MASCC aims to address mitigation and adaptation strategies to global change by assessing current and future evolution of Mediterranean agricultural soil vulnerability to erosion in relation to projected land use, agricultural practices and climate change. It targets to i) assess the similarities/dissimilarities in dominant factors affecting the current Mediterranean agricultural soil vulnerability by exploring a wide range of Mediterranean contexts; ii) improve the ability to evaluate the impact of extreme events on both the current and projected agricultural soil vulnerability and the sediment delivery at catchment outlet; iii) provide benchmarks regarding the vulnerability of agricultural production to a combination of potential changes in a wide range of Mediterranean contexts, iv) and provide guidelines on sustainable agricultural conservation strategies adapted to each specific agro-ecosystem taking into consideration both on- and off-site erosion effects and socio-economics issues. To reach these objectives, the MASCC project will gather researchers from 6 Mediterraneanean countries (France, Morocco, Tunisia ; Italy, Spain, Portugal) that monitor mid- to long-term environmental catchment and that get mutual knowledge due to previous projects and network. The major advantages for the project are: i) the availability of an unrivalled database on soil erosion, (innovative) agriculture practices covering a wide range of Mediterranean contexts, ii) the capacity to better evaluate the impact of extreme events on soil erosion, iii) the availability of the LANDSOIL , a catchment-scale integrated approach of the soil-landscape system that enables to simulate both the sediment fluxes at the catchment outlet and the soil evolution properties, iv) the multi-disciplinarity of the involved researchers with an international reputation in the fields of soil science, modelling changes in soil properties, erosion and sediment transport, agronomy and socio-economy. The MASCC project will be conducted through a coordination and dissemination workpackage and three scientific work-packages : WP1 will consist in elaborating plausible scenario (climatic, land use and adaptative innovative agricultural practices) for the future (20 to 50 years); WP2 will simulate soil vulnerability for current conditions and scenarios from WP1; and WP3 will focus on the comparative evaluation of present and future on-site and off-site effects of soil erosion on agriculture sustainability.

InovFarmer.MED aims to improve Mediterranean supply chain by promoting the adoption of innovative and sustainable Business models and partnership on the agro-food systems, providing strategies and digital technologies to cope with any crisis. InovFarmer.MED is expected to improve the two study case agri-food value chain products, valorizing Fig and Prickly Pear, by enabling the adoption of adapted Digital technologies that pave the way for a smart agri-food supply chain linking farmers/producers to food processing and retail in three piloting sites - Portugal, Algeria and Egypt. Specific objectives and the approach to achieve them are: i) To analyze current and traditional production methods applied by small scale-farmers and needs to be addressed in co-creative and multi-actor processes to increase food production and avoid food loss. ii) To monitor fruit ripening, productivity, sales prices, stocks management and improve end-product quality in the production of fig and prickly pear, using smart technologies, and adoption of best practices to increase fruit profitability in fresh marketing channels. iii) To establish scientific eco-friendly methodologies for processing fresh fruits or edible parts of the plant with direct flow to dedicated transformers, preserving the nutritional and bioactive properties in the new products obtained. iv) To develop and implement training with and for small-scale farmers by the preparation of a toolkit for sustainable production, transformation and commercialization, based on the knowledge gathered from the farmers and relevant actors of the supply chain, scientific community and strategies to build resilient business models encompassing user-centric digital services that support smallholders access to market. v) To design innovative business models that will improve the interconnection between farmers, smallholder’s organizations, transformers, retailers and consumers, using different digital technologies and platforms, such as mobile apps and e-commerce, to serve the various stages of the value chain of the targeted agro-products, increasing the income of small-scale farmers from the Mediterranean basin communities. The innovative business model ecosystem will strengthen the position of smallholders and rural business, potentiating jobs creation and the withholding of as much added value as possible in rural regions. This project will facilitate the diversification of quality products, including processed ones, guaranteeing a more stable income, and therefore increasing resilience, leveraged by a better access to the marketing and labor channels available through smart agri-food supply chains that stimulate economic growth and a more balanced territorial development.

