ASTER

The aim of ASTER is to build up a management model for small tomato producers of the Mediterranean Basin based on the application of main agroecology principles such as:

• the protection (conservation) and the enhancement of functional biodiversity both above and belowground, to increase and exploit the ecosystem services (protection, nutrition, pollination) in alternative to the use of external synthetic inputs;
• the sustainable control of main pests and pathogens to reduce the environmental impact of plant protection practices;
• the circularity of the production chain to approach the “zero waste” objective.

The model will improve the resilience of this fundamental crop in the economy of all Mediterranean Basin countries where it can be grown in open field or in protected systems, during the entire annual season, particularly in small farms. Four specific objectives (SO) and relative ways to realize them have been identified: SO1 (WP1, WP6) Develop a two-way exchange of information between academic groups and stakeholders through an interactive platform; SO2 (WP2, WP3, WP4) Design field interventions to protect, enhance and exploit the functional biodiversity and plant defences for improving ecosystem services, resilience and sustainability; SO3 (WP5) Validate protocols for maximizing ecosystems services and resilience by considering their environmental, economic and social sustainability; SO4 (WP1, WP6): To ensure effective coordination, communication dissemination and formation. The results from this project will provide a model that can be extended to the sustainable production of other crops, in water-limited and non-water-limited socio-agro-ecosystems.