Press Release | EcoFuture Project Announcement

The EcoFuture project funded by the PΡΙΜΑ program supported by the European Union started the 1st of April 2023 and has a duration of 3 years. Using the Jordan Valley as a test case, the overall project objective is to develop a climate-change adaptation program oriented towards improving socio-economic welfare for people in the Mediterranean region. EcoFuture research activities are centered around three pilot sites across the Jordan Valley.

The Mediterranean region is considered a “Hot Spot” susceptible to the threat of climate change. Many regions are prone to desertification, reduced water, loss of fertile soil, and degradation of the ecological services provided. EcoFuture will develop WEFE Nexus best-practice recommendations for resource management in the Jordan valley; an area that is indicative of typical arid and hyper-arid zones of the MENA regions in terms of water scarcity, water accounting, water use efficiency, and public health, in order to maximize socio-economic impact. It will seek to identify and quantify the adaptation challenges to water, food and energy security and to the environment, and will propose an adaptation plan based on state-of-the-art technologies and adaptation solutions, including centralised and decentralised wastewater treatment, smart agriculture and precise irrigation, solar desalination, renewable energy. Through engaging communication activities EcoFuture will aid in increasing the awareness of citizens, stakeholders and policymakers towards a sustainable future.

EcoFuture will create a better understanding of the interdependence of water, food, energy and environmental resources. It will catalyze an informed and transparent framework for determining trade-offs and synergies that meet demand without compromising sustainability. Water and food security remain central to the concept of the nexus while climate change amplifies the significance and interdependence of this dynamic relationship. The project will account for the social priorities of the three involved countries and use innovative techno-economic models to assess policies and actions for improving the welfare of the people in the Jordan Valley.

EcoFuture is coordinated by the Technical University of Crete and partners of the consortium include the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Hebrew University, the Reichman University, Wald Industries Ltd., as well as partners from Palestine and Jordan. This project is part of the PRIMA programme supported by the European Union. GA n [2243] [EcoFuture] [Call 2022 Section 1 NEXUS WEFE IA].