The final seminar of the WUR-INRA project "Multifunctional Agriculture: from farm practice to farm design and institutional innovation".
Over the last four years research groups from Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR) and INRA (National Institute of Agronomic Research) have exchanged and built knowledge on various aspects of multifunctional agriculture in France and the Netherlands. The project, that was made possible by financial support of the INRA and WUR boards, was structured around four central themes: farm diversity, institutional arrangements, modelling approaches and indicators, and learning support and extension. In both countries researchers from agronomy, ecology, rural sociology and economics participated.
An important focus of the collaboration has been to compare and contrast research approaches in both countries and understand how concepts, methods and knowledge on multifunctional agriculture are influenced by the specific national contexts in which these have been developed. This has made it possible to learn from each other and enrich research approaches between the two countries. In addition, in both countries case studies of experiences with multifunctional agriculture were effectuated in direct interaction with regional stakeholders.
The aim of the final seminar is to present the project results on multifunctional agriculture and to discuss the lessons that might by drawn from this type of collaboration for future research co-operation in a European context. Representatives of the European Commission, research directors of WUR and INRA, and key researchers have been invited to give their view on the results, and to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of cross-European research co-operation on multifunctional agriculture.
You can register to participate in the seminar by sending an e-mail with your name, institution and address to Derk-Jan Stobbelaar.