The overall objective of SafeAgroBee is to contribute to adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change and other drivers negatively influencing the sustainability and the resilience of the agricultural system in the Mediterranean basin, ensuring the income of farmers and food security. In SafeAgroBee we focus on beekeeping and pollination provided by both wild and managed bees as important drivers in ruling food security and human existence. To this aim, SafeAgroBee will specifically address the following: 1) examine the resilience of bee pollinators (Apis and non Apis bees) on a changing environment towards pollination services and productivity by a) documenting wild and domesticated bee contribution to the pollination of key crops; b) determining the carrying capacity of several crops as a novel approach for bee productivity and c) by projecting historical climatic data and bee related data in today's conditions; 2) investigate the adaptability of local bee populations and the application of optimal practices under climate change in order to ensure sustainable beekeeping by monitoring the development and the performance of local populations and their resistance to diseases for long periods; 3) support the development of mitigation strategies ensuring the health of the bees and provide advice for the beekeepers by comparing the health and productivity of the honey bee colonies between different agricultural ecosystems and by performing alternative and new strategies to control bee diseases; 4) develop innovative monitoring tools and precision apiculture systems for advanced data acquisition by building on sounds, bee movements and heat detection, also enhancing business potential; 5) test and validate novel models for predicting the health of the bees, as for example the Health Status Index, as well as their productivity in terms of honey and pollination services based on two strong conditions, i) on previous experience, developments and knowledge and ii) on the large data sets with very accurate data and from diverse climatological conditions; 6) adopt a Citizen Science approach to interact and collaborate with all stakeholders and the citizens, thus performing a multi-actor approach at all levels; furthermore by forming an active Advisory Board we ensure extra scientific support and input in re-designing farming strategies to stakeholders' needs. Our main and specific objectives fall exactly under the scope of this particular call, as we are going to address specifically the challenges which have been identified in the call. We recognize that preserving the ecosystem, the resilience of pollinators and bees and sustainable beekeeping practices are among the major challenges of our time. We are going to address and tackle all these topics through the monitoring of different management practices of bees both in terms of their own health and productivity, but also in their pollination services. Droughts and pest invasions, losses of bees’ and other pollinators’ biodiversity due to use of agrochemicals, and possible changes in the plant -pollinator interactions, urges for sustainable solutions in the agroecosystem models, and our proposal aims to tackle exactly those drivers and to seek for alternatives using precision apiculture systems and smart digital technologies as well as different modeling tools for scenario analysis and the planning of strategic management. Here we will also test different mitigation strategies in order to ensure sustainability in a continuously changing environment, also with in areas experiencing harsh conditions exist (e.g. the dry areas). Building resilient ‘farming systems’ is our aim, and we are going to tackle this in two directions, from the beekeepers and the farmers perspective.

DANSER represents a multidisciplinary holistic and scientific based approach focused on the Danube River basin, a vital yet sensitive ecosystem facing climate change and human impacts. DANSER addresses pressing sediment management needs in the Danube River ecosystem, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and aligning with EU policies and directives. Especially attaining the core guidelines of the Danube Sediments Management Guidance. DANSER delivers a pilot phase and envisages the deployment phase, with a strong emphasis on demonstrating active and passive innovative solutions, such as a) spatio-temporal mapping of natural and anthropogenic fluvial processes, b) sediment transport modelling, (c) sediment dating by radionuclide and radiometric methods, d) historical pollution analysis (e) geophysical survey and 3D historical reconstruction of the demonstration sites, (f) river-groundwater dynamics and pollution transport modelling, (g) river processes forecast simulations based on historical and active processes, (h) sediment budget analysis based on sedimentation measuring stations, UAV and bathymetry surveys, (i) water levels and quality monitoring and analysis j) river-side arm hydrotechnical connectivity interventions, (k) stakeholder-engaged sediment parametric evaluation and co management and (l) Nature based solutions for biodiversity characterization monitoring and improvement. On the soft measures side, DANSER enforces proactively a transnational sediment task force, from cooperating with all related instances, and commits with local communities and citizens engagement, including participatory tools. DANSER seeks to restore sediment balance, improve sediment flow and quality, characterise pollution transport mechanisms and integrate such actions and knowledge with EU and worldwide counterparts while still sustaining local and regional economies. DANSER will contribute significantly to the create a sustainable and harmonious human-Danube relationships.

BeeGuards aims to strengthen the resilience of the European beekeeping sector by providing sustainable management practices, novel breeding strategies and digital and forecasting tools that allow the sector to adapt to a changing environment. We focus on determining how abiotic factors such as management practices, climate change, nutrition and resource limitations drive emerging biotic stressors that threaten colony health and erode the resilience of European beekeeping. BeeGuards comprises multiple actors and adopts a multi-actor approach from inception which has led to an open and inclusive design of the work programme. As a community, we will perform European-wide field studies evaluating and validating innovative threshold-based management and breeding strategies for resilience, using hives equipped with technological measurement tools. Complementary detailed immunological, behavioural, microbiological, pathological, ecological investigations will elucidate the ways in which management and climate act on honey bees and other pollinators. In this way, BeeGuards will, for the first time, provide a truly holistic view of the mechanisms determining beekeeping resilience and implement nature-based, local solutions for adaption, including model-based advisory tools for stakeholders. Our open and participatory actions include development of a WikiBEEdia community website where we will share and promote the BeeGuards concepts and results, including a Quest for sustainable beekeeping practices. Ultimately, BeeGuards will show the way for a change of perspective that is needed to achieve resilient beekeeping. BeeGuards will mitigate the environmental impact of beekeeping in terms of impact on wild pollinators and of carbon footprint, protect pollinator biodiversity, ensure the future provision of pollination services and support the economic development and inclusiveness of beekeeping, preparing the European apicultural sector to meet the climate challenge.

