Programme

9:00-10:30 Sessions

Session 1: Multi-level policy initiatives to reshape the CAP

• Moderator: Caterina Batello, Agroecology Expert, Vice President, AIDA, Italian Agroecology Association; Board Member, Agroecology Europe
• Environmental attitudes and motivations of farmers: behavioural and economic drivers and barriers to green change in agriculture
  
  • Eszter Takács, Researcher, Climate and Environmental Research Department, Institute of Agricultural Economics Nonprofit Kft. (AKI)
• Potential of eco-schemes for the agroecological transformation in northern Italy
  • Natalia Rastorgueva, Research Fellow, University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo (UNISG)
• Fostering cooperative agroecological approaches to restore biodiverse, resilient cultural heritage landscapes and improve food security in Europe
  • Zsolt Miklós Szilvácsku, Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Planning and Regional Development, Hungarian
    University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE)
• Scaling agroecology in East Europe—how to start the transition process
  • Srdjan Šeremešić, Full Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad
• Italian Agroecology Network

Session 2: Innovative farming practices

• Moderator: Márton Bruder, Farmer, Hungarian Agroecology Network Association
• Fermented forest litter (FFL)
  • Ole Ostermann, Ecologist and biologist, Board Member, Agroecology Europe
• Mycorrhizal fungi: from natural diversity to inoculation and beyond
  • Dr. István Parádi, Assistant Professor, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE); Executive, ExperiPlant Kft.
• Food production and landscape value: silvopasture as a possible sustainable livestock production system
  • Jacopo Goracci, Farm Manager, Tenuta di Paganico Farm, Paganico (GR), Italy
• Tomato landraces—a success story
  • Orsolya Papp, Research Leader, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi)
• Restoring and valuing traditional agricultural knowledge and crop varieties
  • Dylan Wallman, PhD candidate, Swedish Agricultural University (SLU)

Session 3: Transforming education and extension services: from top-down knowledge transfer to more horizontal farmer-to-farmer approaches

• Moderator: Logan Strenchock, Garden team member, Zsámboki Biokert; Co-Founder, Cargonomia
• Horticultural farmers’ views on and experience with the practical application of agroecological solutions in Latvia
  
  • Anda Adamsone-Fiskovica, Senior Researcher, Baltic Studies Centre
• A Roadmap Towards Action Education: The Nextfood Approach
  • Geir Hofgaard Lieblein, Professor, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
• Two decades of action education in agroecology: Impact of an agroecology course on alumni’s professional and personal
  life
  • Geir Hofgaard Lieblein, Professor, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
• ERASMUS+ to create a network of farm schools in Europe (video)
  • Emilie Rousselou, Founding Member, EUfarms
  • Aurélie Tacquard, Founding Member, EUfarms
• Knowledge gaps as barriers in agroecological transitions: Lessons learnt from UNISECO
  • George Vlahos, Assistant Professor, Agricultural University of Athens

10:30-11:00 Coffee break

11:00-12:30 Workshops

Workshop 9: Walking the agroecological path through feminism

• • Chiara Flora Bassignana, Research Fellow, University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo (UNISG)
  • Jesse Donham, Research Fellow, University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo (UNISG)
  • Clara Lina Bader, M.Sc. Resilient Farming and Food Systems, Wageningen University & Research; Agroecology Europe

Workshop 10: Connecting local agroecological initiatives with scientific research in Europe

• • Darleen van Dam, Researcher transition & innovation, Wageningen Research
  • Adrien Swartebroeckx, Associate Scientist, Walloon Agricultural Research Center (CRA-W)

Workshop 11: Practical applications of One Health: ecosystem building through engaging local communities, citizens, and authorities

• • Cristina Laurenti, Researcher, FiBL; Co-founder, Coalition of Health Professionals for Regenerative Agriculture (CHPRA),
    Board Member of Agroecology Europe
  • Eirini Tsirimokou, Founder, One Health Lead, Coalition of Health Professionals for Regenerative Agriculture (CHPRA);
    Sustainable Food Destination Organisation (SFDO)

