On 2-3 May in Brussels took place the AgriResearch conference dedicated to innovation and its key role in shaping the future of farming and rural communities. ELARD participated, represented by Kirsten Birke-Lund.
Attended by over 500 participants, this conference was intended to make the link between two other meetings, the 11th OECD Rural development conference “Enhancing rural innovation” in Edinburgh on 9-12 April, and the Bulgarian presidency High-level Food 2030 Flagship event in Plovdiv on 13-15 June.
After two inspirational speeches on the feedback of the 11th OECD Rural Development Conference, by Enrique Garcilazo (OECD), and on the outcomes of the European Spatial Planning Observatory Network research, by Ilona Raugze (ESPON-EGTC), the parallel session on “Shaping the future: how to best design R&I to support transition towards resilient and sustainable farming systems and rural communities? Attractive, smart and resilient rural communities: How to deliver on the promise of a better life in rural areas?” was due to focus on the panel discussion.
In addition to Kirsten Birke-Lund, Kevin O’Connor (University College Dublin), Cynthia Lynn Giagnocavo (University of Almeria) Adrien Guichaoua (ACTA/SCAR-AKIS), Barna Kovacs (BIO-EAST) and the audience engaged in the discussion on the below mentioned issues:
- What are the most important aspects to focus on in future EU R&I activities?
- Which steps need to be taken to design future activities in a participatory manner?
