Developing agroecolocical and biological innovations enhancing resilience competitiveness in Mediterranean fruit farming.

The BIOFRUIT+ project addresses the urgent need to transform Mediterranean fruit production systems towards climate resilience, sustainability and competitiveness under the new conditions of global market pressure and climate instability. Fruit crops such as peach, nectarine, cherry, apricot and kiwifruit face increasing challenges from pests, soil degradation, and extreme weather, threatening the viability of both conventional and organic farms.

BIOFRUIT+ proposes an integrated agroecological and organisational framework for innovation, combining biological pest management, functional biodiversity enhancement, regenerative soil practices and digital tools for data-driven decision-making. By linking research, advisory services and producer organisations, the project will co-design and validate practical, scalable models that reduce chemical inputs, restore ecosystem services and increase farm profitability.

Through multi-actor demonstration sites across diverse pedo-climatic zones in Southern Europe, BIOFRUIT+ will develop a set of transferable solutions — including biodiversity-based pest regulation, biostimulant and microbial approaches, smart irrigation, and collaborative production models — that enhance resilience, traceability and market differentiation of European fruits. The project supports the EU Green Deal, the Organic Action Plan and the Horizon Europe Partnership on Agroecology, contributing to a competitive, low-impact and knowledge-driven Mediterranean fruit sector.