The Mediterranean agroecology sector connects
The Mediterranean agroecology sector connects: a cross-border community is born
A digital map to find those working in the field, a network for sharing research and opportunities, a congress bringing together experiences and expertise. AEMED is building a new Mediterranean space dedicated to agroecology. And it is already looking ahead to 2027, when Sicily will host the second Mediterranean Congress.
There is an agriculture that can be seen in the fields, and another that is increasingly being built through the exchange of knowledge.
This is the world of agroecology: a universe in which farmers, researchers, technicians, universities, associations, institutions and communities experiment every day with new responses to the major challenges facing Mediterranean agriculture.
How can production systems become more resilient in the face of climate change? How can soil and biodiversity be protected? How can we make better use of water, an increasingly precious resource? How can rural economies be kept alive and generational renewal encouraged?
The answers cannot all be found in the same place. And this is precisely why connecting those already working on these challenges can become part of the solution.
This is the idea behind AEMED – Mediterranean Agroecology Network, the Mediterranean network for agroecology that has developed weAEMED, a platform designed to make visible the people, organisations, expertise and experiences spread across the different territories of the Mediterranean.
A map showing who is changing agriculture
Opening weAEMED means entering a map. But behind every point are people and projects.
The weAEMED Map has been active since 1 September 2026 and is therefore still in its early development phase. It is a young, open and constantly growing network: new members can join, present their activities and contribute to progressively expanding the representation of the Mediterranean agroecological ecosystem.
Farms, associations, universities, research centres, professionals, cooperatives, institutions and organisations can present their activities and expertise, becoming part of a network where they can find potential contacts and partners.
There is, in fact, a substantial difference: a database tells you who exists; a network tries to show who can connect with whom.
A farm experimenting with agroecological practices may find a researcher interested in the same topic. An organisation may identify a partner for a project. A young professional may connect with organisations working in other Mediterranean countries.
In this case, technology primarily serves to reduce distances.
And precisely because the Map has only recently been launched, its development will also depend on the community’s ability to participate: every new member helps make the network broader, more representative and more useful.
More than a map: information, calls, research and techniques
There is also a second, less visible but equally important level.
Joining the AEMED network does not simply mean appearing on the platform. It means entering a circuit through which information and knowledge about agroecology can circulate.
News, research, studies, techniques and practices, calls for proposals, opportunities, events and initiatives all become part of an information flow aimed at those working in the sector or following its development.
In a world where opportunities and knowledge are often fragmented across institutional websites, universities, research centres, organisations and territories, having a shared point of reference can make information more accessible.
This, ultimately, is also what a community means: not only knowing who belongs to it, but sharing what each member discovers and builds.
The first step was taken in Agrigento
AEMED’s recent history runs through Agrigento.
In June 2025, the Sicilian city hosted the first Mediterranean Congress of Agroecology, bringing research, agriculture, institutions, organisations and civil society together around the same table.
The discussions addressed some of the most urgent challenges facing Mediterranean agriculture: climate, water, soil, biodiversity, food systems, research, education, innovation and public policy.
But the congress also served another purpose: bringing together people who, despite working on the same issues, often operate in separate worlds and territories.
That meeting highlighted the need to give continuity to these relationships.
weAEMED is one of the tools through which this continuity can be built.
Now the focus is on 2027
The next appointment has already been set.
From 7 to 10 June 2027, the second Mediterranean Congress of Agroecology – AEMED 2027 will take place in Altavilla Milicia, in the province of Palermo.
The new edition aims to continue the dialogue launched in Agrigento, placing research, agroecological practices, innovation and Mediterranean territories at the centre of the discussion.
The programme will include scientific sessions, workshops, round tables and sessions dedicated to field experiences. Topics will include, among others, Mediterranean food systems, soil health, biodiversity, climate resilience, water management, agroforestry, rural communities, education and research.
But there is one particularly interesting aspect for those who experience agroecology on a daily basis.
From research to the fields: room for scientific and experiential abstracts
AEMED 2027 will not be an event exclusively for the academic world.
Registration for the congress and the submission of scientific or experiential abstracts will open shortly.
This is a significant opportunity because it brings to the centre of the discussion not only research findings, but also experiences developed directly in the field.
A farm, technician, association or community will therefore be able to contribute to the debate by sharing practices, experiments, processes and results.
Likewise, researchers and universities will be able to present studies and new knowledge.
It is precisely at the intersection of these two worlds that agroecology reveals one of its most interesting characteristics: knowledge is not only produced in laboratories, but also built in fields and communities.
Details on abstract submission and congress registration will be made available shortly through AEMED’s official channels.
Visit the map and, if you wish, join the agroecological communit
Why the Mediterranean?
The Mediterranean is a mosaic of different crops, farming systems, economies, traditions and environmental conditions. Yet many of the challenges it faces are shared.
Water is becoming an increasingly central issue. Climate change is putting pressure on agricultural production and territories. Biodiversity loss and soil degradation are problems that do not stop at national borders. And in many rural areas, generational renewal remains an unresolved challenge.
This is why AEMED views the Mediterranean not as a uniform territory, but as a vast laboratory of diverse experiences that can learn from one another.
The network seeks to create precisely this kind of space for exchange.
Sicily as a crossroads
It is no coincidence that the second congress will once again be held in Sicily.
Geographically located at the heart of the Mediterranean, the island is also a territory where traditional agricultural production, innovation, research and numerous agroecological initiatives coexist.
Hosting the congress here means turning Sicily, for a few days, into a meeting point for experiences from different Mediterranean countries.
But it also means taking the congress beyond the conference rooms.
Technical visits and meetings with local stakeholders will provide opportunities to observe agricultural practices and farming systems first-hand, connecting theoretical discussions with what is actually happening in the fields.
A network that can change the way people connect
The value of a project such as AEMED cannot be measured solely by the number of members or participating organisations.
The real question is whether a network can foster meaningful connections.
Whether shared information leads to a project. Whether a funding call enables two organisations to collaborate. Whether research finds a farm willing to conduct trials. Whether a technique developed in one territory becomes known and is adapted in another.
It is through these connections that a digital platform ceases to be merely an IT tool.
It becomes the infrastructure of a community.
And since the Map has only been online since 1 September 2026, it is now entering precisely this stage of growth: expanding through new members, new experiences and new expertise, with the aim of becoming an increasingly comprehensive picture of Mediterranean agroecology.
The next event is already on the calendar
The journey that began in Agrigento in 2025 is therefore continuing through an increasingly structured network, with its sights already set on 2027.
On the one hand, there is weAEMED, with its Map, online since September 2026 and continuously expanding, offering a way to discover the people and organisations working in Mediterranean agroecology.
On the other, there is AEMED, with its activities, information, opportunities and efforts to connect different territories.
And then there are the congresses: occasions when the community can come together in person, exchange ideas, present research and practical experiences, and build new collaborations.
The next event will take place in Sicily from 7 to 10 June 2027.
In the coming months, the network will move into the operational phase of preparations for the congress, with registration opening and submissions of scientific or experiential abstracts being accepted.
For those who study agroecology, teach it, put it into practice in the fields or work every day in rural and local communities, this will be an opportunity to bring their experience into a discussion that seeks to transcend national borders.
Because the future of Mediterranean agriculture will depend on more than new techniques alone.
It will also depend on our ability to share what works, pool what we learn and build networks that reach across borders.
This is the ambition behind AEMED.
And weAEMED is the space where that ambition is beginning to take shape, from 1 September 2026 onwards, point by point, territory by territory.