Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B NEXT Mediterranean Sea Basin (NEXT MED)

Date of latest update: 2026-06-25

Description

Description (EN):

PROJECT TYPE: 1 - Thematic projects ~ MAIN INTERVENTION FIELD: 064. Water management and water resource conservation (including river basin management, specific climate change adaptation measures, reuse, leakage reduction) ~ SUMMARY: The disruption of natural water cycles caused by human activities, such as land use changes, agricultural practices, and urbanisation, is leading to ecological damage in the Mediterranean (Med) region which is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. Despite this, water management policies often focus on large-scale infrastructure projects, such as dams and water treatment plants that do not adequately consider the importance of Small Water Cycles (SWC). This disconnect has negative consequences as SWCs play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting agricultural practices. Additionally, it appears that there is limited knowledge among farming communities on the concept of restoring SWCs and its benefits, including conserving water sources, improving soil health and increasing agricultural productivity. The Med region offers a suitable context to address these global challenges at a regional scale and serves as a real test bed for identifying effective solutions. In this respect, MAENA is designed to build capacities and support the adoption of practices targeting SWC restoration to improve on farm water use efficiency. The project will be implemented based on a participatory approach while actively involving farmers and surrounding local communities. Four demonstration farms will provide proof of concept of SWC restoration that will be deployed in twenty farmers’ lands in partner countries. MAENA will transfer knowledge and skills on SWC restoration to the targeted community through transnational training and capacity building with onsite, online and peer exchanges formats. MAENA will form the first core of a Hub fostering SWC restoration in the Med region, enabling decision makers to replicate and scale-up the project outcomes, and carry forward this new paradigm. This approach will result in more resilient and sustainable farming communities supporting both people and the environment by replenishing our water (مائنا). ~ KEEP KEYWORDS: Agriculture and fisheries and forestry, Soil and air quality, Water management

Expected Achievements (EN):

Management coordination Communication and dissemination CODE: SO1ER1 ~ SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: To restore the small water cycle at the farm scale ~ EXPECTED RESULT: Improved water use efficiency and agricultural productivity CODE: SO2ER2 ~ SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: To strengthen the adaptive capacity of agricultural actors for small water cycle restoration ~ EXPECTED RESULT: Increased knowledge and skills, of agricultural actors involved, on small water cycle restoration CODE: SO2ER2 ~ SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: To strengthen the adaptive capacity of agricultural actors for small water cycle restoration ~ EXPECTED RESULT: Increased knowledge and skills, of agricultural actors involved, on small water cycle restoration

Project outputs: (1.1) Administrative and financial Manual(EN)
(1.2) Periodic Reports(EN)
(1.3) Monitoring and risk assessment plans(EN)
(1.4) Project evaluation report(EN)
(2.1) Communication plan(EN)
(2.2) Coordinated image(EN)
(2.3) Videos(EN)
(2.4) Project events(EN)
(2.5) Best practices for small water cycle restoration(EN)
(3.1) Agricultural practices implemented in pilot sites for small water cycle restoration(EN)
(4.1) Training & Capacity building delivered and planned for the adoption of the proposed practices(EN)
(5.1) Strategic Mediterranean Hub setup for small water cycle restoration(EN)
Website: https://www.interregnextmed.eu/project-page/maena/about/

Thematic information

Water management Soil and air quality Agriculture and fisheries and forestry

Priority: (VI-B_MSB_2) Priority 2: A greener, low-carbon and resilient Mediterranean

Priority specific objective: RSO2.5. Promoting access to water and sustainable water management

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 064 Water management and water resource conservation (including river basin management, specific climate change adaptation measures, reuse, leakage reduction)

Partners (7)

Lead Partner: Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 1442243H | PROFIT MAKING: False ~ STATUS PUBLIC: False

Address: 03, Muslim Ibn El Walid street, Notre dame, 108Tunis, Tunisia

Legal status: private

Organisation type: N.a.

Website: http://www.medrec.org

Total budget: EUR 635 460.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 565 559.40

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 89.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 69 900.60

isardSAT S. L.

Name: isardSAT S. L.

Department: Applications

Partner’s ID if not PIC: B64290828 | PROFIT MAKING: True ~ STATUS PUBLIC: False

Address: C/ Doctor Trueta 113, 1er, 08005 Barcelona, Spain

Legal status: private

Organisation type: N.a.

Website: http://www.isardSAT.cat

Total budget: EUR 394 780.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 351 354.20

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 89.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 43 425.80

الجمعية الملكية لحماية الطبيعة

Name: الجمعية الملكية لحماية الطبيعة

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 19966045001 | PROFIT MAKING: False ~ STATUS PUBLIC: False

Address: Complex No 4 St Baker Al Baw Amman, Jordan

Legal status: private

Organisation type: N.a.

Website: http://www.rscn.org.jo

Total budget: EUR 357 340.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 318 032.60

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 89.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 39 307.40

Agenzija dwar l-Energija u l-Ilma

Name: Agenzija dwar l-Energija u l-Ilma

Partner’s ID if not PIC: MT22629723 | PROFIT MAKING: False ~ STATUS PUBLIC: True

Address: Pinto Business Centre, Mill Street, QRM3104Qormi, Malta

Legal status: public

Organisation type: N.a.

