Food and Water are two cross-cutting issues of increasing importance in the Mediterranean region. In the context of agricultural production under climate change particular attention is given to the sustainable management of water, the use of innovative methodologies for monitoring and recovering degraded land areas, and the challenge of the integration of bioenergy and agro-industrial sectors in different rural contexts. Food and water are also cross-cutting for rural development, the mitigation of desertification plus socio-economic challenges such as poverty decrease in rural areas.

Thanks to the initiative of the University of Evora, UNIMED proposes the creation of a Sub-Network  on Food and Water in order to gather information from and with university departments, research and documentation centers, scholars and independent researchers, primarily related to the following disciplines: Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Natural Sciences, Soil Sciences, Hydrology, Geology, Bio-technology, Economics, Geography, Demography, Sociology and Anthropology, Spatial Analysis and Remote Sensing, Spatial Planning.

The main objectives of the Sub-Network are:

• Cooperate with international initiatives such as PRIMA in order to contribute to its research and innovation activities as foreseen in this crucial initiative.
• Gathering and sharing information directly from the main actors in the sector, in the whole Mediterranean region and contribute to the creation of a dedicated database.
• Carrying out studies, analysis and research papers on the issue.
• Encouraging the dialogue and the mutual exchange of information in order to create new networks, partnerships and develop joint projects.
• Organizing international events (workshops, seminars, and conferences, performances, summer schools and intensive PhD courses) to improve the flow of knowledge and exchanging experiences between researchers and scholars;
• Promoting the exchange of students and faculty at master’s and doctorate level, through the creation of curricula and joint supervision of courses and through the creation of a series of seminars for University professor’s members of the Sub-Network.