MAGMA Research & Development

We strive to contribute to the transition of the agri-food sector to green and sustainable practices through innovation.

Our department combines:

A team with solid academic background and substantial experience in third party funding

A wide network of collaborating universities and research institutes

Direct access to MAGMA’s Field Trials Unit and other capacities to swiftly bring innovations to market

Sustainable crop protection through green products and smart agriculture

High throughput agriculture powered by chemical pesticides has been feeding us for decades. How to maintain this production to match our growing population despite plant pests and diseases that rapidly spread and develop resistance against the methods we have at hand, while also limiting the harmful effects of agrochemicals on human health and the environment? Innovation is key to overcoming this challenge. In this spirit, through academic and industrial collaborations, we contribute to the development of innovative, environment-friendly crop protection methods and products.

CypTox: Training next level scientists and researchers to develop highly selective and safe insecticides.
‍https://cyptox.eu/site/index.php
‍This EU-funded project brings together 17 partners from 9 countries to exploit a key insect metabolic pathway to develop novel insecticides that are highly selective and safe by design.

SAH: Smart Agro Hub
‍https://smartagrohub.gr/en/
‍This competence center formed by the partnership of Athens Agricultural University with 12 Greek companies aims to provide Greek agriculture with innovative products and services to facilitate its digitally aided move towards increased sustainability.

DaCuS: An alternative method for fighting Dacus by eliminating its bacterial symbionts
‍https://dacus.webflow.io
This collaboration between MAGMA, AUTH, IMBB/FORTH and two professional olive growers encompasses lab, semi-field, and field experiments for developing and optimizing a novel, insecticide-free method for olive fruit fly control based on the elimination of gut symbiotic bacteria, which this important pest needs for reproduction and development.
_{AUTH: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
IMBB/FORTH: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas}

Resource-efficient animal feed and organic fertilisers made by insects
‍

Our wasteful food system leaves 10% of our population undernourished. Every year, we waste 1 billion tons of food, which we produce and then dispose with significant environmental impacts. At the same time, we feed valuable protein sources such as soymeal, fishmeal, grains obtained through environmental degradation to farm animals. Why not instead upcycle nutrients from food waste to animal feed? Insects can help us do this.

Greece is ideal for socioeconomically and environmentally beneficial implementation of this EU-approved technology, due to masses of landfilled food waste and unused byproducts, large aquaculture and poultry/ swine farming sectors reliant on imported feed ingredients and a large agriculture sector dependent on mineral fertilizers. Within an intersectoral consortium covering key aspects such as entomology, waste management, feed safety, animal nutrition, and commercialization of insect products, we will adapt this green, circular technology to Greek conditions, implement it at pilot scale in Crete and make a case for insect-based business in Greece with dissemination and stakeholder engagement activities.

Research and Development

We strive to contribute to the transition of the agri-food sector to green and sustainable practices through innovation.

Our department combines:

Sustainable crop protection through green products and smart agriculture

Resource-efficient animal feed and organic fertilisers made by insects
‍

Contact us

Research and Development

We strive to contribute to the transition of the agri-food sector to green and sustainable practices through innovation.Our department combines:

Sustainable crop protection through green products and smart agriculture

Resource-efficient animal feed and organic fertilisers made by insects‍

Contact us

We strive to contribute to the transition of the agri-food sector to green and sustainable practices through innovation.

Our department combines:

Resource-efficient animal feed and organic fertilisers made by insects
‍