XF-ACTORS "Xylella Fastidiosa Active Containment Through a multidisciplinary-Oriented Research"

XF-ACTORS is the first international research project in Europe entirely devoted to develop a multidisciplinary research program on the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. The project is funded by the European Commission as part of the Horizon 2020 program. XF-ACTORS involves a large consortium: 29 Partners and Research Institutions, including 4 non-European research centers from USA, Brazil, Costa Rica and Taiwan, countries where the pathogen is known to be present since a long time. The project wants to address the urgent need to improve prevention strategies, early detection and control of Xylella fastidiosa. XF-ACTORS aims to implement a multidisciplinary research program to fill the research gaps and strengthen the EU research capabilities with a global strategy for the integrated management of the outbreaks, so as to prevent the further spread of the bacterium in the EU territories and to mitigate the economic, environmental and social effects of the epidemics. The stakeholders’ interests are an important driver of XF-ACTORS. Therefore, a Stakeholder Board has been settled, with the participation of representatives of international and national Plant Protection and quarantine services, policy makers at the EU level, growers, producers and nurserymen organizations and extension services. The knowledge generated by XF-ACTORS research aims to a number of objectives, such as improving capacity of farmers to manage the disease and prevent further economic losses in crops; enhancing capacity and competence of plant health authorities to strengthen the EU plant health regime; generating positive impact towards the improvement of EU prevention measures (legislative provisions, technical procedures, means of disease control, etc.).