Workshop 12: Climate action as a driver for agroecology in Central Eastern Europe: exchanging experiences and building alliances

• • Ana Frelih Larsen, Senior Fellow, Ecologic Institute

Workshop 13: Agroecology “Schools Without Walls”: trust, feeling, territory, and the education of eco-political concern

• • Andrea Ferrante, Coordinator, Schola Campesina

12:30-13:30 Lunch

13:30-15:00 Poster session

• The Agroecology Coalition’s role in building strategic alliances and networks to scale out of Agroecology
  • Amelie Steu, Associate Coordinator, Agroecology Coalition
• Private Funding for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems—The role of foundations
  • Clara Lina Bader, M.Sc. Resilient Farming and Food Systems, Wageningen University & Research; Agroecology Europe
• Tailored pathways and agroecological action for reviving farmland biodiversity
  • Dr. Diana Sietz, Group Leader, Thünen Institute of Biodiversity
• What’s good in Coventry? Food abundance vs. food poverty
  • Georges Félix, Assistant Professor Research, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University
• Co-designing new business models for soil health—first insights from a case study in Germany
  • Gerald Schwarz, Project Coordinator, Thünen Institute of Farm Economics
  • Elke Plaas, Senior Research Fellow, Thünen Institute of Farm Economics
  • Marie von Meyer-Höfer, Senior Research Fellow, Thünen Institute of Market Analysis
• Finding solutions for pushing farm transition: permaculture as a design of an agroecology system
  • Jacopo Goracci, Farm manager, Tenuta di Paganico Farm, Paganico (GR), Italy
• Combination of agroecological practices for improved soil quality
  • Jana Marjanović, PhD student, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE)
• Assessing the agroecological performance and sustainability of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Flanders, Belgium
  • Ruben Savels, Academic Assistant, Ghent University
• Assessing soil health indicators in an organically managed grassland in Norway
  • Sara Hansdotter, Advisor, Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture (NORSØK)
• PATH2DEA—Paving the Way towards Digitalisation Enabling Agroecology for European Farming Systems
  • Dr. Stefan Pfeiffer, Business Development Manager, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH

15:00-16:30 Sessions

Session 4a: Agroecology initiatives and Living Labs in Europe: experiences from AE4EU

• Moderator: Dr. Alexander Wezel, Head of Research and Professor for Agroecology and Landscape Ecology, ISARA
• Moderator: Dr. Vasileios Gkisakis, Agronomist and researcher, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation (ELGO)—DIMITRA (Greece)

Session 5: Building strategic alliances: the role of networks in scaling agroecology

• Moderator: Carolina Rizzi Starr, Agricultural Officer, FAO
• European Network for Agroecological Food Systems (ENAF): Activating the combined potential and capabilities of existing national and European networks related to agroecology
  • Dr. Margriet Goris, Researcher, Wageningen University & Research
  • Leonardo van den Berg, Coordinating Committee, European Coordination Via Campesina
  • Attila Szőcs-Boruss, Peasant rights advocate, Eco Ruralis
• Discourses of key European actors of civil society involved in agroecology
  • Dr. Raquel Luján Soto, Natural Resources and Sustainable Management, INGENIO (CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de València)
• A framework for coordinated action towards sustainable food systems: learnings, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration
  • Verónica Rebollo Díaz, Projects and Strategic Alliances, Alimentta
• The EUFarms Network: objectives, members, actions (video)
  • Emilie Rousselou, Founding Member, EUfarms
  • Aurélie Tacquard, Founding Member, EUfarms