Website: http://www.energywateragency.gov.mt

Total budget: EUR 280 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 249 200.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 89.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 30 800.00

مصلحة الأبحاث العلمية الزراعية

Name: مصلحة الأبحاث العلمية الزراعية

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 16766 | PROFIT MAKING: False ~ STATUS PUBLIC: True

Address: Tal Amara, P.O.Box, 287Zahle, Lebanon

Legal status: public

Organisation type: N.a.

Website: http://www.lari.gov.lb

Total budget: EUR 430 200.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 382 878.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 89.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 47 322.00

Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo di Bari

Name: Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo di Bari

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 93047470724 | PROFIT MAKING: False ~ STATUS PUBLIC: True

Address: Via Ceglie 9, 70010 Valenzano, Italy

Legal status: public

Organisation type: N.a.

Website: http://www.iamb.it

Total budget: EUR 486 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 432 985.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 89.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 53 515.00

Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie

Name: Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie

Department: Laboratory GREEN-TEAM (LR17AGR01)

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 990906023 | PROFIT MAKING: False ~ STATUS PUBLIC: True

Address: Tunis, Tunisia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: N.a.

Website: http://www.inat.tn/fr

Total budget: EUR 224 600.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 199 894.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 89.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 24 706.00

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Partners and Projects info

The Royal Society For The Conservation Of Nature

Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Partners and Projects info

Energy and Water Agency

Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Partners and Projects info

Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute

Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Partners and Projects info

International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari

Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Partners and Projects info

National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia

Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Partners and Projects info

Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre

Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Project acronym: MAENA~A_T_2.3_0285

Project ID: 00014

Project start date: 2025-09-16

Project end date: 2028-09-15

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

AgriHub- Agriculture Research and Innovation Hub
Rural Development Plan (EN) | A network of researchers, innovators, and farmers, working jointly to develop and implement innovative agricultural practices and providing support to farmers to help their decision making in using adequate resources for sustainable production.
AgriHub online platform
MAENA will upgrade and extend the AgriHub, created by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights - MAFA in Malta , to include additional sustainable agricultural practices focusing on small water cycle restoration (SWCR)
In collaboration with all partners, EWA, MAFA and RSCN will be responsible for:
-Hosting the content of a new webpage dedicated to this hub as extension of the AgriHub online platform;
-Identifying potential key stakeholders within the existing network (AgriHub) who can contribute to the development of a hub for SWCR, such as farmers, agricultural advisors, water authorities, regional NGOs, and other stakeholders;
-Developing a detailed strategic plan for the hub that outlines its activities;
-Creating collaborative partnerships: Identify areas for collaboration and partnerships with other organisations and networks that are working on related issues. This will include regional networks, advocacy groups, government agencies, or academic institutions;
-Identifying future funding opportunities providing support for fundraising, working in partnership with organisations or government agencies to secure financial resources necessary to support SWCR projects
The existing platform will be upgraded to include a new webpage dedicated to MAENA with the following sections:
-Training: where the online training foreseen can be held
-Knowledge-sharing forum: discussion forum and online communities allowing the involved stakeholders from different regions and sectors to engage in discussions, ask questions, and share best practices related to small water cycle restoration.
-Resource library: including a repository of training materials, case studies, research papers… (EN), SustinAfrica-Sustainable intensification of food production through resilient farming systems in West & North Africa
H2020-SFS (EN) | -A database of tested and verified farming practices and monitoring tools: information on agroecological farming practices (AEP) and the effects on productivity, farm economic and ecosystem service indicators while reducing environmental impacts of agricultural activities. A systematic literature was conducted to collect and retrieve the respective information. The database includes various single agroecological practices such as water and soil conservation techniques, conservation agriculture and organic farming.
CIHEAM Bari has been involved in building this database which is made available in Farmerline`s Mergdata platform (www.mergdata.com). The database can be easily browsed from the web to provide a systematic summary of the findings with access to freely available tools and solutions.
-Replicability Indicators: Analysis of the replicability potential of the SustInAfrica technologies and solutions and a track to perform such analysis in other contexts and concerning the most possible types of innovation. The framework is meant to analyse drivers and success factors, screen replication, and transfer potential in local contexts as well as to explore which are possible ways forward facilitating widespread adoption of innovations
-A participatory framework system to assess sustainability, replicability, resilience, gender equity, performance, and impact on ecosystem services.
Within MAENA, beneficiary farmers will be involved based on a participatory approach to match their needs with a list of practices proposed by the project. This list is formed by the practices showcased in the four demo farms as well as in other projects such as SustInAfrica. The relevant practices related to Small Water Cycle Restoration will be identified based on SustinAfrica database and also on the replicability Indicators available on the project website.
The participatory framework adopted in SustInAfrica will be also considered when setting up the participatory approach for MAENA. (EN), OurMED -Sustainable water storage and distribution in the Mediterranean
Prima (EN) | - Portfolio of Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
Implementation guidelines investigating and developing innovative water management strategies. The portfolio includes practical and sustainable solutions, used to manage natural and artificial water storage and to allocate resources of the systems in a balanced good-quality water availability for multiple purposes, including agricultural needs.
-Evaluation and analysis of factors and potential barriers for implementation of NbS
Examine factors and barriers that can affect the application of NbS will be analysed with a focus on strategies to overcome such barriers, through stakeholders’ engagement and sustainable NbS co-creation.
Analysis of financial schemes
OurMED will explore all financial mechanisms for sustainability and make them accessible and test the upscaling of the Sebou Water Fund to other demo sites.
The above listed outputs have been developed with the participation of RSCN as partner of OurMED.
Within MAENA, beneficiary farmers will be involved based on a participatory approach to match their needs with a list of practices proposed by the project. This list is formed by the practices showcased in the four demo farms as well as in other projects such as OurMED. The relevant practices related to Small Water Cycle Restoration will be identified based on OurMED NbS portfolio to be available by June 2025 on the project website. The portfolio includes factors and requirements for transferability in the MED.
The field-scale strategies to be formulated in the framework of MAENA will include a list of relevant financing schemes. The conducted analysis on financial schemes (e.g Sebou water fund), to be available on the project website by 2026, will be included in the strategies. (EN), ACCWA - Accounting for Climate Change in Water and Agriculture management
H2020-MSCA-RISE (EN) | - Improved remote sensing-based soil moisture, vegetation, and evapotranspiration products, as well as agricultural management tools
These tools, developed by isardsaT in collaboration with INAT, use innovative algorithms to estimate high spatial resolution soil moisture (SM), evapotranspiration (ET), and vegetation status (VEG) from Earth Observation data. SM, ET and VEG estimates are built based on several synergies between multi-sensor/multi- resolution/multi-wavelength remote sensing data.
The tools provide information at both high spatial (field scale) and high temporal (weekly) resolutions to enable early estimation of yields and identification of critical periods where water stress may have a significant impact on yield.
Besides, ACCWA has developed several relevant water and agricultural management tools. The first concerns irrigated agriculture where a methodology was developed to quantify irrigation water amounts based only on remote sensing data. This tool will derive this key variable in fields not equipped with water meters during MAENA implementation. Another tool concerns the estimation of cereals yield well ahead (between 2 to 3 months) the end of the season.
Access will be given to MAENA partners to deploy these tools to monitor soil and vegetation status and manage irrigation. In fact, the tools will be applied in the specific cases of demonstration and beneficiary farmers' lands. Reports with all relevant data and recommendations will be shared with all beneficiaries.
- MAENA will be benefiting also from the extensive network for inter-sectorial knowledge sharing developed in the framework of the ACCWA project. (EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 808 880.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 499 903.20