Strengthening French participation to European calls is a major challenge. Applying to this MRSEI program will enable us to assess scientific visibility and benefit of the multidisciplinary network HuPlastiX on micro- and nano-plastics for a better human health risk assessment and management. Positioned at the interface between analytical chemistry, physiology, food toxicology, environmental sciences and toxicology, and circular economy, it will facilitate access and, hopefully, success to the H2020 funding program through the call SC1-BHC-03-2018 “Micro- and nano-plastics in our environment: Understanding exposures and impacts on human health”. Global plastic production has increased exponentially over the last decades. A significant proportion of the plastic produced is not disposed of properly and persists in the environment, especially the marine environment. Plastic products can be slowly degraded and fragmented into smaller pieces (defined as secondary micro-plastics when they are smaller than 5 mm and nano-plastics when they are < 1 µm). Primary micro-plastics may also be intentionally added to, for example, toothpaste and beauty products. Furthermore, plastic debris are associated with a “cocktail of contaminants” made up of chemical ingredients present originally in the plastic (additives such as bisphenols, phthalates) and chemical pollutants adsorbed to the plastic from the environment (e.g. metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), flame retardants…). Due to their small sizes, micro-plastics are filtered into marine species’ gastrointestinal tract mechanically or they may look like food to some species, thus entering the food chain, with to date largely unknown effects. In fact, risk assessment studies and reviews carried out in recent years have concluded that there is evidence that humans are exposed to micro- and nano-plastics through their diet, drinking water or inhalation. However, understanding the fate and toxicity of these plastic particles in humans constitutes a major knowledge gap, rendering it difficult to carry out proper science-based risk assessment and management. The challenge of this call is to provide, notably through innovative approaches, policy relevant scientific data in support of improved human health hazard and risk assessment of micro- and/or nano-plastics. The following impacts are foreseen: (i) innovation in hazard characterization and health risk assessment methodologies for micro- and/or nano-plastics, (ii) better understanding of health impacts of exposure to micro- and/or nano-plastics, (iii) contribution to the health-relevant aims of the European strategy for plastics in a circular economy and of the bioeconomy strategy. Our proposal HuPlastiX aims to cover these expected impacts. As such, objectives cannot be reached on an individual country level; the targeted call thus needs intensive collaboration and synergies between scientists across disciplines. In line with this ambitious, albeit necessary, pre-requisite, we have started to build our consortium accordingly, while keeping in mind our own vision on how to tackle this cognitive and application-driven challenge on micro- and nano-plastics. By gathering specialists of the related fields, we aim to fulfill the gap between environmental and food toxicology, considering gut and its partners involved in maintaining host homeostasis. To support these biology-based findings, innovative methods will be implemented for detection and quantification of micro- and nano-sized plastics in the presence of additives and environmental pollutants. The ultimate goal will be to link the circular economy strategy of plastics with human health criteria, in order to facilitate the transition towards a modern, nutritionally sound and more sustainable society.

The current food value chains in Europe and the Maghreb Region face significant challenges with regard to sustainability, food loss, waste, and safety issues. To address these problems, the QuiPack project consortium will implement a Life Cycle Design Approach to develop novel functional food packaging solutions with nature-based antimicrobial and smart sensor properties. QuiPack's innovative solutions will (1) valorise waste and side streams along the quinoa-, other agricultural, and aquaculture food supply chain; (2) develop and test biointelligent coatings and packaging materials that meet customers' and market expectations and requirements both in Europe and the Maghreb region, (3) be smart ( i.e., linked to AI/IoT-assisted Food Value Chain Intelligence and Decision Support Systems – FVCI/DSS) and optimized with regard to food safety, traceability, environmental effects, sustainability, as well as cost-effectiveness in Mediterranean settings, (4) include socioeconomic studies on consumers preferences, needs and acceptance, and (5) be accompanied by tailored communication, training, and dissemination to support the wide take up of novel solutions. The QuiPack consortium and its associated partners are determined and will mobilize all necessary resources to become pioneers and pacemakers for innovation and technological advancements of biodegradable antimicrobial materials in the Mediterranean region. By overcoming today's scientific-technological barriers, the consortium will advance functionalized packaging solutions and corresponding processing technology from TRL 2/3 - 6/7, dependent on the technology and business partners involved. We focus on natural antimicrobial and smart coatings, foil, as well as cardboard packaging solutions, which can protect and preserve a wide range of traditional Mediterranean foods. Novel Chitosan-based UV- and RFID sensors will be combined with AgriTrack's advanced FVCI/DSS to support digital quality monitoring, smarter logistics and retailing. Research on microbiome-based solutions, carbon dots, and customized 3D food printing technology will complement our ambitious work program. Combined, QuiPack’s solutions will significantly reduce food spoilage, increase shelf-life, and limit overall food losses by at least 50%, while enhancing the valorisation of hitherto wasted biomass, saving resources and the environment. Through a consequent multi-actor approach and entrepreneurial stimulation, QuiPack will deliver novel opportunities and solutions for actors along the entire food chain. To achieve this, QuiPack consortium partners will use and extend their networks to communicate and share scientific-technical and practical knowledge in an audience-tailored manner. Interaction with the scientific community, current project consortia targeting similar goals, with stakeholders from the food sector, service providers, managers, regulating authorities, and consumers will inspire and spark co-creation and innovation, mutual exchange of best practices, and moreover, shall improve consumer trust and preference for sustainably produced, novel antimicrobial and smart food packaging.