Valorization of Mediterranean Almond orchards through the use of intercropping integrated strategies (VALMEDALM Project)

In the Mediterranean region, almond orchards are on a mono-cropping system with long tree spacing for rainfed farming or intensively cultivated (with intensive irrigation, fertilization, and plant protection practices), which increases cultivation costs with high yield expectations. Soil management practices used over the last decades, in conjunction with the climatic conditions of the Mediterranean region and the current climate change scenario, have led to decreased soil organic matter, soil erosion, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss. Hence, there is a critical need to improve and spread scientific knowledge and initiate a change towards sustainable orchards that can truly impact the Mediterranean basin.

To empower local almond production in the Mediterranean region, the VALMEDALM (PRIMA funded project) aims to improve the implementation of intercropping practices as an integrated strategy aligned with economic and social aspects and sustainable principles towards an adaptation to climate change. For that, five demo sites were implemented in five Mediterranean countries (Portugal, Croatia, Italy, Israel, and Morocco) and eight field trials were implemented with twelve different intercropping systems.

The VALMEDALM project is studying the effect of intercropping practices in pests and weed control; assessing the nutritional and functional properties of almonds and associated crops; assessing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the tested methodologies; and promoting training and knowledge transfer towards local farmers and farmer associations. At the end of the project, it is expected that the obtained results contribute to the adoption of sustainable and productive agricultural systems based on plant diversity, to increase farmers’ income and competitiveness of small producers in the Mediterranean markets.

At the end of the VALEMDALM project, we expect to achieve the following outcomes:

• Improve sustainable food production systems;
• Increase farmer’s income, also including other possible agricultural-linked income sources and ensure transparency and fair pricing structure along the value chain;
• Promote access to work for young workers and women;
• Enable access to markets, i.e., ensure access of local producers to distribution channels and markets, providing the general population with healthy and sustainable products;
• Improve sustainable food production systems with efficient use of water and natural resources and with eco-friendly processes with low GHG emissions;
• Reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses and potentially valorising the waste left.

The VALMEDALM project is implementing the following set of actions:

1. Demo Sites to evaluate various factors that might affect the implementation and later success of intercropping practices;
2. Inventory of practices associated with intercropping for pest and weed management;
3. Creation of interaction channels and network strategies to promote knowledge transfer and collaborative work within local farmers and associations.
4. A study on an integrated strategy of the use of intercrops within almond orchards and the economic, social and environmental aspects and implemented across the Mediterranean basin.

Here is more information on each of the demo sites:

Portugal Demo

• GPS Location:
  • Macedo de Cavaleiros (41°60’13.2’’N, 6°59’05.6’’W)
  • Macedo de Cavaleiros (41°36’16.4’’N, 6°58’18.9’’W)
  • Argozelo (41°38’11.1’N 6◦34’34.9’’W)
• Demosite Area: 3 ha
• Field Trials: 3
• Almond cultivars:
  • Ferraduel, Ferragnès
  • Ferraduel, Ferragnès
  • Makako, Lauranne, Belona
• Intercrop System: Inter-row
• Crop system(s):
  • Non-irrigate almond orchard in full production
  • Irrigated almond orchard in full production
  • Newly planted irrigated almond orchard
• Modality:
  • Covered with chickpeas (sowing in April/May)
  • Covered with short cycle clover (sowing in October)
  • Mobilized (Witness)

Italy Demo

• GPS Location: Licata, Agrigento, C.da Volpara, 92027 (37°12’31.2″N 13°50’38.2″E)
• Demosite Area: 7 ha
• Field Trials: 1
• Almond cultivars: Tuono
• Intercrop System: Inter-row
• Crop system (s): Irrigated 4-years old orchard
• Modality: RCBD with 3 replications. Treatments: 1. Sulla (3 years) ; 2. Medicago spp. (3 years); 3. Soil tillage (control; 3 years). Sowing in October/November

