Improved Slovenian agricultural research
Climate change will significantly impact European agriculture, particularly in the Mediterranean region. Coping with the changes will require new research capabilities. The EU-funded CROPSUSTAIN (Integrated approaches for sustainable crop production in Slovenia: Resisting global changes) project strengthened the research capacity of KIS. The venture has enriched KIS' expertise in environmentally friendly management of Slovenian crop production under climate change conditions. Team members developed new sustainable approaches to agriculture, food production and security. Their work also yielded reference collections for quarantine and for diagnosis of plant pests. A further result was investigation of interactions between plants, pathogens and vectors, and the implementation of new preventative measures. Researchers devised environmentally sound plant protection technologies and ways of protecting honeybees. Additionally, the group evaluated the effects of climate change on local ecosystems. Other outcomes include improved research facilities, better integration of KIS with the European Research Area (ERA) and enhanced exploitation of results. CROPSUSTAIN also improved the Institute's collaborative networking, including over 90 exchange placements of scientists and managers. The project recruited four key scientists and two managers, all intended to foster research capability. Infrastructural improvements included 13 new instruments. The consortium hosted 26 events, including scientific courses, discussions, workshops, conferences and other gatherings. As a result, the project team suggested new policies emphasising urgent need for adoption of sustainable principles. CROPSUSTAIN helped equip KIS to tackle the effects of climate change on Slovenian agriculture. The work is expected to benefit both local and international agricultural sectors.
Keywords
Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, agriculture, climate change, CROPSUSTAIN, crop production
