The Intesa project "Innovation in Technologies to Support a Sustainable Development of Agro-Industry ", is a project co-financed by the European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI) within the framework of the Italy-Tunisia cross-border cooperation program. It is part of the OT2 thematic objective: Support for education, research, technological development and innovation; in priority 2.1: Promotion and support for research and innovation in key sectors.
The main expected results are the creation of cross-border research and innovation networks in the agri-food sector. We start from the observation that horticulture and the greenhouse sector have an important role in the context of the Sicilian and Tunisian economy, favored by a mild climate and strong solar radiation. However, the decrease in arable land, increasing urbanization, water scarcity as well as climate change constitute constraints for agricultural producers. 

The INTESA project aims to analyze a life cycle management approach that includes different types of actions: 

■ Water saving technologies for arid and semi-arid Mediterranean regions 

■ Waste reduction actions 

■ Energy efficiency measures 

■ Protection of soils against the consumption and exploitation of chemicals, monitoring and regeneration of the soil 

The expected end result will be the development of a sustainable production protocol for protected crops using the closed cycle aeroponic cultivation system and a Joint MOdel of Sustainable Greenhouse for the Mediterranean area. It is in this context that hydroponics is an innovation but it has drawbacks such as waste for the elimination of substrates. The project strategy is based on the idea that low-cost sustainable agriculture can also be developed through the greenhouse system. It is therefore important to disseminate the best available technologies to preserve the quality of the environment and the ecosystem. 

Although greenhouses exist in several European countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain, the INTESA project (@IntesaTUNISIEITALIE) partners are looking for best practices in the use of this technology in these regions. To meet this need, partners of INTESA project are organizing an online conference on good practices in soilless cultures in the Mediterranean that will be held next 26th March at 3.00 pm. 

Speakers of the conference will be innovative experiences and best practices on soilless greenhouses from NGOs and public research Institutions, the University of Thessaly from Greece , the University of Almeria from Spain , ENEA from Italy , University of Palermo from Sicily, FAORNE from Jordan , URAP and UTAP from Tunisia and SVIMED  from Italy .  

Registration to the webinar is compulsory at this link: https://bit.ly/3qyktMA