Last week, scientists from across the Mediterranean met in Rabat to discuss the progress of the MED4PEST (Mediterranean Alliance for Ecological Pest Management) Project. The meeting was co-organized in Rabat by the Faculty of Sciences Rabat (Mohammed V University) and the National Institute of Agronomic Research. Researchers from MetaMeta Anatolia (Turkey), Hellenic Mediterranean University (Greece), Mohammed V University (Morocco), and the National Institute of Agronomic Research (Morocco) had the opportunity to meet in person, whereas more team members from the CYENS Centre of Excellence (Cyprus) joined the meeting online.
Prof. Souad El Hajjaji, Vice-Dean in charge of Research and Cooperation-FSR who co-hosted the meeting, highlighted the significance of Hosting an international project aimed at developing bio-pesticides and the involvement of doctoral students from the institution/department.
Project coordinator Sukru Esin expressed his happiness in attending the second meeting of the MED4PEST project in the capital city of Rabat, Morocco. emphasizing its importance in developing solutions for pre-harvest and post-harvest losses caused by rodent issues, contributing to developing international research-focused collaborations.
Assistant Professor Ioannis Daliakopoulos from the Hellenic Mediterranean University, Greece underlined the importance of monitoring pest threats at all food production stages and emphasized that this gathering symbolized a significant milestone in the collaborative journey of MED4PEST towards pioneering solutions in ecological pest management.
Dr. Fouad Mokrini, Head of the Nematology Laboratory at the National Institute of Agronomic Research, conveyed his immense sense of pride in overseeing the hosting of an international project. This project is specifically geared towards the pursuit of sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions for the effective control of rodent populations.
Mr. Badr BENJELLOUN, Head of the regional center of the National Institute of Agronomic Research in Rabat, expressed his profound enthusiasm about the opportunity to host an international project focusing on the advancement of Ecological-Based Rodent Management (EBRM) approaches as an alternative solution for controlling rodents. Furthermore, Mr. BENJELLOUN highlighted the extensive expertise and track record of INRA’s researchers in contributing to numerous successful international projects. The MED4PEST project is supported by the Prima-Med Program, which promotes international collaborative projects related to water, agriculture, food, and agri-food value chains in the Mediterranean region. initiated in 2022, this project is set to continue until June 2025. For more info, please visit www.med4pest.org