During the project  FP7-EUPORIAS, the laboratory contributed, in collaboration with the UN-WFP, to the development of an advanced platform for the  early warning of drought in vulnerable areas. The system uses seasonal scale climate forecasts to predict the likely effects of rainfall regimes on rural populations and to predict the possible needs in terms of humanitarian aid. In the sector of agricultural production the laboratory conducts research on the optimal allocation of the olive producing areas in response to the invasion of new weed species due to climate change. The laboratory contributed to the first Italian report on "Land Degradation Neutrality" in the pilot project of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification developing a methodology for the identification of areas vulnerable to land degradation and for the monitoring of land changes on the basis of remote sensing indicators. Indicators of state and trend of "land productivity" and climatic parameters made it possible to evaluate through diagnostic models the impact of man-made and natural changes on terrestrial ecosystems in support of policies and measures to adapt and prevent land degradation