Drought, declining soil health and water scarcity are putting Cyprus’s agricultural land under increasing pressure. Yet the challenges go beyond climate change. Agricultural support measures don’t always reflect local soil conditions, rainfall patterns or the practical and financial realities farmers face.

📍 On 20 October, AKTI and The Cyprus Institute brought together a small group of key stakeholders from public authorities, research organisations and other relevant bodies for a TERRASAFE policy workshop, focusing on the project’s pilot area in Western Mesaoria.

The discussion centered on a critical challenge: developing agricultural and environmental policies that are effective, practical for farmers and adapted to local conditions.

Participants explored how TERRASAFE’s policy development framework could be adapted to Cyprus, discussing the guiding principles and assessment criteria that will inform future policy proposals.

💡 A key consideration: making sustainable farming viable in the long term. Financial incentives can encourage farmers to adopt new practices, but lasting change also depends on implementation costs, practical feasibility and whether farmers can maintain those practices over time.

The next step: working with stakeholders to develop and assess policy options that better support soil protection, sustainable land management and agricultural resilience in Cyprus.

Protecting our soils is not only about how we farm, but also about how we shape the policies behind it.