ABOUT US

ADVAGROMED develops a new short circular agricultural chain improving soil fertility and quality to sustain local crop production by using frass from insects and poultry manure. Insect frass is produced by the rearing of HI and TM on local organic by-products. Insect larvae are fed to local poultry breeds that produced manure used as fertiliser. The feed value chain in ADVAGROMED is developed considering sustainability as a priority, respecting ethics, environment and meeting the consumers’ needs and expectations for safe and healthy products and fair social and economic conditions.

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Period of Implementation
Sep 1, 2022 - Mar 1, 2026
Total Budget
EUR 1,082,443.28

Project team

Partners

Donors

OUR IMPACT

Goals

ADVAGROMED aims to propose to the Mediterranean farmers a “new”, innovative, holistic agricultural production system based on agroecological principles and circular economy practices. The proposed system aims to integrate insect farming to already existing farming systems relying on agroecological principles in the Mediterranean region. This novel, sustainable farming system is based on circular economy approaches, employing insect production on diverse agri-food residuals and generating additional income for farmers in the Mediterranean countries. The integration of insect farming in agroecological practices is the ground-breaking objective of the ADVAGROMED approach for the management and valorisation of agricultural wastes, and their transformation and bioconversion into a valuable resource. The farming system proposed by ADVAGROMED is particularly innovative for the Mediterranean region, and results in highly innovative products and services for the small-holder farming communities. A dedicated novel business model for planning and implementing the transformation of ADVAGROMED-derived innovations into new business cases, including IPR protection, is developed. Finally, ADVAGROMED designs and testes a series of new products e.g. insect frass-based biofertiliser and antimicrobials for biopesticides and plant immune stimulants, live larvae as feed.

Objectives

The main objective of ADVAGROMED is to introduce sustainable farming practices to increase the resilience of the agro livelihood systems based on agroecological principles. To this scope, a smart integration of local crop and animal production translated into a systemic feed production close to animal living farms is developed to have more efficient, profitable farms. Using a multi-actor approach, capitalizing already acquired knowledge in soil fertility and agricultural production (CNR, USMS, SERIDA, IO, UTH), insect rearing (IO, UNITO, UTH), the use of insects as feed (UNITO, CNR), and environmental/social economic aspects (DIL), ADVAGROMED applies the Circular Economy (CE) / zero waste principle developing a sustainable and innovative farming system in the Mediterranean Area. ADVAGROMED uses by-products/organic waste of local agricultural productions for rearing insects [Hermetia illucens (HI) and Tenebrio molitor (TM)] delivering different products: 1) insect frass to be used as fertiliser to improve farm soils, to enhance soil quality, microbial biodiversity, and to deliver an antimicrobial effect (decreasing the use of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides), and 2) live larvae to feed local poultry breeds ensuring good animal performances, health and product quality (decreasing the use of imported feeds). ADVAGROMED uses both locally produced insect frass and animal manure to fertilise local agricultural production, through alternative, natural fertilisation regimes and plant growth stimulation and natural crop protection strategies.

Problems and Needs Analysis

The intensification of current agricultural production systems is one of the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. Currently, biodiversity loss is accelerating globally with agriculture and animal production being one of the major causal agents. The main components of agricultural intensification that have been identified to negatively affect biodiversity are the loss of natural habitats by conversion to agricultural land, the large field and farm size, as well as the extensive inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The increasing demand for agricultural land over the past 50 years to cover the nutrient needs of a continuously growing population has led to considerable natural habitats destruction with direct negative impacts to biodiversity. The large size of agricultural farms is also related to decreased habitat heterogeneity at the farm level. Finally, the extensive use of plant protection products and the widespread contamination of ecosystems with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers is also a factor responsible for the biodiversity deterioration in agricultural farming systems. Therefore, urgent systemic changes in the current agricultural practices are needed to address this issue. Integrating agroecological practices with current agricultural farming systems could offer a sustainable means to conserve and enhance the endangered farming biodiversity and increase ecosystems services.

Impact Pathway

ADVAGROMED research activities: • help the Mediterranean agricultural production systems to make better use and exploit locally available resources, such as the agricultural side-streams, for the local production of feedstuff rich in nutrients (insect) to decrease the dependency on imported ones. • improve economic and social resilience of Mediterranean smallholder farming systems to climate change through the valorisation of agricultural by-products, the production of new products to improve soil quality or use as poultry feed. ADVAGROMED offers to the local farmers an alternative farming system with small failure risk and able to generate entrepreneurship, employment and income. • contribute to the zero waste farming systems • decrease the use of chemical inputs and develop alternative solutions: insect frass are used as sustainable biofertiliser, biopesticide and plant immune stimulant, offering a sustainable solution for fertilisation. • increase the stability and resilience of Mediterranean smallholder farming systems through the proper exploitation of locally available organic side-streams, and their up-cycling and bioconversion to nutrients (insect biorefinery). • engage youth and empower women using a participatory approach. ADVAGROMED equips skilled youth / women to increase their employability so that they can access meaningful and sustainable employment, and self-employment through entrepreneurship. • encourage consumption of food produced using more sustainable practices

WHERE WE WORK