Israel Demo

• GPS Location: Model Farm for Sustainable Agriculture Newe Ya’ar Research Center (32.715148, 35.188401)
• Demosite Area: 1.5 ha
• Field Trials: 1
• Almond cultivars: Matan
• Intercrop System: Service crops between all rows. With/without service crops on the tree rows
• Crop system (s): Irrigated almond orchard with servisse crops
• Modality: 1. WITH service crops on tree row. 2. WITHOUT service crops on the tree row, crossed with: 1. STANDARD FERTIGATIOM 2. FLEXIBLE FERTIGATIOM (responding to field conditions)

Morocco Demo

• GPS Location:
  • Azilal mountains (31°56’42 N, 6°35’50 W), 1400m above sea level
  • Aknoul (34°49’31 N, 03°42’34 W) 1000m above sea level
  • Ain Taoujdate (33°56’11 N, 5°09’32W) 550 m above sea level
• Demosite Area: 12 ha
• Field Trials: 3
• Almond cultivars: Ferragnès, Ferraduel, Local genotypes (Beldi almond)
• Intercrop System: Inter-row
• Crop system (s):
  • Calcareous soil, Annual rainfall: 400 mm, Drip irrigation, Standard agricultural practices (fertilisation, protection…), Non-irrigate almond orchard in full production
  • Calcareous marl soil, Annual rainfall: 340 mm, Traditional practices, Non-irrigate almond orchard in full production
  • Clayey, calcareous and brown soil, Annual rainfall: 470 mm, Average of chill availability: 540 hours of temperature below 7°C., Drip irrigation.,  Standard agricultural practices (fertilisation, protection…), Newly planted irrigated almond orchard
• Modality: Three treaments for each demo site:
• Separated almond (without intercrop)
• Separated Bean / broad bean crop (without almond)
• Mixte: almond and intercrop

Croatia Demo

• GPS Location: Selca-island Brač, (43°1656 N,16°4833E), 250m above sea level
• Demosite Area: 1 ha
• Field Trials: 1
• Almond cultivars: Ferragnès, Ferraduel, Ai, Texas
• Intercrop System: Inter-row
• Crop system(s): Rocky soil with approximately 40% soil in the 60 cm soil depth, coupled with rock 1-5 cm diametre, Orchard planted in 2017, Drip irrigation system, Production organized as organic production
• Modality: Intercrops planting in October or November. Four rows of almond trees, each row will have a row of intercrop on both sides. Intercropping will be done with the following plants: Artichoke, Imortela, Rosemary, and Salvia. Intercrop rows will have one or two rows of almond trees without intercrop plants that will function as controls.

So far, the mains achievements of the project have been combined in a “Logbook” file, where all the costs incurred in almond with the intercropping at all demosites. The data provided consists of cultivation operations (including equipment used, fuel consumption and cost, rental cost, human labour, technical equipment), fertilizers (including quantity used, price...), plant protection treatments (commercial products, dose, volume, equipment used...), harvesting (equipment, method, production, yield, sale price...), etc. For example, from the Portuguese demosite, the production has an average of 198 kg of almond (irrigated orchards) and 61 kg (rainfed orchard) with a sale price of 1.10€/kg. Costs with workers (25€/h), fertilizers (0.82€/kg) and plant treatments (1.60€/kg).

The expected results from the VALMEDALM project are well connected with two of the four WEFE dimensions, especially SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture; and SGD 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. At the end of VALMEDALM project we expected to ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. Also, adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility. Regarding SDG 6, the project intends to increase water-use efficiency in the almonds orchards.

The project explores the multiple potential benefits of intercropping agriculture, including in terms of nutrition, reduction of pesticide use, soil and plant/entomofauna biodiversity, pest incidence, reduction of inorganic fertilizer, and water use efficiency.

The project is testing almonds intercropping techniques that are highly potentially scalable and replicable across the Mediterranean region. This replication can contribute to the adoption of sustainable and productive agricultural systems based on plant diversity, while aiming to increase farmers’ income and competitiveness of small producers in the Mediterranean markets.