The CAMA project aims to identify the main barriers that hinder Conservation Agriculture (CA) adoption by smallholders of Mediterranean countries and to overcome them with a participatory research approach based on the use of field experiments and pilot case studies in several conditions and the development of an extensive programme of dissemination and training.

Specific objectives:

• Identifying the major social, economic and agronomic barriers to CA implementation by smallholders of Mediterranean countries;
• Establishing a network of CA experiments and farmers groups adopting CA to apply a participatory research approach;
• Improving legume-based rotations in rainfed CA cropping systems, with genomic and farmer-participatory research aimed to enhance legume crop yield and resilience and research on crop/residues management;
• Quantifying the effects of CA application and developing agronomic innovation to increase soil fertility, soil physical status and nitrogen and water use efficiencies, and to decrease soil erosion;
• Disseminating the CA concept and techniques in Mediterranean countries, tailoring them to the specific pedo-climatic and socio-economic conditions;
• Increasing the technicians, advisors and farmers know-how for a better adoption of CA, with the organisation of two training courses and their participation in the research activities.