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-
Sharing of this body of knowledge, once combined with gender, diversity and with
environmental sensitivity as further but complementary assets.
While, in light of the actions mentioned above, PRIMA aims to implement the following actions
of:
-
Overall, fulfillment of all the principles set by
the European policies, including the European
Charter for Researchers, on gender equality, inclusion and gender balance in relation to
countries of the MED area and all countries partnering in PRIMA; this may also include
indirect benefits for all neighbouring countries
-
More specifically, PRIMA will work for the:
-
Empowerment of women and minorities, including persons with disabilities who should be
valorised and given the opportunity to contribute in society
-
Inclusion of the above mentioned groups in any policy making processes
-
Shadowing opportunities in policy and in practice, so to give people the chance to
understand where their expertise could be more or further valorised
-
Further research on any culture-specific area of the PRIMA, wince these areas are rather
specific and cannot be fully valorised prior to any further contextualisation
-
Development of training opportunities that are tailor-made and responsive to needs from
women and minorities from the Med region
-
Valorisation of expertise that enhance procedures of job recruitment based on this
valorisation of one’s expertise.
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The initiative
Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) aims to establish
a long-term structured partnership in research and innovation in the Mediterranean area. The goal of the
initiative is to develop innovative solutions and promote their adoption for improving the efficiency and
sustainability of
food production and
water provision
15
.
According the most relevant criticalities, PRIMA initiative will address 8
operational objectives (see ANNEX
4):
1.
To develop smart and sustainable farming systems, to maintain natural resources and to
increase production efficiency.
2.
To test and stimulate adoption of context-tailored water-saving solutions, in particular in
agriculture.
3.
To innovate in the Mediterranean food products based on Mediterranean diet heritage and
to enhance the links between nutrition and health.
4.
To find context-adapted solutions to increase food and water chain efficiency, and reduce
losses and wastes.
5.
To design and promote the adoption of novel approaches to reduce the impact of pests and
pathogens in farming.
6.
To conceive and implement innovative, quality oriented models in
agro-business as potential
sources of new jobs and economic growth.
7.
To improve land and water sustainability in arid and semi-arid watersheds.
8.
To elaborate and stimulate adoption of new policies and protocols for the governance of
water management systems.
The research and innovation activities that will be implemented in the context of PRIMA initiative have to
attained clear evidence of tangible, measurable and sustainable
impact. This is a crucial aspect that requires
feasible tools for the monitoring process.
The framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launched by the United Nation Sustainable
Development Solution Network (UN-SDSN)
16
includes two specific goals, among the 17 SDGs, dedicated to
food security (# 2
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture) and
sustainable management of water (# 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all). For each of them there are several indicators that can be used to monitor the
magnitude of the effects produced by projects under the PRIMA initiative.
Furthermore there are many other issues related to food production systems and water resources that are
linked to other SDGs (i.e.
cross-cutting issues). This means that, while improving the efficiency and
sustainability of
food production and
water provision, the PRIMA initiative will also generate a positive
domino effect according to which the involved countries will also progress in SDGs as:
No poverty (SDG 1)
Good health and well-being (SDG 3)
Affordable and green energy (SDG 7)
15
PRIMA, Joint Programme. Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area. An integrated
programme on food systems and water resources for the development of inclusive, sustainable and healty Euro-
mediterranean societies (
http://www.unisi.it/programma-prima
).
16
SDSN, Indicators and a Monitoring Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals – Launching a Data Revolution,
May 15, 2015 (
http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/indicators/
).