Written by: Rasa Pakeltienė, ICA

The 14^th ICA Rectors and Deans Forum, titled “The Future of Agriculture and Forestry in Europe: Implications for Life Science Universities” was held on October 24-25, 2024, at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Croatia. This annual event gathered leaders from life sciences universities across Europe, also policy makers to discuss pressing issues facing agriculture, forestry, and related disciplines. The forum centred on the challenges and transformations within the European agricultural and forestry sectors, especially in response to environmental pressures, technological advancements, and policy shifts.

Forum Focus

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, in January 2024 launched the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture (SDEU), a new forum mandated to shape a shared vision for the future of the EU’s farming and food system. This dialogue was launched against the background of increasing pressure on farmers income and the challenge to farmers to adopt practices which support nature conservation.  

The aim 

To discuss and evaluate the outcomes of the SDEU for their impact on life science universities’ research, innovation and education programmes. In particular, to assess the relationship of the SDEU outcomes to the EU strategies to address climate change and bending the curve for biodiversity, in the context of supporting viable agricultural and forestry industries and ensuring food security.  In addition, the aim is to reflect on how universities currently engage with the EU Commission in the development of policy and how that engagement might be further enhanced.

ᴇNᴀBʟS

The ᴇNᴀBʟS project was presented as one of the good practices demonstrating how we can respond to the SDEU objectives through education perspective. It was presented by Bart Kaptejns, and Michael Jones presented the response to the SDEU through biodiversity perspective.