The PRIMA NexusLabs project has officially hit the ground running, with its 1st Plenary Meeting held in Albacete, Spain on 12-14 May 2025, hosted by project coordinator Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) and AgriSat Iberia, S.L.
Bringing together 14 partners from 6 Mediterranean countries, NexusLabs develops 9 Living Labs which will help bridge the gap between knowledge and practice in Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus implementation. Since its launch in April, the project’s nine pilot teams—supported by leading scientific partners—have been shaping their visions for sustainable irrigation innovations that benefit all Nexus sectors.
The NexusLabs team visits the Dehesa de los Llanos, a large farm in Castilla-La Mancha region which implements a number of smart irrigation practices.
From Vision to Action
Unlike typical introductory meetings, the NexusLabs consortium—comprising long-time collaborators—dove straight into refining implementation strategies for irrigation efficiency innovations across nine Living Lab sites in Morocco, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain. The discussions focused on leveraging cutting-edge technologies—such as remote sensing, solar-powered irrigation, and Nature-based Solutions (NbS)—to enhance resource sustainability.
NexusLabs coordinator, Prof. Jose Gonzalez Piqueras, takes the NexusLabs team on a tour of a local wastewater treatment plant in the outskirts of Albacete, Spain, where the effluent is used to irrigate adjacent agricultural fields.
Field Insights: Solar-Powered Irrigation & Real-Time Monitoring
The plenary concluded with an instructive field visit to Dehesa de los Llanos, a large farm in Castilla-La Mancha region utilizing solar-powered center-pivot irrigation and NbS. Participants also witnessed UCLM’s groundbreaking work in drone-based thermal imaging for real-time crop health monitoring—a key component of NexusLabs’ tech-driven approach.
Making Waves in the Media
The project has already captured public attention, with coordinators Jose González Piqueras (UCLM) and Anna Osann (AgriSat Iberia) featured on TVE España, explaining NexusLabs’ mission to turn science into practical solutions. While GWP-Med Head of Communication's Alexandros Kandarakis highlighted the project’s regional impact.
🌐 Learn more: www.nexuslabs-prima.eu
What’s Next?
With strong momentum from its first plenary, NexusLabs is set to accelerate on-the-ground innovations, ensuring that sustainable WEFE Nexus solutions reach the communities that need them most. The project will actively engage with the PRIMA WEFE Nexus Community of Practice, sharing best practices, fostering knowledge exchange, and contributing to the growing critical mass of initiatives driving integrated resource management in the Mediterranean.