25-26/02/2025: 2nd EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS “AGROBIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE: INNOVATIVE AND RESILIENT AGRO-ECOLOGICAL APPROACHES”, FACULTE’ POLYDISCIPLINAIRE, LARACHE, MOROCCO
As part of the CHANGE-UP project, Professors Salama El Fatehi and Younes Hmimsa organized and coordinated the second edition of the international congress “Agrobiodiversity and Climate Change: Innovative and Resilient Agroecological Approaches”, held at the Faculté Polydisciplinaire, Larache, Morocco. This significant scientific gathering united national and international attendees, including researchers, educators, and agricultural sector professionals, to examine the critical topics related to agrobiodiversity in the context of the climate change. Moreover, various scientific communication sessions allowed participants to showcase and deliberate advancements in their research. The event concluded with a ceremony to award the most outstanding work.
25-27/11/2024: ICC INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: GRAINS FOR ONE HEALTH, TAIPEI, TAIWAN
Dr. Laura Gazza and her colleagues from CREA (Rome) joined the conference “Grains For One health” in Taipei, Taiwan, held by the International Association for Cereal Sciences and Technology. During the conference, Dr. Laura Gazza gave an oral presentation entitled “Innovative agro-ecological approaches for resilience to climate change and sustainable diets”, highlighting some of the results obtained on Evolutionary populations and New Perennial Grains within the CHANGE-UP project.
19-22/11/2024: FINAL PROJECT MEETING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PARMA, PARMA, ITALY
The final meeting of the CHANGE-UP project was held at the University of Parma from November 19-22, 2024. During the meeting, the results related to each work packages were presented and discussed. It was also an important opportunity to discuss possible future developments and collaborations. Project members also had the opportunity to join the ODT Forum event (International conference: The Role of Origin in the Sustainability of Localised Food Systems) held at the Department of Economics, University of Parma, where the project coordinator Prof. Gianni Galaverna gave a plenary with a presentation entitled “The Central Role of Biodiversity.” The meeting was also an occasion to visit the “Azienda Agricola Pederzani”, a family-run and certified organic farm since 1998.
ODT Forum Joint Event
10-13/07/2024: POSTER PRESENTATION AT THE SIGA CONGRESS IN BOLOGNA
Two posters entitled “Perennial wheat rhizosphere harbors a richness of bacterial strains exhibiting plant growth promoting characteristics and biocontrol activity against pathogenic fungi” and “An untargeted metabolomic approach to investigate the cross talk between perennial wheats’ roots and the associated active rizosphere microbial community” were presented by Dr. Gianluigi Giannelli and Prof. Giovanna Visioli at the 67th SIGA (Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics) congress held in Bologna, Italy. At the end of the congress, the poster “Perennial wheat rhizosphere harbors a richness of bacterial strains exhibiting plant growth promoting characteristics and biocontrol activity against pathogenic fungi” was recognised and awarded as one of the best posters presented.
19-21/06/2024: POSTER PRESENTATION AT THE XIII AISTEC CONGRESS IN TURIN
Two posters entitled “Wheat evolutionary populations: a regenerative agriculture approach for sustainable and quality supply chains” and “Wheat evolutionary populations grown on different precessions under organic regime stimulate soil processes and microbial biodiversity” about the Change-UP project were presented by Dr. Chiara Natale and Dr. Gianluigi Giannelli at the XIII AISTEC Congress “FILIERE CEREALICOLE RIGENERATIVE Cambiamenti climatici e nuove esigenze qualitative e nutrizionali” in Turin, Italy.
03/06/2024: VISIT TO THE EXPERIMENTAL FIELDS OF CHANGE-UP PROJECT AT STUARD EXPERIMENTAL FARM IN PARMA, ITALY – EVALUATION OF EXPERIMENTAL FIELDS
On Monday, June 3, 2024, an Open Day with evaluation of soft wheat plots was held in Parma at the Stuard Experimental Farm, which supports the University of Parma in carrying out the experimental trials included in the project. The event attracted many farmers, who were interested in the possible adoption of the solutions being tested. Included in the trial were the three evolutionary populations of soft wheat (Bio2, Furat Floriddia, Furat Li Rosi) and the variety Monnalisa (Semìa), grown without input on both wheat and legume precessions.
