PATH2DEA Showcase: Agroforestry in Flanders, Belgium - featuring Tom Van Nieuwenhove

Welcome to another episode of our PATH2DEA podcast series. This time we take you on a journey to Almeria in Spain, where we talk about fruit and vegetable production, and we look at it in the context of digitalisation. Thank you for joining us or joining again. Agroecology means working with ecosystems, and agroecology combines science with producers’ traditional knowledge. We in PATH2DEA see it as the most sustainable approach to farming. We welcome Cynthia Giagnocavo who is a professor and researcher at the University of Almeria. She is the director of the COEXPHAL-UAL Chair on Horticulture, Cooperative Studies and Sustainable Development. The University of Almeria and also the COEXPHAL association or producer organisations are project partners in the PATH2DEA project, and Cynthia, in addition, has the function of so-called “co-ambassador” of the COEXPHAL showcase farm. PATH2DEA is a European project that is funded under the Horizon Europe program and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. PATH2DEA promotes the use of digitalisation to act as an “enabler” of agroecology, as a catalyser, so that European farming systems can move towards more sustainability.

Welcome to the sixth episode of our PATH2DEA podcast series. This time we will look at animal farming and talk about pasture based cattle farming and digital technologies available in these agroecology systems. Therefore, we visit our showcase in Hungary, the showcase farm of HORHOS-VÖLGY. We welcome Anna Gulyas,  who is running the farm together with her husband.(please add) as “ambassador” of the Hungarian cattle showcase farms Innovation with the growing importance of digital solutions is considered essential for bringing forward farming and agriculture in Europe. Innovation is needed to benefit the environment, economy, and society. At the same time, digital tools and technologies in many places are also raising new concerns. In the PATH2DEA project, we think that digitalization may lead to more sustainable EU food and farming systems, in particular, if digitalization is combined with agroecology. PATH2DEA is a European project that is funded under the Horizon Europe program and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.

Welcome to another episode of our PATH2DEA podcast series. This time we talk about a very special and innovative farming system - agroforestry, and we look at it in the context of digitalization. Thank you for joining us or joining again. Today, we visit our showcase in West-Flanders, Belgium, which is run by the INAGRO agricultural research center and that is specializing in agroforestry. I welcome Tom Van Nieuwenhove who is a researcher at INAGRO. INAGRO is a project partner in the PATH2DEA project, and Tom, in addition, has the function of so-called “ambassador of the INAGRO showcase farm. PATH2DEA is a European project that is funded under the Horizon Europe program and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.

After our previous visit to the TERRENA cooperative in Western France, we this time visit Catalunya, more precisely the COVIDES cooperative. COVIDES is a Cooperative of wine and cava (which is a Sparkling wine) producers located in the Penedès region in Catalonia. COVIDES is the 1st wine cooperative in Catalonia in terms of volume, with more than 500 active winegrowers who take care of around 2,000 hectares , spread over more than 40 rural towns of the Penedès region. From these around 22 % are used for organic production. COVIDES is highly aware of the impact that wine production has on the environment and since its beginnings, has been fully committed to the environment, its protection, and its improvement in all areas of activity, from the vineyard to the winery.. COVIDES ecological wines and ‘cavas’ are the result of environmental and also social commitment for future generations. This is why Covides has always been united in its commitment to organic production and currently have a complete range of 100% organic wines and ‘cavas’. COVIDES sees environmental sustainability not only as an obligation but it also a responsibility to preserve our planet. We will interview Maira Ros technical farmers advisor of COVIDES and ambassador of the COVIDES PATH2DEA showcase. We also welcome Diana Molina Delgado, Grant and Project Management Technician at Federació de Cooperatives Agràries de Catalunya, and a highly dedicated member of PATH2DEA. PATH2DEA is a European project that is funded under the Horizon Europe program and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.

This time we will talk about small, organic or low-input olive farms in the Tuscany region in Italy and the use of digital tools in these agroecology systems. The PATH2DEA showcase is managed by Aedit and the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA). We welcome "showcase ambassador" Giovanni Pecchioni who is an adviser at SSSA. The SSSA and AEDIT are project partners in the PATH2DEA project. General information on the project PATH2DEA: Innovation in the growing digital domain is considered essential for bringing forward farming and agriculture in Europe. Innovation is needed to benefit the environment, economy, and society as such. At the same time, digital tools and technologies in many places are raising new concerns. In the PATH2DEA project, we think that digitalisation may lead to more sustainable EU food and farming systems, in particular, if digitalisation is combined with agroecology. In the PATH2DEA project, we have six showcases of European small-holder farming systems located in different European regions, to reflect the diversity of farming. There, we explore and discuss digital technologies in terms of use and application in agroecological farming. PATH2DEA is a European project that is funded under the Horizon Europe program and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.

The 6 PATH2DEA showcases comprise Agroforestry supported by digital tools in Belgium, livestock farming using sensors in Hungary, smallholder olive farmers applying Decisions Support Systems in Tuscany, Italy; sensors to measure environmental parameters for sustainable wine production in Catalunya, advanced IoT vegetable production in Andalusian greenhouses and TERRENA cooperative in the Northwest of France. Today we visit TERRENA, with more than 20 000 farmer members and more than 13000 employees one of the leading agricultural and agrifood players in France. In 2008, the board of the coop decided to put agroecology on its forefront and Digitalisation is already considered by Terrena teams as a way to enable agroecology long before others. We are honored to welcome Bertrand Pinel, Senior Innovation Manager at Terrena Innovation and ambassador for the PATH2DEA TERRENA showcase. PATH2DEA is a European project that is funded under the Horizon Europe program and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.