Ana Paula Santos distinguished by Crédito Agrícola
Oeiras, 17th December 2024
Ana Paula Santos' project “Sementes Duradouras” (“Long Living Seeds”) was recognized in the 11th edition of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award by Crédito Agrícola in the category of Response to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses.
The project explores seed treatments and products to increase longevity and tolerance to stress situations. The main purpose is to understand the mechanisms associated with the loss of seed viability and the response to stress, to protect seeds, and ensure high germination rates and plant vigor.
“The impact of this project in terms of sustainability is enormous, if we think about countries like Portugal, that are highly dependent on importation, representing a risk to food security”, explains Ana Paula Santos. “In the long term this project can help minimize the dependence of importation, which is important to ensure some resilience of Portuguese agriculture in situations of climate change or other crisis, such as wars that can affect the seed import chain.” The award of €5000 opens the door to continued research and experimental validation, with the possibility of transferring the solutions developed to the agricultural community over the next few years.
The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award by Crédito Agrícola highlights cutting-edge projects that drive innovation, economic development, and environmental sustainability in the agricultural, agri-food, and forestry sectors.