Session 6: Agroecology and digitalisation

• Moderator: Almudena Garcia Sastre, EU Policy and Advocacy Officer, FIAN European sections
• Non-invasive sensors for cattle farming in agroecological conditions
  • Miklós Biszkup, Programmer, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi)
• The importance of using digital technologies in pasture-based beef cattle farming
  • Petra Balogh, Research Assistant, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi)
• Digital tool applied to agroecology: Poderi
  • Dr. Stefano Carlesi, Researcher, Group of Agroecology—Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
• Data collection for food security
  • Andrea Ferrante, Coordinator, Schola Campesina
• Digitalisation in Swedish agroecological contexts: synergies, technology uptake, and future innovation pathways
  • Aziliz Le Rouzo, Research Associate, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
• Developing a Decision Support Tool for sustainable viticulture: Insights on the agroecological assessment of
  practices in Cretan vineyards
  • Sotirios Pilafidis, PhD student, University of the Aegean
• Issues for the Global South: Food Sovereignty or Corporate Control
  
  • ETC Group (video presentation)

16:30-17:00 Coffee break

17:00-18:30 Sessions

Session 4b: Agroecology initiatives and Living Labs in Europe: experiences from AE4EU

• Moderator: Dr. Alexander Wezel, Head of Research and Professor for Agroecology and Landscape Ecology, ISARA
• Moderator: Dr. Vasileios Gkisakis, Agronomist and researcher, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation (ELGO)—DIMITRA (Greece)

Session 7: First steps into the agroecological transition

• Moderator: Stéphane Bellon, Researcher, INRAE; Board Member, Agroecology Europe
• The specificities of each concept (permaculture, regenerative agriculture, organic agriculture): ethics, practices, issues, training, networks, certifications
  • Emilie Rousselou, Founding Member, EUfarms
  • Perrine Bulgheroni (ex Hervé Gruyer), Farmer, SISTERFARMS Network
• Agroecology and the city: approaches and tools for interdisciplinary analysis of a peri-urban agrosilvopastoral system in Milan
  • Alice Giulia Dal Borgo, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage, University of Milan
• Agroecologist in action
  • Tommaso Gaifami, Agronomy consultant, Marsilea group
  • Stefania Caron, Agronomy consultant, Marsilea group
• GOOD-Agroecology for weeds: building an agroecological weed management network
  
  • Dr. Alexandros Tataridas, Assistant Researcher, Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra
  • Helena Freitas, Coordinator, Center for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra
  • Contributors: Alexandros Tataridas, Maria Rosa Mosquera Losada, Ilias Travlos, Maria Ramos Garcia, Jose Paulo Sousa, Spyros Fountas, Lara Agnoli, Harm Brinks, Milena Simic, Milan Brankov, Vesna Dragičević , Helena Freitas

Session 8: Long-term research for agroecology

• Moderator: Marcos Lana, Secretary General, Agroecology Europe, Associate Professor, Swedish Agricultural University
  (SLU)
• Integrated European long-term ecosystem, critical zone, and socio-ecological research
  • Dr. Taru Sandén, Senior Expert, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety; Lecturer, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
• EJP SOIL : European Joint Programme on Agricultural Soil Management
  • Claudia di Bene, Researcher in agronomy and soil science, CREA
• Digital twins at Rothamsted
  • Paul Harris, Professor, Rothamsted Research
• Complementarity of different types of research infrastructure investigating regenerative soil management
  • Koen Willekens, PhD, Senior researcher, Soil Management and Cropping Systems, ILVO, Plant Sciences Unit
• A Pipeline for Extracting Evidence of Crop Loss from Scientific Reports
  • Chris Baker, Professor and Science Director, Rothamsted Research

Session 9: Agroecology for socially and environmentally just food systems: perspectives from social movements

• Moderator: Lili Balogh, President, Agroecology Europe and Hungarian Agroecology Network Association
  • Judit Bari, Community development expert
  • Valéria Kovács, Activist and organiser, Fridays For Future Hungary
  • Attila Szőcs-Boruss, Peasant rights advocate, Eco Ruralis
  • Vincent Liegey, Interdisciplinary researcher, lecturer, and freelance writer on degrowth

18:30-18:45 Closing remarks: Policy reflections at the European level

• • Caterina Batello, Agroecology Expert, Vice President, AIDA, Italian Agroecology Association; Board Member, Agroecology Europe

19:00 Aperitivo: local cheese, bread, and wine tasting

20:00 Concert