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In January 2021, the new Horizon 2020 project “Promoting SMART agricultural WATER management in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (SMARTWATER) was launched. It was the first time that an academic institution from Bosnia and Herzegovina implemented a Horizon 2020 project as Coordinator. The main objective of SMARTWATER is to reinforce networking, research and S&T cooperation capacities of the University of Banja Luka (UNI-BL), the University of Sarajevo (UNSA) and other connected national institutions, in the field of sustainable agricultural water management and to increase their competency and fund-raising skills for a successful participation in the European Union Research Programs. Main project topics include: 1) cloud-based smart technologies, 2) new generation of satellite remote sensing data, 3) water-energy-food nexus and 4) climate change impact on agriculture. At two locations in BiH (Aleksandrovac and Butmir) 3-year field experiments on maize (Zea mays L.), hybrid BL 43 (from FAO 400 group) were completed. The Randomized Complete Block design included two factors, irrigation (3 irrigation regimes) and fertilization (2 nitrogen levels). During the project implementation, our scientific teams published several academic papers in peer-reviewed international Journals and Proceedings and these documents are available in open access on Zenodo platform [1]. The project consortium is preparing additional scientific papers. The project outputs are: 3 advanced training courses, 3 summer schools, joint research activities (experiments) at 2 locations in BiH, 3 stakeholders’ meetings (roundtables), 3 post-graduate MSc courses, 13 mutual staff exchanges, 3 hands-on workshops on R&I, the development of 2 smart water management tools and the organization of an international conference in BiH at the end of the project. So far (period 2021-2023) most of these activities were finished. All project reports were prepared and sent to the EC. All info about the project is being disseminated, on a regular basis, and for this purpose social media profiles were used: Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn and YouTube as well as the SMARTWATER website [2]. The dissemination of SMARTWATER achievements is an ongoing process. SMARTWATER project officially ends in June 2024. The remaining activities in 2024 include the organization of academic exchanges in Portugal and Italy, the 3rd stakeholders' meeting, the completion of the scientific publishing and the organization of an international conference in Trebinje (BiH) in May. We ask all interested stakeholders to visit our sites, to attend our events and to join the SMARTWATER network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Developing countries without reliable national data can use global data for LDN. • Challenges in LDN implementation range from institutional to organizational level. • In countries with weak socio-economic conditions, land degradation is not a priority. • Current LDN indicators do not identify land degradation due to invasive species. • Important drivers of land use changes in post war countries are migration and land abandonment. Abstract Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) is a key voluntary and aspirational target of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 which urges countries to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. A first and critical important step in the implementation of LDN is assessing the current land condition using not only active restoration of degraded land, but also targeting land degradation drivers behind the land degradation process. In a first step to achieve these goals, countries were provided a global dataset for three sub-indicators of land degradation: land cover (LC), land productivity dynamics (LPD) and soil organic carbon (SOC). Here, we report on trends in these sub-indicators for the Entity Republic of Srpska (RS) as a part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a key analysis to inform the frame of reference or baseline conditions for the region to evaluate LDN across this region. Global data for LC for the RS indicates a 0.5% loss of forests (6400 ha) over the time period from 2000 to 2010. Of this area, 5000 ha were converted to cropland and an additional 1400 ha was converted to shrubs, grasslands and sparsely vegetated areas. LPD declined over 2.5% (63,500 ha) of the region. SOC declined on land use changed areas by 15.6% (74,609 Mg ha−1) over the same time period. Based on global data, we estimated that 3% of the country is in a degraded state. Based on interviews with local stakeholders in 31 local communities, the primary land degradation drivers were identified and validated by team experts. Depopulation and migration to urban centers were identified as the important underlying drivers of land degradation that most municipalities are facing. The most frequent direct drivers of land degradation across this region were land abandonment, floods, drought, erosion and urbanization. Land abandonment, more specifically, has resulted in conversion of agriculturally productive lands to lands dominated by a wide range of invasive species over the last 25 years. Continued land degradation is underpinned by the lack of understanding by stakeholders of the importance of land as a resource. In evaluating the status, trends and drivers of land degradation for this region, we have identified key areas or "hot spots" that may be targeted for restoration options and may be used to achieve LDN targets by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]