The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today announced its new partnership with a Mediterranean intergovernmental organization to promote crops and improve fisheries, among other sustainable activities.

The collaboration between the FAO and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) seeks to expedite the modernization of irrigation in the region and prevent forest fires.

The Mediterranean could become a free trade area next year, triggering fears that this could lead to pest dissemination. The FAO-CIHEAM partnership aims to control pest entrance and spread in the region by introducing harmonized protocols of pest monitoring.

Founded in 1962, CIHEAM comprises 13 Mediterranean member countries: Albania, Algeria, Egypt, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia and Turkey.