Conclusive Results of the European Project OPTIMA: Optimization of Perennial Grasses for Biomass Production in the Mediterranean Area

The European Project OPTIMA–Optimization of Perennial Grasses for Biomass Production in the Mediterranean Area (GA 289642, coordinated by the University of Catania)–was conceived with the ambitious aim of identifying and optimizing new strategies for the sustainable use of land in marginal Mediterranean areas particularly exposed to climate change. Curiously, although today the term “marginal land” is on everyone’s lips, there is no clear definition for it [1]. Generally speaking, marginal land is considered as a land of low-opportunity cost where it is not worth cultivating food crops; however, the degree of marginality remains vague and complex to estimate as it strongly depends on context and domain. Rabbinge [2], for example, provided an agronomic definition of marginal lands basing on crop growth, Van Orshoven [3] defined marginal land in terms of biophysical constrains, and the FAO [4] proposed an economic perspective of marginal land. An enlightening review article on the definition of marginal land has been submitted during the OPTIMA project by Soldatos and collaborators (under review).