The hedge plantings are held under the auspices of the Commissioner for the Environment and Animal Welfare, Ms. Antonia Theodosiou, and the plantings in Peri Orinis are dedicated to the memory of Martin Hellicar (1968-2024), the former Director of BirdLife Cyprus and collaborator of the Laona Foundation.
The LIFE-AgrOassis project promotes the reintroduction of traditional hedgerows around agricultural fields using deep-rooted plants. These plants are cultivated in specialized Deep Root Training Tubes under the scientific guidance of the KES Research Centre. This innovative method, being tested for the first time in Europe, reduces irrigation needs and enhances the plants’ drought resilience.
As part of this effort, last winter, 3,200 trees and shrubs were planted on land boundaries degraded by desertification, corresponding to 7.6 km of plant hedges. This year, more trees and shrubs with deep roots will be planted from November 2024 to January 2025, with the help of about 300 volunteers in areas of Pera Oreini (Nicosia) and Pyrga-Anglisides (Larnaca). The project aims to plant a total of 18,000 trees and shrubs in Cyprus by 2026, creating approximately 30 km of plant hedges.
The LIFE-AgrOassis project, with partners from Cyprus, Thessaly, and Crete, is co-financed by the European Union and aims to support agriculture in areas at risk of desertification due to climate change.
Project partners include: Ministry of Agriculture (led by the Agricultural Research Institute and with participation from the Departments of Environment, Agriculture, and Forest), Open University of Cyprus, KES Research Center, Cyprus Farmers’ Union (EKA), Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, University of Thessaly, Municipality of Sitia, Paradisiotis Ltd, TOEV Tavropou Karditsas and the Laona Foundation.
