On 15 July 2025, the University of Skikda – Faculty of Sciences, Department of Agronomic Sciences, partner of the WATERMELLON Project (PRIMA Section 1) in Algeria, successfully organised the Second Regional Farmers Group (RFG2) Workshop at Hotel El Hidab, Setif, Algeria.
The workshop, held within the framework of the WATERMELLON project, brought together 54 participants (47 attending in person and 7 online), including farmers from five agricultural regions across Algeria, researchers, and other key stakeholders. The event aimed to strengthen collaboration between research institutions and farming communities while promoting innovative and sustainable farming systems to address the growing impacts of drought and water scarcity in the Mediterranean region.
Participants were introduced to the latest progress and achievements of the WATERMELLON project, with particular emphasis on its three main pillars for sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural production:
- Innovative sorghum–winter forage crop rotation systems;
- An innovative rainwater harvesting, storage, and precision irrigation system;
- An integrated common carp aquaculture production system.
The workshop also highlighted the project’s approach to developing integrated farming systems that incorporate drought- and salinity-resilient solutions, helping improve water use efficiency and agricultural resilience under increasingly challenging environmental conditions.
affiche workshop RFG bilingual (1)
Through an interactive and participatory format, farmers actively shared their experience, local knowledge, and practical recommendations. The discussions generated valuable feedback and complementary ideas that will support the further optimisation of the WATERMELLON prototype and ensure that the proposed innovations are well adapted to the needs of farmers at the Algerian demonstration site.
In addition to the technical presentations, the event included a practical training session, where participants gained first-hand knowledge of the design, installation, and operation of the WATERMELLON prototype. Live demonstrations enabled farmers to better understand how to implement this integrated circular farming system and its associated technologies on their own farms.
At the end of the workshop, all participants completed the project questionnaire, providing valuable information for assessing the project’s performance indicators, identifying factors influencing technology adoption, and evaluating the sustainability and scalability of the integrated circular farming systems developed within WATERMELLON.
This second Regional Farmers Group workshop represents another important milestone for the project, reinforcing stakeholder engagement and supporting the co-creation of innovative, sustainable, and climate-resilient agricultural solutions across the Mediterranean region.
The images below highlight some of the event’s key moments. We sincerely thank all farmers, stakeholders, and participants for their active engagement and valuable contributions to the success of this event.
Photo credit: SKIKDA