New pioneering partnership of 19 countries to tackle water and food shortages
A new Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) will soon start to develop much-needed solutions for a more sustainable management of water and agro-food systems. A proposal to set up PRIMA was today adopted in a vote in the European Parliament plenary meeting in Strasbourg.
The main objective of the ten-year initiative (2018 – 2028), which is partly funded by EU's research and innovation programme Horizon 2020, is to develop solutions to improve water availability and sustainable agriculture production in a region heavily distressed by climate change, urbanisation and population growth.
"With the Parliament's green light, PRIMA will soon start to tackle water and food shortages in some of the worst affected areas in the Mediterranean, thereby addressing some of the root causes of migration. This is the largest Euro-Mediterranean research and innovation initiative in this field, a unique opportunity for EU member states and Mediterranean third countries to join forces, and an excellent example of how EU research and innovation is open to the world."
(Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation)
Read the full article via European Innovation Partnership on Water.
[Photo by Jorge Franganillo | Flickr]