It consists of a technical-scientific workshop dedicated to eco-innovative solutions for the greenhouse horticulture
A technical-scientific workshop promoted within the framework of the PROTECHMED Project dedicated to eco-innovative solutions for the greenhouse horticulture sector in the Mediterranean area has concluded in Ragusa.
RAGUSA, April 30, 2026 – The PROTECHMED Project hosted in Ragusa (Sicily, Italy) a well-attended technical-scientific workshop involving researchers, professionals, institutional representatives and agricultural enterprises. The meeting, held in the conference hall of the Order of Agronomists, provided an opportunity to discuss smart eco-innovative solutions for protected crops in light of the sector’s key challenges, particularly those related to the efficient use of precious resources such as water, energy and nutrients.
TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSITION: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Emilia Arrabito, Director of SVI.MED. ETS, highlighted how the project, launched in August 2025, aims to create a sustainable horticulture model through the sharing of best practices between Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon and Malta, as well as through knowledge transfer among the countries involved.
“Through the PROTECHMED project, we aim to support the protected cropping sector in achieving a tangible transition that combines technological innovation, sustainability and competitiveness,” said Dr Emilia Arrabito. “Our objective is to build a lasting bridge between the worlds of research and institutions and that of agricultural enterprises, ensuring that the needs of local stakeholders guide the solutions developed by research, making them truly applicable and useful for those working in greenhouses every day. In an increasingly complex context, marked by climate change and market fluctuations, it is essential to identify tools and models that help companies reduce risks, optimise resource use and improve production quality. PROTECHMED was created precisely for this purpose: to bring together skills, experience and technologies in order to identify and validate solutions that are effective, replicable and economically sustainable. With this aim, we have involved the Free Municipal Consortium of Ragusa, the Municipality of Ragusa represented by Councillor Pasta, the University of Catania represented by Professors Leonardi and Catalfo, the University of Palermo represented by Dr Iacuzzi, as well as the Provincial Agriculture Inspectorate of Ragusa with Dr Carpenzano and Dr Randello, Regional President of AGIA CIA Sicily.”
The PROTECHMED Project seeks to innovate production processes through a high-level international partnership involving collaboration between SVI.MED. ETS – Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Sustainable Development (Italy, Ragusa), CIHEAM Bari (Italy), the University of Thessaly (Greece), the Ministry of Agriculture of Malta, Akdeniz University (Turkey), LARI – Ministry of Agriculture (Lebanon), BIAT – Business Incubator (Lebanon), and UTAP – Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (Tunisia).
BEST PRACTICES FROM THE PROTECHMED CATALOGUE
Today, introducing isolated innovations is no longer sufficient; instead, data and management must be understood as parts of a single system. This is why we now speak of Agriculture 5.0, which integrates advanced digital technologies (AI, IoT, drones) to enhance sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental impact reduction, going beyond Agriculture 4.0, while also emphasising the role of human decision-making.
This represents an evolution of Agriculture 4.0 driven by the growing pressures faced by the Mediterranean horticultural sector: from water availability and quality to climate variability, from energy instability and rising costs to the need to remain competitive. Within this context, the work carried out under the PROTECHMED Project focuses on the collection of Best Practices in the protected cropping sector across the Mediterranean basin, presented during the workshop by Bilal Derardja of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM).
Across the Mediterranean, numerous solutions already exist to make farms more sustainable and resilient; however, these are often scattered and locally applied. Hence the need to develop a comprehensive Catalogue of the most innovative and replicable solutions, in order to gather and compare different experiences.
“The best practices collected in the PROTECHMED Catalogue represent a strategic tool for enhancing experiences already tested in Mediterranean protected horticulture,” explained Dr Derardja. “Their contribution lies in making solutions developed in different contexts—often fragmented or poorly documented—more accessible. The repository consolidates knowledge on key themes such as water management, energy, digitalisation, fertigation, soilless systems and the circular economy. This shared foundation helps the partnership select high-potential practices for pilot actions, training, guidelines and dialogue with public policies. For PROTECHMED, best practices are not merely technical examples but tools to accelerate innovation, sustainability and resilience, facilitating the adaptation of solutions to different Mediterranean territories.”
SICILY CAMP, FIELD VISITS AND EXCHANGE OF BEST PRACTICES
Through the PROTECHMED Project, various stakeholders in the horticultural supply chain in Sicily will be involved in the co-design and testing of eco-innovative solutions. Ragusa will host a programme of technical visits to showcase best horticultural practices across different cultivation systems (soil-based, soilless, aquaponics, hydroponics, aeroponics, agrivoltaic greenhouses, etc.), alongside focus groups aimed at validating the economic sustainability of the proposed solutions with the support of artificial intelligence.
The project will enter a crucial operational phase from 3 to 5 June with the Sicily Camp: a three-day programme of technical visits and focus groups in Sicily involving companies from across the Mediterranean basin to share best practices and high-tech innovations.
“With this project, SVI.MED places the greenhouse horticulture of the Hyblaean area at the centre of international attention as an example of excellence, not only in terms of product quality but also as an innovative greenhouse hub through the introduction and application of cutting-edge technological solutions such as automated precision agriculture applied to greenhouse farming,” stated Giovanni Iacono, President of SVI.MED. “Within the international PROTECHMED project, a system developed by SVI.MED for the remote technical management of greenhouses will be tested, such as Agrivision, an intelligent interactive voice-controlled viewer connected to sensors, control units, data processing platforms and remote expert consultants.”
Interreg NEXT MED PROTECHMED is co-funded by the European Union.
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