HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-06: Boosting agrobiodiversity for food security and sustainable competitiveness

Specific skills related to the project

-           Cover crops

-           Green manuring

-           Multiple cropping (İntercropping, Mixed cropping, Sequential cropping, Companion crop)

-           Perennial cropping

-           Organic fertilization and organic waste management in agroecosystems

-           Soil restoration and reclamation

-           Germplasm characterization

Proposed activities for the project

Our research group focuses on actively enhancing agrobiodiversity at farm and parcel level through the implementation of biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices, rather than solely assessing biodiversity outcomes. We have long-standing experience in designing and applying crop diversification strategies, including intercropping, mixed cropping, cover crops, crop rotation and germplasm characterisation, under Mediterranean climatic conditions. Our core strength lies in demonstrating how agrobiodiversity can be effectively increased through practical, scalable farming solutions, and how these practices can be integrated into real farming conditions.

In this context, we can conduct field experiments to investigate the effects of biodiversity-friendly nature restoration practices on

-       crop productivity and quality (priority given to cereals, forage and bioenergy crops)

-       existence of soil flora, fauna, and pollinators

-       soil fertility, carbon sequestration, water retention capacity, and soil nutrient status

-       farm incomes, and agricultural sustainability.

In addition, we can organize workshops or field days where the scientific results of the project are shared with stakeholders such as farmers, rural committees and farmer associations to facilitate the adoption and dissemination of biodiversity-friendly practices by farmers.