We are interested in joining a consortium in the theme 1 (at the farm level and its immediate surroundings), namely in the following topics where we have expertise: (1) – Manage soil and water to improve soil heath and significantly reduce erosion , maintain and increase carbon storage, optimize nutrient cycles, reduce the use of contentious chemicals; (2) – Promote crop diversification, diversify species and varieties at the field and farm level (including site-adapted varieties, crop rotations and intra-field diversification; (3) develop agronomic practices serving to increase resilience, water conservation and to drastically reduce the use of chemical inputs (crop management sequences, cover crops and intercropping, crop rotations, soil cultivation); (4) – enhance complementarities between animal and crop production to close nutrient cycles and drastically decrease or eliminate the use of contentious agrochemicals; (5) promote natural regulation of pest and diseases, use of biocontrol practices with cropping practices; (6) enhance ecosystem services, biodiversity and beneficial interactions among different components in the farming system and the surrounding environment

The University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) is a public university located in the city of Vila Real, in the North of Portugal. The Department of Agronomy is an organic subunit of the School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences of UTAD directed at carrying out tasks of teaching, research, exchange of science and technology, and provision of specialized services in the scientific area of Agricultural Sciences (sub-areas Agro-sustainability; Agricultural Production and Engineering of Agro-Systems and Bioprocesses) and in the scientific area of Enological Sciences.
The Center for Research and Agro-Environmental and Biological Technologies (CITAB) is an R&D Unit hosted at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), having been created in 2007. CITAB is focused on two main thematic lines: 1) sustainability of agri-food and forestry ecosystems in an environment characterized by environmental and climate change, and 2) technologies and innovation applied to these value chains for a more competitive bioeconomy. Innovation and a multidisciplinary approach are two hallmarks of the research carried out, which continuously seeks to obtain new solutions, optimize resources and create greater added value for the development and modernization of agricultural and forestry production chains, but also envisioning the sustainability of natural resources and ecosystems. CITAB also integrates, together with the R&D Unit GreenUPorto (University of Porto), the Associate Laboratory Inov4Agro (Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-food Production). Currently, CITAB comprises a multidisciplinary team of nearly 250 researchers (100 integrated members and 70 research fellows) from the scientific areas of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences and Engineering. CITAB is classified as “Very Good” by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, FCT, and its team currently participates in 18 international projects, six of them under the Horizon Europe Program, and 24 national projects. see more https://www.citab.utad.pt
CITAB coordenate the recently approved project "LivingSoiLL- Healthy Soil to Permanent Crops Living Labs" (HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01)