Inge Van Oost, AKIS coordinator in the European Commission, DG AGRI, set the scene at the start of the workshop, clarifying all aspects of a well-functioning AKIS. „Learning from each other starts with interconnecting all knowledge and innovation actors. This will initiate more innovative projects of EIP Operational Groups, and improve collecting practice-oriented Knowledge within the AKIS,“ said Van Oost.
More than seventy representatives of agricultural institutions from different EU Member States came together to map the roles of the actors and to share their experience in implementing Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) and in supporting farmers. The seminar was held in Tallinn, as Estonia has stood out for its strong innovation orientation and great progress in the digital field. The European CAP Network workshop "National Networking for Innovation" is the first of its kind. The Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge (METK) proudly shared the success story of the Nordic-Baltic rural network cooperation, highlighting the initiation and organisation of the Network to Innovate series of events.
Pille Koorberg, deputy director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge, emphasised that effective cooperation between producer, processor, advisor and researcher, up-to-date research and development, and knowledge transfer are key pillars of a rural and agricultural policy that supports innovation. „Estonia was one of the first EU countries to implement cross-border cooperation on innovation projects based on the EIP-AGRI principles, and this was largely due to the good cooperation between the rural network and neighbouring countries," said Koorberg.
Pacome Elouna Eyenga, team leader EU CAP Network’s Support Facility ‘Innovation & Knowledge exchange & EIP-AGRI’ explains: “This first workshop ‘National networking for innovation’ was an opportunity for the national cap networks and relevant AKIS actors to exchange and discuss networking approaches and tools to support a well-functioning AKIS. But also for them to find synergies and complementarities and needs for further collaboration with other countries to enhance innovation in agriculture and rural areas.”
„Estonian agriculture currently faces many different challenges. We are dealing with generational change and finding ways to support the sustainability of the sector, at the same time needing to tackle the European Green Deal and many other issues. We see the solutions to these challenges in AKIS, which in the long run will benefit the consumer, the entrepreneur and the state," said Tõnis Tänav, Deputy Secretary General for Fisheries Policy and Foreign Affairs.
The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Network workshop "National Networking for Innovation" took place from 30 November to 1 December in Tallinn, Estonia. The event was organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and the EU CAP Network, and hosted by the Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge (METK).
