From water scarcity to agriculture under pressure, both shores of the Mediterranean face the same urgent climate challenges. To address them together, a delegation of public and private stakeholders from the agricultural sector in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia visited the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) in Lecce, participating in a seminar focused on digital technologies for enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems.

The event, organized as part of a broader training program promoted by CIHEAM Bari, centered on a crucial issue: how to manage an increasingly limited resource like water more efficiently, especially in agriculture.

This topic is highly relevant on the international stage, and CMCC is actively engaged in numerous research activities supporting decision-making processes across the Mediterranean. In Tunisia, for example, the application of digital tools for irrigation management has achieved water savings of up to 60% in citrus crops and 70–80% in potato cultivation, thanks to systems capable of monitoring soil moisture and optimizing irrigation needs.

Similar initiatives have been implemented in other Mediterranean contexts under high water stress, such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Italy (Sardinia), demonstrating how integrating climate data, modelling, and sustainable agricultural practices can support more effective decision-making at both farm and territorial levels.

During the seminar, CMCC researchers illustrated how digital technologies and decision-support systems can not only improve water-use efficiency but also help plan climate adaptation strategies under increasing uncertainty.

Discussions with participants highlighted a strong convergence of priorities, particularly the need to strengthen the resilience of agricultural systems and ensure sustainable water management.

The seminar took place in a highly engaged and participatory atmosphere, fostering direct exchanges between science and stakeholders and already opening avenues for potential future collaborations between CMCC and the countries involved.

As part of their visit, the delegation also toured the High Performance Computing Center, the technological core of CMCC’s activities, where climate data and scenarios are processed to support decision-making.

In a Mediterranean increasingly exposed to the impacts of climate change, dialogue between research and territories remains a key tool to turn scientific knowledge into practical solutions.