PAS-AGRO-PAS - The Making of Fragile Agro-ecosystems Productive, Adaptive and Sustainable: Multifunctional Agro-pastoralism

Agro-pastoralism, a traditional land-use system vital to food security and rural livelihoods in the Mediterranean region, is increasingly under threat. Despite its economic and ecological importance, this system faces significant challenges exacerbated by ecological, climatic, political, commercial, and institutional stressors. Understanding these problems and their persistence is crucial for addressing them effectively. Key Problems: Structural and Institutional Deficiencies: Low Productivity: Agro-pastoral systems struggle with limited feed production and inadequate access to modern agricultural technologies, constraining output. High Production Costs: Limited availability of resources such as quality feed and degraded pastures increases costs. Changing Land Use and Abandonment: Urbanization, land privatization, and the aging rural population lead to a decline in active agro-pastoral lands. Inadequate Marketing and Value Chains: Weak infrastructure for product commercialization and limited market access undermine economic returns. Climate Change Risks: Agro-pastoral systems are particularly vulnerable to unpredictable climatic conditions such as droughts and extreme weather events, affecting both crop and livestock productivity. However, agro-pastoralism holds potential as a climate-smart agricultural practice to mitigate and adapt to climate impacts. Economic and Social Pressures: Rural areas face population decline due to unattractive economic prospects and limited opportunities for younger generations. The lack of awareness about the multifunctionality of agro-pastoral products reduces their perceived value, despite rising interest in organic and sustainable foods. Reasons for Persistence: Fragmentation of Knowledge: Scanty information and weak integration of traditional and scientific knowledge hinder innovation. Policy Gaps: Inadequate policy frameworks fail to incentivize sustainable practices or address systemic vulnerabilities. Market Barriers: Weak linkages between producers and consumers limit economic benefits from high-value, environmentally friendly products. Resource Degradation: Overgrazing, soil depletion, and biodiversity loss create a cycle of diminishing returns for agro-pastoralists. These interrelated challenges persist due to systemic inefficiencies and insufficient coordination across local, regional, and global scales. PAS-AGRO-PAS addresses these issues by promoting a systemic, multi-scalar approach that enhances productivity, adaptiveness, and sustainability while unlocking the multifunctionality of agro-pastoral systems.

The PAS-AGRO-PAS project adopts a comprehensive systemic approach to address challenges in agro-pastoral systems. Strategies are categorized across three key levels—agro-ecosystem, socio-economic, and information systems—to improve productivity, adaptiveness, sustainability, and profitability. The following strategies will be implemented: 1. Agro-Ecosystem Strategies Plant and Pasture Management: Intercropping to enhance carbon sequestration. Introducing drought-tolerant forage and crop varieties. Incorporating forage legumes into crop rotations. Adjusting grazing practices, including multi-paddock and winter grazing. Utilizing biodiverse seed mixtures to recover degraded pastures. Efficient manure treatment to improve soil fertility and crop productivity. Livestock Management: Optimizing livestock production cycles to match feed availability. Enhancing feeding strategies with multi-nutrient blocks to improve feed digestibility. Protecting endangered local breeds through improved herd management, reproduction, and health monitoring. 2. Socio-Economic Strategies Value Addition and Product Innovation: Ensuring the quality, safety, and typicity of agro-pastoral products. Supporting regional foods with qualification and certification processes. Developing novel food products based on consumer feedback. Capacity Building: Training agro-pastoralists in entrepreneurship and commercialization. Establishing e-commerce platforms to improve market access. Economic Diversification: Promoting pricing strategies for fair valuation of products. Boosting the attractiveness of agro-pastoralism for younger generations and migrants. 3. Information System Strategies Integration of Traditional Knowledge with Agriculture 4.0: Developing user-friendly web applications to support planning and decision-making. Systematizing and analyzing data on agro-pastoral systems for improved resource management. Technological Innovation: Creating real-time tools for monitoring resource use, traceability, and emissions. Generating evidence-based policy recommendations. Knowledge Transfer: Disseminating training materials and outcomes to stakeholders, including policymakers and communities. 4. Multidisciplinary and Participatory Approach Leveraging knowledge from multiple disciplines—animal production, agronomy, rural economics, and environmental science—to co-design and test interventions with agro-pastoralists. Engaging local, regional, and EU stakeholders in seminars and capacity-building activities to ensure practical implementation. These strategies collectively address ecological, socio-economic, and institutional challenges, fostering the transformation of Mediterranean agro-pastoral systems into resilient and sustainable models.

The PAS-AGRO-PAS project employs a series of interconnected strategies to address the identified barriers and deliver the expected impacts outlined in its objectives. These strategies are organized along key pathways designed to ensure resilience, sustainability, and socio-economic advancement for Mediterranean agro-pastoral systems. A. Enhancing Resilience to Societal and Climate Change Implement a systemic approach integrating agro-ecosystem, socioeconomic, and information systems at multiple scales. Enhance biodiversity through adapted management practices and low-input systems that recycle agro-byproducts for feed, promoting circular economy principles. Strengthen adaptive capacity against climate variability and land-use changes by promoting climate-smart agricultural interventions. B. Improving Economic, Social, and Environmental Livelihoods Increase productivity stability through diversified pasture and crop systems, ensuring year-round availability of resources. Spread labor opportunities over the year, creating stable employment and enhancing rural profitability. Empower communities by addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities through capacity building and market integration. C. Promoting Biodiversity, Rangeland Recovery, and Landscape Management Use biodiverse pasture seeds and drought-tolerant crops, coupled with rotational grazing, to restore rangelands and enrich biodiversity. Incorporate cover cropping, crop rotations, and reduced tillage for improved landscape management. Foster the use of multi-purpose plants (e.g., legumes, cactus) to support sustainable ecosystem services. D. Enhancing the Quality and Diversity of Products Develop tools for agro-pastoralists to produce high-quality, distinctive, and diverse food products. Promote fair pricing, access to e-commerce platforms, and consumer-driven innovation in product development. E. Supporting Generational Renewal Attract women, youth, and newcomers to agro-pastoralism by emphasizing improved quality of rural life, economic viability, and environmental conservation opportunities. Empower women through training and income diversification initiatives. F. Contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Address climate action (SDG 13), biodiversity conservation (SDG 15), and responsible consumption (SDG 12) through sustainable practices. Support decent work (SDG 8), poverty reduction (SDG 1), and gender equality (SDG 5) via capacity-building and market-driven approaches. Create strong partnerships (SDG 17) using digital platforms for knowledge sharing and innovation. G. Aligning with EU Objectives Contribute to the European Green Deal by advancing biodiversity, reducing the environmental footprint, and improving food security. Support the Farm to Fork Strategy by creating sustainable and fair food systems. Deliver on EU Missions related to soil health, biodiversity, agroecology, and food system safety. Barriers and Mitigation Strategies Seasonal Feed Dependence: Increase feed diversity using agro-byproducts and create feed blocks to overcome seasonal shortages. Consumer Acceptance: Implement targeted campaigns highlighting the health, quality, and cultural value of agro-pastoral products. Workforce Skills Gap: Conduct training programs to equip agro-pastoralists with knowledge on modern practices, product development, and market integration. Funding Challenges: Facilitate access to funding opportunities, support certification processes, and involve market experts to ensure scalability and marketability. The strategies embedded in PAS-AGRO-PAS leverage innovative, multidisciplinary approaches to transform Mediterranean agro-pastoral systems into sustainable, adaptive, and economically viable models that address global challenges while delivering measurable socio-environmental impacts.