ARI Biennial Review for 2018-2019

The LIFE+ project titled “Revamping organic farming and its products in the context of climate change mitigation strategies” (ORGANIKO) aims to demonstrate the comparative advantages of organic versus conventional farming and products using indicators of mitigation efficiency to climate change, agronomic and environmental quality, and decreased children exposures to pesticides, promoting healthy food for better children’s health. The project is coordinated by the Cyprus University of Technology, whereas the Agricultural Research Institute, the Department of Environment and the Kyoto Club are project partners. The project deliverable “Stakeholder Organic Sector Mapping in Cyprus” was compiled by A. Stylianou. The report was included in the preparatory actions of the project and aimed at providing a comprehensive mapping of the organic sector in Cyprus from the production at farm level right through to processing and trading. Hence, it described the current situation of the wider organic food supply chain in Cyprus and provided useful information for each actor constituting the supply chain. In addition, A. Stylianou contributed to the writing of deliverable “ORGANIC FARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE: Literature Review Synthesis and Perspectives”, to the development, data curation and analysis of two questionnaires administered to organic farmers, as well as to various seminars that took place around Cyprus for dissemination purposes (M. Omirou, D. Neocleous, P. Dalias, D. Fasoula, A. Stylianou, S. Ioannidou, I.M. Ioannides) PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE RESEARCH & INNOVATION FOUNDATION The project “Proactive Producer and Processor Networks for Troodos Mountains Agriculture – 3PRO-TROODOS” is funded by the RIF of Cyprus and coordinated by the Cyprus Institute. The goal of the 3PRO-TROODOS project is to improve agricultural production and food processing in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus, through social innovation, sustainable natural resource management and climate change adaptation. The project aims (a) to develop a voluntary Troodos quality certification label through a fully participatory process; (b) to improve processing through innovation and linkages between producers and processors; (c) to quantify current and future irrigation water demands based on high-resolution climate projections (2020–2050); (d) to develop guidelines for sustainable irrigation; (e) to test four climate resilient innovations with pilot farmer groups; and (f ) to analyse the costs and benefits of tested innovations and the socio-economic impacts of the quality certification label through input-output modelling. Through the integration of people, scientific and practical knowledge and experiences, the project consortium can add value to farming, make agriculture climate resilient and sustain the beautiful cultural landscapes of the Troodos Mountains. The role of ARI in the project implementation is of vital importance, since it is highly involved in all Work Packages (WP), but chiefly in WP3 and WP6. (A. Stylianou, G. Adamides, S. Ioannidou, C. Stavridou, D. Fasoula) DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES The Section is responsible for maintaining the ARI website and various social media network services. ARI publications since 1965 have been digitized, and full-text articles are available from the Institute’s website http://www.ari.gov.cy. The Rural Development Section makes use of several social networking tools such as Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ARICyprus , and Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ari_rd. These services are used to share information about several topics related to ARI activities. ( G. Adamides ) 64 RURAL DEVELOPMENT