Knowledge, research and innovation are the pillars that can determine the future of the agri-food sector, said the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, in her opening remarks at the “1st Annual Meeting of the Knowledge and Innovation System in the Agricultural Sector”, which took place on Thursday at the Presidential Palace. She underlined that “we look forward to a resilient and modern agriculture with quality products based on knowledge and innovation”.
Ms. Panayiotou said that the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment has allocated a budget of over 5,5 million euros to interventions directly related to the AKIS system, such as intervention 6.2 of "Cooperation", through which the creation of operational groups is promoted and financed, consisting of farmers and researchers who collaborate with the aim of implementing innovative solutions to specific, real problems faced by the agri-food sector.
As he mentioned, intervention 6.2 is expected to be announced immediately and your participation is essential for the success of the effort.
Additionally, the Minister said, in the context of supporting the AKIS system, and with the aim of better connecting research with real needs in the sector, the Pancyprian Conference entitled "Rural Development: From Research to Practice" is being organized by the Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural Research Institute and the Cyprus Agricultural Research Institute.
Ms. Panagiotou said that the Christodoulides Government and the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment are committed to strengthening and supporting this sector with substantial measures, so that challenges can be transformed into opportunities for development and progress. “The agri-food sector is an important pillar of our economy and society, and without it, local communities and our cultural heritage would not be the same. We have a duty, therefore, as a state, to help all those who tirelessly make efforts to adapt to any changes, and in this effort, the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027 has a catalytic role, with a budget of 454 million euros to support our farmers,” she added.
Ms. Panayiotou said, at the same time, that the need to adapt to climate change and sustainability also leads to the adaptation of the rural development model.
"The creation and dissemination of new knowledge and the application of new technologies play a decisive role in this. In this context, supporting the agri-food sector, research, innovative applications and by extension the economic robustness of the sector are top priorities. Through the policies we implement, through knowledge, research and innovation, we support and promote every effort to implement innovative approaches, to support research activity in the agricultural sector, with the aim of addressing the issues that our rural world is facing today," he noted.
However, the Minister of Agriculture continued, all of this “cannot be achieved without your own contribution through applied research, which is necessary for the acquisition of new knowledge that serves to develop and improve new products, new methods and services.”
"Universities and research institutions have the most important role in creating innovation that is applicable. The production and exploitation of knowledge in the agricultural sector requires the synergy of all actors involved in the AKIS system, including the research community, the Ministry and farmers. It is understandable that Cyprus has limited human and material resources and therefore it would be beneficial to identify common strategic objectives / areas for conducting research and producing applied knowledge and technologies that enhance entrepreneurship, the competitiveness of the sector and the Cypriot economy in general," he added.
Ms. Panayiotou stated that by utilizing knowledge, innovation, new technologies, digital skills and rational water management, they aim to boost production, attract new farmers and ensure a fair and stable income for professionals in the sector.
"We look forward to a resilient and modern agriculture with quality products based on knowledge and innovation. In this direction, the plans we announce as well as our priorities and objectives are inextricably linked to the Strategy's Actions, which are financed either through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) or through national resources. All these efforts require the active participation of all actors involved in the agricultural development sector and in the AKIS System (Agricultural Knowledge & Innovation Systems) through which knowledge is transferred," he added.
AKIS, the Minister of Agriculture continued, was created to resolve the gap between researchers and producers.
"It can also be considered as an education system that has the ultimate goal of exchanging knowledge. That is why all our efforts to strengthen the agri-food sector go through the proper functioning of a knowledge and innovation transfer system, the AKIS system," he noted.
The goal, said Ms. Panayiotou, is to operate a System that operates based on the real needs of the sector, actively involves all research and academic institutions active in the field of rural development, raises awareness and actively engages agricultural advisors and farmers, and creates relationships between them.
"To enable the acquisition and transfer of knowledge and the identification of real needs in the sector, listening to our farmers. A system in which all stakeholders will actively participate and communicate and collaborate effectively," he said.
Through the work of the Conference, he continued, the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) is practically supported, the research work produced by research institutions in the sector is promoted and it constitutes an ideal space for connecting research, innovation, agricultural applications and farmers/livestock breeders with each other with the aim of exchanging knowledge, experiences and good practices.
He noted that the next, 3rd Pancyprian Conference "Rural Development: From Research to Practice" will be held on May 8 and 9 at the Lefkara Conference Center.
He added that in the context of strengthening research and innovation and improving the contribution of research results to the sustainability and modernization of the agri-food sector, a discussion has begun on redefining the role of the Agricultural Research and Development Council.
Specifically, he said that renewed efforts are being made to reactivate the Council and promote the restructuring of its advisory role, in a way that it can contribute decisively to the orientation of our country's research activity in the agri-food sector.
"Our goal is to better organize and orient the Ministry's research activity and policy towards the real needs of the sector by highlighting the issues that concern the agri-food sector today in practice. Research and innovation are decisive factors for development and we are investing heavily in them," he concluded.
Source: KYPE