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 89.00%

Co-financing sources:

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

Other MAENA supports sustainable water management and green agriculture by promoting practices that reduce environmental impact and support biodiversity.
It will contribute to UN SDGs, including SDG 13 by reducing water-related risks, improving soil health and reducing soil erosion, and to SDG 15 as restoring water cycles can help to support healthy agricultural ecosystems and to improve soil fertility.
It is in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 (points 2.2.2, 2.2.3 & 3.3.4) and EU Adaptation Strategy that focus on protected soil (nature restoration plan), improved water availability and increased resilience to extreme weather events. It is also in accordance with the UfM Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Climate Action (points 1, 3, 7 & 8).
In fact, Small Water Cycle (SWC) restoration helps to improve water availability, reduce the risk of water scarcity and ensure that water resources are used more efficiently. It also helps to build resilience to extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, by promoting greater water infiltration, reducing soil erosion, and supporting healthy ecosystems. The solutions proposed include conservation agriculture techniques, rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation powered with solar, cultivation under controlled conditions, advanced monitoring solutions, and other nature-based practices that will be implemented while actively engaging:
· Farmers, within a participatory approach, to be able to propose user-driven solutions,
· Authorities and decision makers to ensure future scaleup by adopting field-scale strategies
MAENA is in line with the Farm to Fork strategy that aims to promote fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food systems. In particular, the transnational training & capacity building package, as well as the engaging events and the created hub will support healthy and sustainable agricultural practices, and public awareness of the importance of ecological sustainability and food security.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:
RCO 081 - Participations in joint actions across borders, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:
RCR 085 - Participations in joint actions across borders after project completion, Measurement unit:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B NEXT Mediterranean Sea Basin (NEXT MED)

Latest month of project-partner-call data publication

2026-06

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

59 / 59 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

392 / 392 (100%)

Notes on the data

There are discrepancies in this programme's financial data in keep.eu. Namely, in one or more cases, the sum of the project partners' budgets exceeds the total budget of the respective project. Interact is working with the Programme to correct those figures.

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Replenishing the sMall wAter cyclE towards a more resilieNt Agriculture

Description

Thematic information

Partners (7)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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