NPP-SOL kick-off meeting was held on November 6-8, 2023 at University of Cagliari (Italy).

At the occasion of the kick-off meeting, the eight partners of NPP-SOL Project gathered for the first time in Cagliari (Italy) which is located in the beautiful island of Sardinia.
The meeting was held from 6 to 8 November 2023 at the “Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato” of the University of Cagliari and provided a general overview of the project’s activities, with the aim of laying the stage for a collaborative research work throughout the duration of the project.

The first day was dedicated to welcoming the partners, introducing the project and its case studies and work packages, a city tour in Cagliari’s main attractions and the social dinner.
The project coordinator, Prof. Antonio Coppola from the University of Basilicata, gave a short presentation to introduce the NPP-SOL project, including its objectives, activities, proposed technologies and study areas.
Dr. Georgios Kleftodimos, from CIHEAM IAM Institute in Montpellier, presented the Work Package 1 of the project: Co-creation, scaling up and scaling out.
Dr. Roy Posmanik from Volcani Institute and Dr. Roey Egozi, from the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, presented the Work Package 2: Technology development, as well as the Israeli case study in the “Model Farm for Sustainable Agriculture” at Newe Ya’ar Research Center.
Prof. Albert Soler, from the University of Barcelona – MAiMA research Group, presented MAiMA group’s expertise in assessing water pollution, monitoring remediation strategies using isotopic tools, as well as evaluating treatment efficiency.
Dr. Abdelmjid Zouahri, presented the Moroccan team involving National Institute of Agricultural Research and Mohammed V University of Rabat represented by Prof. Souad El Hajjaji. Then, he presented the Gharb Region where the project will be implemented.
Dr. Shawkat B.M. Hassan, from the University of Basilicata presented the first part of Work Package 4: Modelling for technologies optimization and Modelling for best practices development, followed by a Dr Kleftodimos, who presented the second part of Work Package 4: Bioeconomic modelling.
At the conclusion of the first day Prof. Stefania Da Pelo, from the DSCG of the University of Cagliari, presented the Italian case study in Arborea.

On the second day, the Italian stakeholders will introduce the case study in Arborea from different points of view. The programme also included will also include a field visit to Arborea Basin.
Dr. Paolo Botti and Dr. Mario Lorrai, from the Hydrographic District Authority of Sardinia, illustrated the main issues related to water resources management in Sardinia.
Dr. Maurizio Testa, from the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Sardinia, gave a presentation on the water quality monitoring network in the Arborea Plain, with a focus on the groundwater monitoring network and potential groundwater nitrate contamination sources in the area.
Dr. Gian Luca Zuddas, from Oristano Land Reclamation and Irrigation Consortium presented details on the planning and the design of the drainage system and bioreactors to be implemented to treat drainage water in the Arborea Plain.
Dr. Sebastiano Curreli, from Arborea’s Farmers Association, gave a presentation on regeneration of resources in the agro-livestock supply chain with a view to the circular economy.

On the third day, the general assembly was held. The steering committee, the scientific advisory board and the project management board was defined and the communication manager was presented.
Prof. Antonio Coppola went through the Work Packages of the project and their related tasks. During this discussion, several points were raised.
After this session, Dr. Chiara Ciannamea from CIHEAM Bari Institute presented in details the Communication and Dissemination strategy related to Work Package 5, along with a description of the activities to be implemented during the whole project.
Dr. Marco Orlando then gave a presentation on tips on reporting and communication with PRIMA Foundation. His presentation included notes on how to fill in and utilize the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning platform.

(Photo via MAiMA)