The NPP-SOL consortium met online for its Midterm Meeting, bringing together partners from France, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Spain to reflect on progress, share knowledge, and strengthen collaboration. The meeting was organized and hosted by the University of Barcelona.
Over two days, the meeting aimed to review project progress, share results among partners, strengthen collaboration, discuss challenges, and align strategies to co-develop and scale up/out solutions within the NPP-SOL project.
The meeting opened with a warm welcome by Albert Soler (University of Barcelona), followed by a strategic overview from the project coordinator Antonio Coppola (UNIBAS), who acknowledged the work done until now by all the Partners, researchers and stakeholders involved in the activities of the project and summarized the key milestones reached in the first project phase.
The session continued with Partners sharing updates, achievements and detailed insights of the work implemented within different WPs. Here are some highlights:
WP2 Case Studies Technology Development (Technion): Overview on the development and implementation of bioreactors, smart irrigation practices using treated waste waters, constructed wetlands in Spain and Morocco for nitrates removal;
WP3 Experimental Tests and Data Collection (University of Barcelona): Preliminary characterization of field sites with the identification of main pollutants, assessment of the vulnerabilities and treatment technology validation along with a case study database; WP5 Dissemination and Communication (CIHEAM Bari): review on the communication, dissemination, and capacity-building activities implemented so far by the project and by Partners. The session was followed by an interactive Mentimeter session gathering participant feedback.
WP4 Modeling for technologies optimization, Modeling for Best Practices development (UNIBAS and CIHEAM IAMM) showcased advanced tools including the DAHBSIM bioeconomic model and FLOWS software.
A special session was dedicated to the presentations of the technologies implemented in the four case study areas in Israel, Italy, Morocco, Spain. Each of them shared valuable insights from their case studies followed by an open discussion on local challenges and potential for scaling up solutions:
- Israel – Roy Posmanik (TECHNION) & Roey Egozi (MOAG) presented the activities implemented in the case study area in Newe Ya’ar (Israel), as well as the testing on anaerobic digesters and nitrogen-removal systems in real agricultural settings.
- Morocco – Abdelmjid Zouahri (INRA) focused on nitrate contamination in the Gharb Plain, sharing ongoing sampling and monitoring strategies to tackle water pollution.
- Italy – Antonio Coppola (UNIBAS) and Stefania Da Pelo (UNICA) highlighted field activities addressing pollution through nature-based and technological solutions adapted locally.
- Spain – Rosanna Margalef and Helena Escalona (UB) presented sustainable water and soil management practices, including the development of constructed wetlands.
The second day was strongly oriented toward stakeholders engagement. The agenda included collaborative interactive sessions for the co-creation of ideas and solutions, open discussion with stakeholders and a brainstorming to address project management issues. Here are some highlights:
WP1 Stakeholders-Researchers HUB (SHR-HUB) interactive session (CIHEAM IAMM and CIHEAM Bari):
- A short presention of the SHR-HUB and the activities of the local Living Hubs held in the four case studies.
- An interactive session using the co-creation tool MIRO, that enabled participants to come up with ideas and useful inputs regarding the site-specific management practices (SSBMP), Pollution-Preventing Technologies (PPT), farmers awareness and scaling up / scaling out of project’s results.
- Targeted discussions in four separate groups (one for each case study) where Partners had the possibility to exchange with the stakeholders on technical, regulatory and practical issues related to the case studies. Collaborative MIRO workshop and country discussions on local challenges.
WP6 Project Coordination and Management (UNIBA) presented an overview of project management. Partners openly discussing what has been done so far and what still needs to be achieved. The session underlined the need for regular monitoring and follow-up to keep the project on track until its completion.
Across both days, it was clear that NPP-SOL is more than a technical initiative; it is a transnational effort combining scientific expertise, field experience, and stakeholder co-creation to build scalable, locally adapted solutions addressing agricultural pollution in the Mediterranean.
Here are some Advisory Board Recommendations on Project Progress:
- Nature-Based Solutions Technology: The PPTs represent the core outcome of the project. For successful scaling-up, it is crucial to maintain continuous engagement with local agencies, consortium partners, and district-level authorities. A specific and sustained focus on this collaborative dimension is strongly recommended.
- Discussion on Previous Data: The issue of pollution in the water bodies within the selected case studies appears to have been identified early in the project. As the project has now reached its mid-term phase, it is advisable to promptly conclude this discussion in order to allow a stronger focus on the next steps.
- Modelling: The integration of an agro-hydrological model with a bioeconomic model is considered relevant and aligned with the project’s goals and potential for scaling up/out. However, since both models include a crop growth module, ensuring their consistency is essential. If substituting one model for the other is not feasible, a comparative analysis is recommended to ensure they produce similar results and to avoid potential discrepancies.
A big thank to all participants for their dedication, to the stakeholders for their active participation and to the University of Barcelona for hosting this vibrant exchange.