Prof. Gianni Galaverna, coordinator of the project and director of the Department of Food and Drug (University of Parma (ALIFAR)), framed the project and the strategies deployed, given the unpredictable climatic context that agriculture is facing and the need to adopt increasingly environment- and soil-friendly approaches.
Prof. Salvatore Ceccarelli, expert in cereal genetic improvement and consultant at the University of Parma, together with the technicians from the Stuard Farm, guided the farmers and technicians present in evaluating the wheat plots.
29/04/2024-01/05/2024: PROJECT MEETING AT THE UNIVERISITE’ A. ESSAÂDI, LARACHE, MOROCCO
The project meeting at the Université A. ESSAÂDI – Faculté Polydisciplinair à Larache, Morocco, has just ended. The project partners met from 29th of April to 1st May. It was an important opportunity to mutually exchange updates on project activities and to visit the experimental sites of evolutionary wheat populations in Jajouka and the perennial grain lines at the University Campus in Larache. Special thanks to Prof. El Fatehi Salama, Prof. Hmimsa Younes and their research team for the perfect organisation of the event and for their kind hospitality.
We would also like to thank Michael Gusko, advisory board member, for his participation and important suggestions
21/11/2023: CHANGE-UP AT FORUM ORIGIN, DIVERSITY AND TERRITORIES (ODT FORUM 2023)
We wish to thank the Forum with its president Dominique Barjolle and all the organisation team, the Origin for Sustainability Association (https://lnkd.in/dQDtFpzt) and the MOUNTMED Institute (mountmedinstitute.com).
At this link, the Change-Up presentation can be watched: Change-Up Presentation ODT Forum
19/06/2023: EPs SAMPLING AT STUARD EXPERIMENTAL FARM IN PARMA, ITALY
On 19/6/2023, the rhizosphere and soil sampling of EPs took place at the Stuard experimental farm.
17/06/2023: CHANGE-UP PROJECT AT THE “BIODIVERSITA’ IN FERMENTO” FESTIVAL IN PARMA
The first Italian festival on fermented foods was held at the Stuard experimental farm on 06/17/2023. During the event, Professor Giovanna Visioli and Dr. Silvia Folloni held a seminar to describe the potential of EPs and NPGs, the importance of soil and rhizosphere microbial biodiversity, and possible applications of soil microorganisms as biofertilizers in crop low input fertilisation managements.
07/06/2023: VISIT TO THE EXPERIMENTAL FIELDS OF CHANGE-UP PROJECT AT STUARD EXPERIMENTAL FARM IN PARMA, ITALY
On June 7th 2023, farmers from Parma province came to visit the experimental fields of evolutionary populations at Stuard Farm. After a presentation of CHANGE-UP project, they were brought to visit the experimental fields of Furat Floriddia, Furat Li Rosi and BIO2 EPs sown this year. A blind questionnaire was delivered for their evaluation of the wheat field trial plots.
06-08/06/2023: FIELD DAYS IN ALGERIA
Field days demonstration of the trials were organized for farmers, researchers and students in Algeria in the 3 experimental fields. The locations were: Oum el Bouaghi, Beni Mestina and Setif on June 6th, 7th and 8th, respectively. The trials were described by Dr. Benbelkacem, INRAA. Local press (Cirta FM) covered the events for dissemination all over the region. The number of participants varied from 45 to 55 in each site.
30-31/05/2023: INTERNATIONAL MEETING IN CONSTANTINE, ALGERIA
Presentation of an oral communication on the objectives and preliminary results of Change-Up project given by Dr.Benbelkacem during the International meeting on “Urban food resilience under climate change challenges” at the ALNUTS Lab of the University of Constantine.
28-29/05/2023: FIELD DAYS AT CONSTANTINE AND SETIF EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS IN ALGERIA
Doors were opened to a tour of all farm programs and the Change-Up project was explained to all participants and stakeholders. Presentations were given by Dr. Benbelkacem and Dr. Hannachi in Constantine and Setif, respectively. About 50 farmers, students and technicians from the region visited the Eps and NPG trials.
