The project

The project

DRIVE LIFEDrought Resilience Improvement in Vineyard Ecosystems

LIFE19 ENV/IT/000035

"Meteorological drought" is defined in terms of precipitation deficiency, which may be exacerbated by poor soil management leading, in turn, to reduced water reservoir and high temperature associated with high evapotranspiration. According to the European Environmental Agency the area of the Mediterranean region under meteorological drought is projected to increase by the end of the 21st century by 50%. Such a scenario is aggravated by the current situation in Europe regarding the use of water resources that is effectively expressed by the Water Exploitation Index (WEI) that for Italy, Belgium, Cyprus, Spain, and Bulgaria have already exceeded the threshold of 20% (that implies that a water resource is under stress) and is forecast to increase in next years.

Meterological drought strongly affect the three main E28 wine producing countries (Italy, Spain and France) with effect both on grape yield and wine quality.

In this context the DRIVE LIFE project plans to address how to tackle the issue of concurrent meteorological drought and water scarcity, finding solutions for improved vineyard ecosystems resilience. This to maintain competiveness while lowering vineyard water footprint and making additional water supply unnecessary.