CORENET ROUNDABLE DISCUSSIONS AT UCAEP
COREnet partners UCAEP and UniFG met with Austrian agricultural stakeholders to explore ways to expand the EU advisory network supporting short food supply chains
Last week, two interesting meetings were held in Vienna at the University College of Agricultural and Environmental Education (UCAEP) to discuss the plans for the upcoming activities dedicated to “Establishing and supporting a European Advisory Network for improving SFSC (EAN–SFSC) performance and impact.”
The first meeting took place at the UCAEP premises between Fedele Colantuono and the UCAEP team (Veronika Hager, Eveline Neubauer, Christian Jochum, and Elisabeth Hainfellner) to discuss the involvement and roles of different partners and KNCPs, and the organisation of upcoming activities and events aimed at expanding the EU SFSC advisory network and providing tools to support knowledge sharing.
A roundtable discussion was also held at the Ministry of Agriculture, BMLUK (Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Klima- und Umweltschutz, Regionen und Wasserwirtschaft), with participation from various representatives of the Ministry and the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture. The discussion focused on AKIS, the CAP Strategic Plan, rural development, and topics related to local farmers.
On this occasion, the COREnet project was introduced by Fedele Colantuono and the UCAEP team, fostering a fruitful exchange of ideas, including Austrian examples from AKIS and local support initiatives. These discussions explored potential solutions for “Creating a climate of public/political support to integrate SFSC advisory services into AKIS.”
This may serve as a good example for other COREnet partners to follow in their own countries, encouraging engagement with local AKIS coordination bodies and creating synergies for the implementation and integration of the EU SFSC advisory network.
Photo credits: Fedele Colantuono
