The main objective of DESEACROP is to demonstrate the sustainable management of the desalination of seawater for the production of crops in closed and soilless systems to strengthen its resistance as a key to the productive, economic, social and ecological sector in a Mediterranean climate with stress water in the semi-arid region. The following specific objectives will be achieved:

Characterize the current and expected capacity of desalinated seawater production, the surface of the crop with the possibility of being irrigated with this kind of water by means of systems without soil (including greenhouses) and the demand of water for agriculture without soil in the southeast of Spain.

Evaluate the quality of the desalinated seawater supplied to the farms and analyze their suitability according to the quality of the standards for the crop protection criteria.

Improve efficiency in the treatment of drainage flows to increase the efficiency of water use and its productivity and preserve the environment.

Optimize the use of desalinated seawater in soilless systems for different crops in order to increase productivity and quality of production.

Demonstrate the sustainability of replacing conventional soil cultivation and water resources with remineralized desalinated seawater and soilless systems based on the evaluation of performance indicators to determine energy consumption, the water-energy nexus, the footprint of carbon, the costs of cultivation and profitability in crops without soil.

Evaluate the impacts and socioeconomic and environmental implications of desalinated seawater management for irrigation in selected case studies; including the challenges and opportunities that provide manufacturers policies for take decisions aimed at a more sustainable management of agriculture and water resources.

Replicate and transfer project results and approaches in other contexts with similar and different environment conditions.