A European project for more diverse and sustainable agriculture
O PROSPER (Promoting Resilient Orphan Legumes for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security) is a project funded by Horizon Europe Program, which brings together 27 institutions from 14 countries European and Mediterranean.
The aim is to value and promote the cultivation of orphan legumes“ - little-exploited but highly resilient species - as a way of diversifying:
- agriculture, providing farmers with a wider selection of species and cultivars to increase productivity in challenging environments;
- value chains, explaining the options for the circular economy and food processing.
With a duration of 48 months, PROSPER works in different areas of Europe - from the Mediterranean to the North - testing science-based sustainable solutions adapted to different agricultural, climatic and socio-economic contexts, and promoting them through the involvement of farmers and stakeholders.
Why are legumes “orphans”?
Despite orphan legumes be well adapted to extreme soil and climate conditions, These crops are currently are not widely cultivated or recognized compared to important crops such as rice or wheat.
PROSPER seeks to integrate these crops into modern agricultural systems, demonstrating that they can:
- increase crop productivity in challenging environments,
- improving agricultural biodiversity,
- improving soil health and resilience against climate change,
- expanding food products and the circular bioeconomy e
- promote the socio-economic development of small farmers and local communities.
PROSPER's objectives
The project aims to:
- Evaluate agronomic and nutritional performance of orphan legumes in different European climatic conditions;
- Developing new biotechnological and digital tools for selecting, monitoring and improving resilient cultivars;
- Promoting agricultural and industrial diversification, These crops are valued in food and bioproduct chains;
- Involving farmers, researchers and companies in a process of co-creating sustainable solutions that can be applied in the field.
InPP's participation in Work Package 4: Sustainability and Resilience of Legumes
O InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is one of the three Portuguese entities involved in PROSPER. Its work focuses on Work Package 4 - Sustainability & Resilience of Orphan Legumes, The workshop will focus on demonstrating how biological and digital practices can increase the robustness of these crops in the face of climate change.
InPP will:
- evaluating the response of orphan legumes to abiotic stressesThese include drought and salinity in laboratory and field tests;
- testing innovative bioproducts (bioprotectants and biostimulants) to strengthen the vitality and resistance of plants;
- integrating digital technologies, These include sensors, drones and artificial intelligence models to monitor the vigor of crops and predict their performance in different climate scenarios.
This approach will allow produce scientific knowledge applicable to other agricultural crops and strengthen InPP's role as a benchmark in innovation for sustainable agriculture in southern Europe.
Expected impact
PROSPER aims to transform the way legumes are perceived and used in Europe, with direct benefits:
A diverse and collaborative European consortium
PROSPER is coordinated by University of Pavia (Italy) and integrates 27 organizations from 14 countries, between universities, research centers, companies and farmers' organizations.
This multidisciplinary network guarantees a holistic approach - from genetics to agricultural policy - and ensures that the solutions developed are practical, sustainable and replicable in different European realities.
Financing
PROSPER is funded by European Commission through the program Horizon Europe - Cluster 6: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, under the action HORIZON-CL6-2024-BIODIV-02-3.
Follow the project
Visit official website of PROSPER and follow the InnovPlantProtect and the project on social media to follow activities, results and events on resilient legumes and sustainable agriculture.
The future of European agriculture lies in diversity, science and collaboration - and PROSPER is paving the way.
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