The University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA) is a dynamic multipluridisciplinary establishment located at the crossroad of European countries, a geostrategic position favorable to European and international exchanges. URCA develops innovative, fundamental and applied research (29 research units) and provides more than 27 000 students with a wide initial undergraduate studies program, which corresponds to society’s needs in all domains of the knowledge. Located in five different cities (Reims (main site), Troyes, Charleville-Mézières, Châlons en Champagne and Chaumont), the university is one of the biggest employers of the region, with about 1400 teachers and teacher-researchers and about 1000 technical and administrative staff.
The GEGENAA laboratory gathers members of the Faculties of Science and of humanities. It is a multidisciplinary team, working in surface geosciences (hydrology, hydrogeology, geomorphology, pedology) and geomaterials (characterization, behavior and weathering) using a variety of methods from remote sensing to microscopy, soil and water geochemistry, soil physic.
Main areas of expertise: physics, chemistry and biology of soils
(https://www.univ-reims.fr/) (https://www.univ-reims.fr/gegenaa/)
Biskra University is located on three campuses. It has 35000 students and 1370 teachers. The university is composed of 6 faculties and 1 institute of sport sciences and techniques, 24 pedagogical departments and 32 research laboratories. There are 36 pedagogical laboratories, which are divided between two faculties: The faculty of sciences and technology (FST) and the faculty of exact, nature and life sciences (FSESNV). The pedagogical laboratories cover the following programs: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Mechanical engineering, Civil Engineering, Water treatment, Electrical Engineering, Technical Sciences, Waves and optics, Thermodynamics and statistical physics, Physics of Materials, Modern physics, Computer engineering and Software engineering. Biskra university comprises 135 Professors, 435 Assistant professors and 796 Teaching assistants.
The scientific research laboratory DEDSPAZA is a multidisciplinary center, bringing together researchers and students in the fields agricultural sciences, hydro-pedology, plant protection, zootechnics, rural economy, agricultural machinery, biology and environment, around the theme of sustainable development and respect for the environment.
Main areas of expertise: morpho-pedogenesis, the valuation of agricultural products; Management of water resources; Renewable energies; Process Engineering and Environment
(https://univ-biskra.dz/index.php/fr/)
The Institute of Arid Regions (IRA) is a public research institute created in 1976, under the terms of Law No. 76/6. The IRA acts as a leading research and development institution to disseminate knowledge scientists on drylands and assess the impact of desertification indicators and trends.
The main objective of the IRA is to follow national guidelines and improve the lives of ordinary citizens affected by drought and desertification. Its mandate is to conduct research, training and awareness programs on activities related to the fight against desertification and the protection and development of natural resources in the dry areas of Tunisia. This includes soil and water conservation, erosion control, remote sensing and GIS, agronomy, biodiversity, ecology, livestock and wildlife, and agro-socio-economic and development policies. Research is mainly focused on monitoring and combating desertification, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, improving the resilience of production systems to climate change and governance of natural resources.
Main areas of expertise: Organic matter and elemental ecosystem fluxes (C, N and P), plant nutrition and water sufficiency, soil and rhizosphere processes
(http://www.ira.agrinet.tn/)
Team IRA Inst. arid medenine regions (TU)
Hellenic Agricultural Organization “DEMETER” (HAO-DEMETER) is the national body responsible for agricultural research and technology in Greece, sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture. HAO-DEMETER is in charge of research for technological improvement and development in agricultural, forest and fish production. It is also concerned with topics of veterinary, management of marine resources, soil science, land reclamation, processing and preservation of agricultural products. The Department of Soil Science of Athens (DSSA) belongs to the Soil and Water Resources Institute, it is integrated into HAO-DEMETER and includes specialized scientific staff of significant research capacity with modern laboratory and field infrastructure. The chemical laboratory of DSSA is well equipped for soil, plant and waste chemical analysis and it is accredited for soil analysis according to ISO/IEC 17025.The research team of DSSA have great experience in coordinating and participating in EU projects and has involved in projects related to agricultural waste management soil fertility and crop fertilization, management of crop residues and agricultural wastes to mitigate climate changes, soil reclamation, soil conservation and protection, soil pollution, soil remediation, digital soil mapping
Main areas of expertise: soil fertility and crop fertilization, management of crop residues and agricultural wastes, soil conservation and protection, soil pollution, soil remediation.