18-19/05/2023: MEETING THE ADVISORY BOARD IN ROME
On May 18-19, 2023, the results of CHANGE-UP obtained up to now by the various partners of the project were presented to the Advisory Board in a hybrid meeting at Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing (CREA), Rome. In this occasion it was possible to visit the facilities of CREA laboratories to produce flour and the pilot plants for the transformation and production of pasta and bakery products. Partners had the opportunity to taste pizza and focaccia produced with the flours of wheat evolutionary populations and einkorn from the project fields. A trip at the experimental fields of Montelibretti (RM, Italy) was also organized to observe the second year of Evolutionary Populations and New Perennial Grain field trials.
23-28/04/2023: EGU GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN WIEN
A poster entitled “Impact of evolutionary populations on soil organic matter characteristics” was presented in the section “Plant traits, adaptation, and biogeochemical cycles – from measurements to models” by Dr. Rumpel and Dr. Vedere at the EGU General Assembly 2023 in Wien.
09-10/12/2022: 22nd SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH DAYS IN MOROCCO
An oral communication on the Change-UP project was given by Dr. EL FATEHI during the 22nd Scientific Research Days, Polydisciplinary Faculty Larache (UAE), Morocco.
19-20/09/2022: PROJECT ANNUAL MEETING IN PARMA, ITALY
On September 19-20, 2023, at the Sant’Elisabetta Center, Campus, University of Parma, Italy, the project partners met to present and discuss the results obtained. On this occasion, it was possible to visit the facilities of the Stuard Experimental Farm (Parma), which collaborates within the project for field trials on evolutionary populations.
01-02/07/2022: INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS “AGROBIODIVERSITY IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES”
An oral communication on the results of Change-UP project was given by Dr. EL FATEHI during the International Congress, Polydisciplinary Faculty Larache (UAE), Morocco.
15-17/06/2022: POSTER PRESENTATION AT THE AISTEC CONGRESS
A poster about the Change-UP project was presented by Prof. Visioli (UNIPR) at the XII AISTEC Congress “Cereali e Scienza: resilienza, sostenibilità e innovazione” in Portici, Naples, Italy.
06/06/2022: FIELD DAYS IN ALGERIA
Field day demonstration of the trials were organized for farmers, researchers and students in Algeria in the 3 experimental fields. The locations were: Oum el Bouaghi and Beni Mestina on May 24th and 26th, respectively, and Setif on June 6th. The trials were described by Dr. Benbelkacem, INRAA. Events were also disseminated on the local press (Cirta FM).
30/05/2022: OPEN DAY IN PARMA – ITALY
On May 30, 2022, the Stuard farm opened the door to a tour of the Change-Up project’s experimental fields. The event kicked-off with a presentation of the project by coordinator Gianni Galaverna. Participants were then able to visit the experimental fields of evolutionary populations (EPs) and fill out an appreciation questionnaire of the EPs in the trials.
12-13/11/2021: SOIL SAMPLING ACTIVITIES IN MOROCCO
On November 2021, soil sampling campaign to perform physical and chemical analyses in Jahjouka, Boujediane, Krimda and FPL-Smart sites, Morocco.
26/08/2021: CHANGE UP PROJECT KICK-OFF MEETING
On the occasion of the CHANGE-UP project kick off meeting, on August 26 researchers from 7 institutions from 5 Mediterranean countries met online.
The kick off meeting was attended by all consortium partners with representatives from Univesity of Parma (Italy, coordinator), Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (Italy), National Center for Scientific Research (France), National Agronomic Research Institute of Algeria (Algeria), National Institute of Agricultural Research of Tunisia (Tunisia), FPL – Université Abdelmalek Essaadi (Morocco).
During the meeting, representatives of each participating institution made presentations to explain what tasks they will perform and their respective responsibilities.
PRIMA-funded project
This project is part of the PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediteranean Area) programme supported by the European Union. This website reflects only the author’s view and PRIMA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
Contact
E-mail: info@changeupproject.com
Address (Coordinator)
Dept. of Food and Drug,
Parco Area delle Scienze, 27/a
University of Parma, I – 43124 PARMA (Italy).
Change-Up | Project 