PRO AKIS – Prospects for Farmers’ Support: Advisory Services in European AKIS
Seminar on “Advisory services bridging Research and Farmers’ Needs”
France, Poland, Bulgaria, Germany
Hohenheim University, Aula im Schloss, 10th March 2015
The main purpose of this seminar was to present and discuss PRO AKIS outputs from four case studies investigating information flows within the Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems (AKIS) in France, Poland, Bulgaria and Bavaria (Germany). One of the core questions addressed across the cases was: “Is there still a role for advisory services to provide a link between researchers and farmers or is it bypassed in this new configuration of the knowledge system?”
Paul Newell Price represented the VALERIE project at this seminar, which aimed to discuss the roles, opportunities and limits of extension and advisory services to fulfil the bridge function between farmers and research organisations. Draft reports from each of the case studies were presented and discussed, with the focus of discussions on knowledge flows. Issues discussed included how new knowledge is created (for and by farmers), and how this knowledge is transmitted between farmers and other stakeholders (such as advisors and farming organisations). The seminar compared how systems in different countries met the needs of small‐scale farmers, connected farmers and researchers, and enhanced innovation.
The outputs from the four country reports highlighted an increasing need for farmers and researchers to communicate within the increasingly fragmented AKIS, especially where access to information and new ideas for innovation is concerned. For more information on the PRO AKIS project visit www.proakis.eu.
The final PRO AKIS Conference will be held in Brussels on the 19th and 20th of May 2015. Visit the project website for more information.