(https://www.swri.gr/index.php/en/)
The Algerian National Institute of Agronomic Research “INRAA” is an institute of the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It was created in 1966. Its legal status is a Public Scientific and Technological Establishment. Its main mission is to contribute to the development of agricultural research programs and to carry out research and experimentation programs. Currently INRAA is organized administratively in 12 research stations and scientifically in 12 research divisions. Among these stations, the Touggourt station in Oued Righ region is the one that will participate in the ISFERALDA Project. The station, created in 1959, is located 600 km south-east of the capital Algiers and occupies an area of 30 ha.
Main areas of expertise: identification of the most efficient irrigation and drainage techniques according to the soil and climatic conditions of the region. Improvement of soil fertility. Crop diversification with the date palm as an essential component, fodder and vegetable crops in relation to the physical and chemical characteristics of water and soil. Promotion of the products and by-products of date palm tree.
(https://inraa.dz/)
Team INRAA (DZ)
The Technical Institute for the Development of Saharan Agronomy “ITDAS” is an institute of the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It was created in 1987. Its main mission is to support the various agricultural development programs in the Saharan areas. This structure has five experimental stations across southern Algeria. The Ain Ben Naoui station in the Ziban region will participate in the ISFERALDA project. This station is located 450 km south-east of the capital Algiers and occupies an area of 11 ha. Most of this area is cultivated in date palm with an average age of 30 years. There are more than 10,000 plants of the varieties Deglet Nour, Ghers and Mech Degla in this site. Different crops are cultivated either as an underlying crop or outside palm, such as forage crops (alfalfa, barley, sesbania, etc.) and market gardening.
Main areas of expertise: Actions to preserve and enhance natural resources, manage irrigation, strengthen mechanisms to protect national production, communicate to farmers in the Saharan regions
Laboratory for arid-zone agricultural production improvement and resource protection (Laboratoire d’Amélioration des Productions Agricoles et Protection des Ressources en Zones Arides, LAPAPEZA – http://lab.univ-batna.dz/lapapeza/index.php/presentation-du-labo)
Batna 1 University is located on three campuses. It has 31000 students and 1052 professors. The university is composed of 6 faculties and 2 institute: institute of agronomy& veterinary science and institute of architecture, 26 pedagogical departments and 36 research laboratories. The scientific research laboratory LAPAPEZA is a multidisciplinary center, gathering researcher and pedagogy in the fields agricultural sciences, such as optimization of mineral fertilization of crops in semi-arid and arid regions, the biodiversity, plant production and protection, reuse and recovery of residues resources, water use in agriculture and impact on salinization, land degradation in arid zones, soil and water quality and impact on agricultural production.
Main areas of expertise: Crops fertilization, Biofertilisation,Agricultural recovery of organic waste (compost, biochar, residual sludge,…) and organic amendments.
(https://www.univ-batna.dz/)
Team UB Univ. Batna
Palm Compost
Abdennacer ZAAKIR graduated in management economics from the University of Batna in 1990. He founded in 2018 his date palm compost company as an extension of his agricultural farm with an area of approximately five hectares located in Biskra in an oasian environment. Palm compost has all the human and technical material means to produce a good quality compost. It employs six permanent workers with an agricultural engineer as assistant and a technical agent in agriculture.
Main areas of expertise: composting technology
Date palm composting with animal manure. The method followed is the production of compost by forced aeration of the mixture in concrete enclosures.