in Seville, Spain. The event brought together project partners to discuss the challenges of sustainable water management and agriculture across the Mediterranean region.
An international exchange on water, agriculture and climate change
The first day featured an international workshop that brought together agricultural experts from across the Mediterranean to exchange knowledge, share experiences and explore innovative solutions to address water scarcity and the impacts of climate change.
The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to discuss the sector’s current challenges and identify strategies to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of Mediterranean agricultural systems. Alongside the WaterMellon partners, representatives from the European projects VENUS, NUSTALGIC, pHYBi and IASIS also took part, together with participants from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, CITA Aragón, Agrovegetal and Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España.
Consortium meeting
The second day was dedicated to the WaterMellon consortium meeting, which brings together 20 partner organisations from 10 Mediterranean countries. Hosted by Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Andalucía and Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España, the meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress achieved since the project was launched in March 2025 and to plan the next stages of implementation.
During the sessions, partners received updates on the farmers’ engagement activities coordinated by the University of Bologna, as well as on communication, dissemination and exploitation activities. They also reviewed the latest developments in field trials focused on innovative water-saving systems, water-harvesting solutions and alternative cropping systems.
Partners also discussed the results of field trials coordinated by CRES and the Agricultural University of Athens, which are assessing the performance of annual and perennial crops under alternative cropping approaches. The meeting concluded with a discussion on potential new value chains aimed at translating research outcomes into practical opportunities for farmers and local communities.
Field visit to the demonstration site
The General Assembly concluded with a visit to the quinoa demonstration site at La Campiña Cooperativa, where partners observed the current status of the crop, sowing conditions and field management practices, while exchanging experiences from the project’s other demonstration sites.
The visit also benefited from scientific contributions by CREA – Research Centre and the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (CSIC), together with insights from the technical experts involved in the activities and the farmer managing the demonstration site. The field visit provided a valuable opportunity to connect scientific research with practical farming experience while further strengthening collaboration among partners working towards sustainable water management solutions for agriculture.
ICU would like to thank Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Andalucía for hosting and organising the activities carried out over the three-day meeting, which fostered knowledge exchange, dialogue and collaboration among the project partners.
