Kick-off Meeting of the project TRANSFER Danube

The TRANSFER Danube project (InTegRAted moNitoring System For agro-climatic risks within DanubE Region) officially kicked off on the 28^th of April 2025. The Kick-off meeting took place online, and all project partners, representing the 9 participating countries (Romania, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Montenegro, and Austria) participated actively.

The meeting started with partner organisations presenting themselves. During the meeting, the following objectives were discussed: Project management, Financial management, Monitoring project progress, Internal management, Communication & branding guidelines, and Resources.

The Kick-off meeting concluded with a discussion of the upcoming in-person event of the project that will be held in September.

The project aims to analyze the new patterns of climatic extreme events (drought, floods, heat waves, e.g.) and design/develop the necessary tools for agriculture in the Danube region in order to be able to properly adapt and respond to such challenges. This will be done by developing and implementing a Danube transnational e-platform that will integrate climatic/water resources /agriculture database, maps, knowledge, tools, modelling, good practices for water management, for reducing drought in order to be prepared and adapt to climate change in the vulnerable areas for crops (winter wheat and maize) in the Danube Region.

Through cooperation between country partners, a standardized monitoring system for the phenological status of selected agricultural crops throughout the Danube Region will be established, serving as a basis to evaluate the crop-specific water balances and yields.

The TRANSFER Danube project aims to raise the awareness of policymakers and the private agricultural sector to the possible consequences of climate change on agricultural production. The beneficiaries of the project and the groups targeted by it are local and regional decision-makers in the field of environmental protection and agriculture, also people in the field of agricultural policies and farmers.

The activities of the project will generate support for trans-disciplinary bilateral cooperation among partner institutions in the Danube area to tackle the challenges set by climate change in agriculture.

The project is co-funded by the Interreg Danube Region Programme and has a duration of 30 months, April 2025 – September 2027.