Building Global Innovators (BGI), Idanha-a-Nova's collaborative laboratory - Food4Sustainability CoLAB, Lunds University and Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), have teamed up with the leading European food innovation initiative, EIT Food, to organise the Grow Workshops in Portugal - educational sessions to debate trends and emerging technologies in the area of sustainability in the agricultural sector.
These two-module sessions aim to rethink the practices and techniques currently used in the fields, explore new business models based on new potentials and technologies, as well as establish a network of contacts within the European sustainability ecosystem. All farmers, producers and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) active in the primary sector of food production who are interested in learning about agricultural digitisation, new business models, regenerative agriculture practices, bio-economy and the role of soils and the Food Web in agriculture can register. Several case studies will also be presented.
According to the programme partners, these sessions seek to address the effects of unsustainable farming practices used in the past and the challenges still to be overcome in this area. The climate is changing and agriculture must keep up with this change. In the face of the extreme weather events we are witnessing, food production threatens to be the biggest casualty. However, the FAO's 2030 Agenda states that sustainable agriculture has the capacity to respond to these events, through adaptation and mitigation. In this sense, the Grow Workshops propose to contribute to a "second green revolution", in which Portuguese and European farmers continue to provide abundant and healthy food, while preserving soil quality, natural resources and biodiversity.
Portugal will not be the only European host of this programme. Grow Workshops will also be organised in France, with the collaboration of partner Vitagora, a French agri-food innovation cluster that connects a number of associated companies with innovation partners.
Those interested can now register for the sessions through the initiative's website. The Workshops are free of charge and start on 6 and 7 November, with a hybrid format - with physical location at the Food4Sustainability facilities.
About EIT Food
EIT Food is a body of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) and aims to build an inclusive and innovative community of diverse food sector partners in order to leverage innovation and entrepreneurship in this sector across Europe.
About Food4Sustainability (F4S) CoLAB
The Food4Sustainability (F4S) CoLAB is a collaborative laboratory located in Portugal that aims to solve large-scale problems in biological food systems (e.g. food, fish, algae, vegetables) for climate resilience. The F4S CoLAB is at the forefront of the shift from linear agri-food production processes to circular processes. The aim of F4S CoLAB is to test and implement new approaches in food production systems that positively impact: CO2 mitigation, no use of chemicals, sustainable intensification (maximising land use), preservation of water bodies and environmental impact, and increased efficiency in the food sector value chain.
About Lunds University
Lunds University was founded in 1666 and has repeatedly been ranked as one of the top 100 universities in the world. The university has around 44,000 students and more than 8,000 staff, spread across Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. Lunds University strives to understand, explain and improve the world and the human condition.
About Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)
Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) is the largest RTO (Research and Technology Organization) in Austria and is also a key player on the international scene in several of its research areas. As such, AIT is a leading development partner for the industry and a top employer in the international scientific community.
About Vitagora
Vitagora is a French agri-food innovation cluster that connects a range of member companies with innovation partners and provides access to extensive international networking in the field. By providing tools and support for building ecosystems, strategic intelligence, practical innovation support and knowledge sharing, Vitagora takes its members to the heart of Europe's food innovation potential.