In view of the parallel session to be organized by LIVINGAGRO project partners in the framework of the "Joint Seminar of the FAO CIHEAM Networks on Pasture and Forage Crops and on Sheep and Goat Nutrition" taking place in Catania, Sicily, on next 27 - 29 September 2022, the Italian National Research Council (CNR) elaborated and submitted a dedicated Abstract.

The Joint Seminar will be focused on alternative feed resources and their management for the transition towards sustainable ruminant production. In particular, it aims at exploring the various opportunities in terms of new or underexploited local feed resources that could be better valorised in the future and used to secure small ruminant feeding systems and boost animal production: considering this, joining the two sub-networks on Pasture and Forage Crops and on Sheep and Goat Nutrition will offer LIVINGAGRO partners the opportunity to consider the issue from two complementary points of view, thus encouraging system approaches.

The submitted extended abstract broadly presents the LIVINGAGRO project, highlighting the main key elements:

i) the use of the participatory approach, oriented towards the co-creation of economic and social values in the territories involved for the development of interactions between supply and demand in the agroforestry market, eliminating geographical and cultural barriers;

ii) the creation of two crossborder Living Laboratories (LLs) to support education, R&D and technology transfer in agroforestry by strengthening cooperation between research institutions, SMEs, farmers and other stakeholders with the main object of improving the sustainability of Mediterranean agroforestry systems.

More in detail, the Abstract focuses on the description of the experimental field trials established in two LLs in Lebanon and Sardinia. As a response to the needs expressed by economic actors in the sector, selections of specific pasture seed mixtures are proposed to improve the forage quality and availability in silvopastoral systems (LL2) and soil quality and protection in multifunctional olive systems (LL1). The identification of specific seed mixtures to improve the production and environmental performance of these systems can be an interesting innovation for the whole Mediterranean agroforestry sector.

Read the full submitted LIVINGAGRO Abstract HERE