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HEDoctoral network2024–2028

AGRI-DRY · Dryland agriculture and Land use; past, present and future resilience [AGRI-DRY]

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2024-03-01 → 2028-02-29
EU contribution
€1,915,402
Participants
12
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Dryland agriculture and Land use; past, present and future resilience [AGRI-DRY]

AGRI-DRY is a multidisciplinary research and training network addressing the need for sustainable food production and ecological resilience in dryland regions, which support around 40% of the world’s population. Focusing on the Mediterranean Basin, North Africa, and Southern Africa, the project examines long-term interactions between human populations and their environments. These regions are highly vulnerable to climate change and soil degradation, driven by unsustainable modern land management. In response, AGRI-DRY’s primary objective is to explore how ancient and traditional agricultural systems—grounded in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)—can help address challenges such as increasing aridity and food insecurity. The project aims to translate these insights into practical recommendations for policymakers and communities, supporting more sustainable and resilient food systems. A key component is the training of ten doctoral researchers in interdisciplinary methods integrating archaeology, ecology, and social sciences. AGRI-DRY’s pathway to impact includes generating new insights into the cultural and ecological value of anthropogenic landscapes, and identifying resilient practices such as the use of underutilised crops. By quantifying long-term land-use impacts on climate, the project will also improve future predictions. As a Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH)-led initiative, AGRI-DRY emphasises anthropological and archaeological perspectives, including critical engagement with colonial knowledge legacies, ensuring outputs are scientifically robust and socially informed. Ultimately, AGRI-DRY seeks to bridge long-term environmental knowledge with present-day policy, empowering communities and policymakers to adapt to ongoing environmental change.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The interest in traditional agriculture is a worldwide trend: as people reclaim their heritage, they increasingly turn to lessons learned by their ancestors about how to sustainability interact with their environment. The network ""Dryland agriculture and Land use; past, present and future resilience [AGRI-DRY]"" aims to develop an interdisciplinary approach to traditional crop cultivation through the recognition of the complementary value of cultural heritage and sustainable living. Human cultural development is inextricably linked with the development of agriculture. This bond resulted in the ""domestication"" of the biological and physical environments around us, and historically shaped and engendered present-day landscapes. Agricultural landscapes are a testimony to humanity's long interaction with the land, often-unique examples of the whole people-nature system. They demonstrate a rich cultural and landscape diversity, sustainable land-use systems and, in some cases, people's daily struggle for survival under extreme climatic and environmental conditions. It is now recognized the key role of traditional knowledge of indigenous people and local communities for ecosystem management and sustainable use of resources in the light of climate change. AGRI-DRY aims to bring about a significant reorientation of European and African doctoral training in traditional agriculture. The change will involve both substance and approach. The substance is the strong focus on rigorous techniques for interdisciplinary research. The approach is the emphasis on both research and applicative work, through the participation of both academic and advocacy and policy-making institutions. AGRI-DRY represents a unique opportunity for European young researchers to form a ""critical mass"" and enjoy a wide array of training opportunities that will be competitive with the best programmes offered outside Europe.""

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA · BarcelonaCoordinatorSpain
  • AARHUS UNIVERSITET · Aarhus CDenmark
  • Climate Heritage Network · Charenton-Le-PontFrance
  • Institut Català d'Arqueologia Clàssica · TarragonaSpain
  • NOORDWES-UNIVERSITEIT · PotchefstroomSouth Africa
  • THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA CORP · PhiladelphiaUnited States
  • The Botswana Society · GaboroneBotswana
  • UNIVERSITA DEL SALENTO · LecceItaly
  • UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA · GaboroneBotswana
  • UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW · GlasgowUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA · PretoriaSouth Africa
  • UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND JOHANNESBURG · JohannesburgSouth Africa

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union