LANCASTER is about to boost the Balkans thanks to a pioneering reconstruction project.
Scientists from Lancaster University are playing a key role in a 1.2 million Euro EU-funded scheme to improve irrigation and water management in the strife-torn region.
The project is one of the first collaborative projects to be carried out with foreign partners in the Western Balkans since the end of conflict.
The three-year initiative aims to draw on expertise from four European Universities, including Lancaster, and three from Serbia and Macedonia.
One of the projects main aims is to tackle drought, which in a bad year can wipe out more than half the crop yields.
Microbiologists will also carry out research into pollutants which find their way into the water supply.
Dr Mark Bacon, of Lancaster University's environment centre, says: "Lancaster has a strong track record in this area and see this as an important opportunity to put our research expertise to practical use."
Other Lancaster researchers working on the project include Professor Keith Jones and Professor Bill Davies.
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