Ecostack is a European project whose objective is to develop the production of ecological and socially sustainable crops with which to improve agricultural productivity. It is led in Spain by the Group of Biotechnological Pest Control, integrated in the Structure of Interdisciplinary Research in Biotechnology and Biomedicine (ERI Biotecmed) of the University of Valencia.
In the recent coordination meeting, held in Coimbra (Portugal), the initial advances have been presented within the different lines of action of the project (biodiversity functionality, agronomic practices, microbial communities and ecological tools), as well as an informative video in English, which has subsequently been dubbed into Spanish.
In charge of the Spanish part of the project are the professor of the Department of Genetics of the University of Valencia Baltasar Escriche and the senior scientist of Biotecmed Yolanda Bel. The Valencian team is mainly responsible for the development of products based on the Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria to fight nematodes, plant pest worms.
The European Ecostack project, under the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union (https://www.ecostack-h2020.eu/) is managed by the University of Naples. Formed by 25 partners, it lasts for 5 years, until September 2023. Its objective is to develop and support the production of economically and socially sustainable organic crops, by increasing biodiversity in and around agricultural fields. With their research, the aim is to improve the interaction between plants and insects, so that with new approaches agricultural strategies can be improved.
Ecostack takes place in a global context in which agriculture seeks sustainable development, which balances the demands of high levels of production and the control of the environmental impact that these levels of production imply. At the same time, it must be sustainable in terms of agricultural production and provide satisfactory economic benefits to the agricultural sector. To achieve this, the intelligent use of balanced ecosystem resources and their biodiversity can reduce the use of chemical compounds and make agriculture more sustainable.
The informative video is mainly aimed at the agricultural sector and non-scientific staff, as the final recipient of the project results. This group is also part of the project, so there is continuous contact with it, in order to examine the benefits of new developments and receive proposals and needs.
Informative video (in English): https://youtu.be/5CIG4bP61Pc
Informative video (in Spanish): https://youtu.be/6o2uGxR-oVs
ERI Biotecmed: http://ir.uv.es/9vbSQkW
CPB group: http://www.cbp.com.es/
Photo caption:
- Ecostack project meeting in Coimbra (Portugal).
