VALUEFARM - VALorization of Mediterranean small-scale FARMs by cropping wild UnExploited species

The main goal of VALUEFARM is to valorize Mediterranean small farms by introducing wild edible plants of the Mediterranean (WEPs) such as Crithmum maritimum, Portulaca oleraceae, Sonchus sp., Scolymus hispanicus, and Cichorium spinosum as complementary crops within a competitive farming sector and a climate-changing world and cropping them in a sustainable point of view. The assessment of using WEPs in arduous conditions (drought and salinity stress) and marginal soils with low organic matter, compacted, or eroded where conventional crops cannot be cultivated will also be carried out; we will also assess the contribution of WEPs cultivation to soil properties improvement by reducing or eradicating the use of agrochemicals, and by introducing the use of a more sustainable agriculture with biostimulants, biofertilizers and biopesticides and the use of tailored composts. Finally, the selected WEPs will be assessed for their nutritional value and bioactive compounds content in order to select and propose those farming systems that increase the quality of the final product and its added value.

The key objectives of the proposal are summarized as follows: 1) to propagate and cultivate selected WEPs species, 2) to describe and evaluate agronomic performance of WEPs through laboratory-based research and farm experimentation in order to establish best practice guides of plant requirements with respect to mineral nutrition, soil and climate, environmental footprint (low GHG emissions, water and energy use), 3) to evaluate the potential of cultivating WEPs in degraded soils and assess their soil improvement properties, 4) to diversify existing farming systems from monocropping to agroecological systems rich in diversity through the incorporation of WEPs in mixed and intercropping systems and crop rotation programs combined with legumes, 5) to evaluate innovative approaches (biofertilizers, biostimulants or tailored composts that include beneficial microorganisms plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR); plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF); arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)), 6) to analyze chemical composition, nutritional value and bioactive compounds content of WEPs, 7) to increase knowledge and public awareness on the nutritional value and the bioactive compounds content of WEPs, as well as on their environmental impact (resistance/tolerance to drought and salinity stress factors), 8) to create physical labs through a network of farmers for the on-farm demonstration and to implement living lab platforms for technological transfer in each zone of the project of the obtained key results, both of which will facilitate the adaptation of Mediterranean small-scale farms to the proposed farming systems.