Exploring the future of advisory services at EUFRAS 2024

Soil Association was delighted to be part of the ATTRACTISS team attending the 13th EUFRAS (European Forum for Agricultural and Rural Advisory Services) Annual Conference, which took place from 10 to 13 September 2024 in Edinburgh.

EUFRAS is a 'dynamic network uniting advisory organizations across Europe, fostering collaboration, advocating for advisors, and driving innovation in agricultural knowledge and practices to support sustainable rural development.' 

Innovation and knowledge exchange

The conference was hosted by SRUC with this year's theme being 'Adaption to Net Zero' offering a mix of inspiration, learning, and knowledge exchange for delegates, through workshops, keynote addresses and networking opportunities.

The conference explored the Scottish agricultural system, and how it builds and leverages relationships between people working in the rural economy (and those in research, education, and advisory roles) to enhance the sustainability of rural land-use in Scotland.

 

The importance of advisory services in farming

It was a great opportunity to connect with advisory professionals from across Europe and showcase the growing relevance in addressing the challenges faced by European farmers.

Our Knowledge Exchange Manager, Ana Allamand, was part of the ATTRACTISS team delivering a EUFRAS-dedicated workshop, where delegates actively engaged in crucial conversations about the future of advisory services and shared knowledge that will help shape the future of agriculture through innovation, co-creation and climate strategies.

In the workshop stakeholders collaborated on a position paper for the 2025 Brussels Conference to shape future advisory roles and policies.

Key themes included:

• The growing challenges in agriculture and forestry, driven by trends like climate change, digitilisation and biodiversity loss, requiring collaborative solutions.
• The critical role of advisors in navigating these changes, and the need to also evolve in line with new expectations and tasks.
• The competencies needed to fulfil these new tasks and roles.

This event marked a key moment of growth and strengthening for ATTRACTISS as part of the AKIS (Agriculture Knowledge Innovation System) – helping to boost knowledge and innovation flows across Europe.

ATTRACTISS is a six-year Horizon Europe funded project aiming to empower innovation support services as a pathway for a more sustainable agriculture and forestry sector.

The AKISConnect platform (a collaboration between ATTRACTISS and modernAKIS) unites actors from across Europe to leverage the power of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems. Register today to connect, collaborate, and drive innovation forward together.