Germ of Life project was created to address a governance challenge: contributing to the sustainability of society and ecosystems in Euro-Mediterranean regions, which are increasingly affected by climate change. To this end, it creates a digital platform that improves preventive management of drought risks and will be useful for policymakers, farmers, businesses, academia, engineers, foresters, urban gardeners, and citizen groups.
The project that is underway combine nature-based solutions and technological solutions. The goal is to move a step forward in the automation and precision of the state of soil and vegetation risk assessment. Germ of Life will facilitate prevention by adopting artificial intelligence and data-driven early warning systems through remote sensing. With monitoring indicators and data addressing mitigation and adaptation to drought for the balance of ecosystems in the Euro-MED area.
The project’s phased implementation has already seen two of the four pilot projects underway, in Greece (Achaia region) and Portugal (Alentejo region), with weather stations equipped with numerous sensors. The other two pilots will also begin in the coming months, located in the province of Cádiz (Spain) and in the metropolitan area of Turin (Italy).
In parallel, Germ of Life is presenting its innovation model to numerous public and private stakeholders, organizing presentations and participating in relevant events in diverse fields such as the space sector, agriculture, environmental management, and artificial intelligence.
For example, it can be highlighted that Manuela Balzarolo and Valeria Gentile, of CMCC, have showcased the Germ of Life project and the preliminary mock-up platform in ESA Living Planet Symposia in Wien (Austria), last June. Organized by the European Space Agency, is among the world’s premier events on Earth Observation. With the climate crisis intensifying, the 2025 edition emphasized transitioning ‘from observation to climate action and sustainability for Earth’. To demonstrate how Earth observation supports monitoring, mitigation and adaptation efforts to tackle environmental and societal challenges, thereby reducing the impacts of crises.
Manuela Balzarolo and Valeria Gentile explained that the drought vulnerability assessment tool is based on the use of Earth observations and climate and machine learning algorithms to calculate compound indicators of multifaceted (meteorological, hydrological, agro-ecological) droughts and their impacts on the soil-vegetation-water processes and resources.
The ultimate goal of this work from Germ of Life is to promote drought adaptation strategies, guiding the actions of stakeholders and policy makers in the short term, based on the prediction of meaningful indicators and constant monitoring of natural ecosystems.
One of the most significant events that Germ of Life has promoted so far was organized in Aigion by the Region of Western Greece, last May, on the theme “Drought and climate resilience. The example of the vineyards of Aegialia”. There was an official presentation of the Pilot Metereological Network of Aegialia, the utilization of which will contribute decisively to the optimal forecast and timely notification of drought conditions.
Athanasios Argyriou, Professor of Atmospheric Physics of the University of Patras and Germ of Life Leader Project, explained that “it will be able to predict drought phenomena to the best possible extent”.
The Deputy Regional Governor of Achaia, Fokion Zaimis, say: “Vigilance and mobilization are required in order to look for scientific tools and innovative methods, especially in the field of prevention, that will respond to the maximum possible extent to the problems posed by climate change. In this way, we are opening up new paths in dealing with Climate Change, because the priority and choice must be the support of production and not the compensation of the disaster”.
On his part, the Mayor of Aegialia, Panagiotis Andriopoulos, pointed out: “For an area like Aegialeia, where wine is not only a product but a culture, the above are very serious challenges. The need to adapt agriculture to the new conditions, with modern practices, scientific knowledge and sustainable cultivation techniques, is imperative”.
Official presentation of the Pilot Metereological Network of Aegialia, organized in Aigion by the Region of Western Greece, Germ of Life partner.
Participation of Germ of Life in European Space Agency Living Planet Symposia 2025, in Wien (Austria).