Research and development activities are proposed for the benefit of sustainable pork chains based on European local pig breeds and their production systems. Workprogramme is planned to respond to consumer demands for quality and healthiness of pork products with regional identity and societal demands for environment preservation and development of local agro-economy. Description and evaluation of local pig breeds, with an emphasis on untapped ones will be performed using novel genomic tools. Performance of local pig breeds will be evaluated in contrasted agro-geo-climatic conditions and production systems (indoor, outdoor, organic). Focus will be on pig feeding and management strategies and on the use of locally available feeding resources. Intrinsic quality of traditional and new regional high quality pork products and attitudes of consumers from various market areas will be assessed; in particular the motives for the choice and willingness to pay such products. Marketing strategies will be adressed in particular short chain distribution channels. All activities will be driven from the perspective of sustainability (environmental impact, animal welfare, product quality, consumer acceptability and market potential). The activities will engage innovative approaches to answer socio-economic demands of regional pork chains involving partners from different sectors. The ambition is to enhance existing and create new networks between academia and non-academia partners, within and between regions and to tackle the value chain for regional high quality pork products, focusing on diverse and so far untapped pig breeds, their production systems and pork products. Cross-fertilising interactions between research, local agriculture, businesses and end-users will be achieved with partners from these complementary sectors in all research and development activities.

The cereals and cereals products are basic food resources destined to human consumption and also as feed for animals worldwide. Every year, a large number of crops are susceptible to fungal attack on the field or during storage, leading to great financial losses and to affecting human and animal health. Contamination of vegetable products with mycotoxins represented a serious problem in the Balcan communities. The project’s opportunity was offered by the fact that in the previous researches achieved in the project SEE-ERA.NET PLUS, ERA 139/01,”Systems for reducing the mycotoxins contamination of cereals and medicinal herbs in order to conserve the native species and the traditional products in Romania – Serbia – Croatia” 2010 -2012 has shown an incidence of fungal contamination in the vegetable products. Previous studies achieved by partners registered an incidence of Fusarium and mycotoxins in cereals from Romania, Serbia and Croatia In the actual context, when due to climatic changes and pollution under different forms more contaminated cereals are produced, the project aimed to develop and implement a prevention strategy for fungal contamination of the cereals products for all partner countries The project’s objectives were: - Developing a transnational strategic partnership - Developing a curricula and a course handout “Strategies regarding preventing and reducing the effect of fungal contamination on the cereals quality and food safety” - Achieving national partnerships (10) concluded between the partners and different economical agents from the sector with the aim to promote the work-based learning in all it’s forms – VET - increasing the level of training of 70 participants (10 specialists and 60 low qualified employees). The project aimed to improve the access, participation to training, skills, competences and abilities of participants, and after facilitating the possibility to promote on hierarchical scale and to achieve their own business.The project was representative for the sector in Romania and in the partner countries, because in present a course exclusively achieved for applying a strategy regarding preventing and reducing the effect of fungal contamination on the cereals quality and food safety doesn’t exist in none of the partner countries. The project aimed to implement all partner countries strategies regarding preventing and reducing the effect of fungal contamination on the cereals quality and food safety with the aid of the partners previous knowledge and good production practices. At the project a number of 271 persons participated: farmers, depositaries, economical agents that primary process the cereals, training centers for adults VET, of the National Qualification Authorities, research institutes, collaborators of the partners involved in the project, ROMPAN members, specialists from all partner countries. The 5 project activities were: management and implementation; curricula elaboration; course handout elaboration „Strategies regarding preventing and reducing the effect of fungal contamination on the cereals quality and food safety”; training, informing and dissemination The tasks and responsibilities were distributed clearly and equitably between partners, each being responsible for achieving an activity. The implementation methodology was clearly established since the beginning by achieving two basic documents Management procedure and Plan for monitoring quality. Intellectual results achieved: curricula and course handout „Strategies regarding preventing and reducing the effect of fungal contamination on the cereals quality and food safety” innovative materials, structured in 4 modules destined to be used in training of a number of 72 participants. Their impact was major in the sectors that can apply the strategy for preventing the cereals contamination and later on the population’s health. Other results obtained: a strategic partnership, that will continue it’s activity after the end of the project;11 national partnerships; 11 training courses of 5 days finalysed with participation diplomas validated in the project; 72 trained participants; 5 events for informing and dissemination; 5 working meetings; 6 newsletters; 12 articles; 32 intermediary monitoring reports elaborated by experts. The project’s results were uploaded in the section destined results on the ERASMUS+ projects on the EC website.By the project's objectives were innovative and had also a long term impact for the farmers, depositaries and representatives of the sector for primary processing of cereals in Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Italy. By concluding partnerships between the project’s partners and farmers, depositaries and representatives of the sector for primary processing of cereals we wished to promote the work-based learning in all it’s forms-VET and promoting the measures for preventing and reducing the effect of fungal contamination of the cereals quality, production and food safety.