ALPA on the stage at the “Future of agro-food production” International Conference, held in Iași on April 24, 2024
Lars Veraart from ALPA has been invited to speak at the “Future of agro-food production” International Conference, held in Iași on April 24, 2024. Lars spoke in a panel together with Sophie Neve, the counselor of Agriculture of the Dutch Embassy in Bucharest, Teofil Dascălu, farmer at Frizon group, Ovidiu Bocaniciu, general manager of Zeelandia Romania and Adrian Iurcan, manager BIOCOMP. During the panel discussion Lars addressed the importance of access to land for small and medium scale agroecological farms, short-chain regionalised food systems and the urgent need to farm with regenerative practices while enhancing nature and Romania’s rich biodiversity.
Here below an abstract of the official conclusions of the conference (full conclusions in Romanian in this Link)
The “Future of agro-food production” International Conference, held in Iași on April 24, in the Aula Magna of the University of Life Sciences (USV), represented a special opportunity to present new research and successful projects in the field, along with innovations for increasing the efficiency in the food chain.
The more than 20 invited speakers from Romania and the Kingdom of the Netherlands presented models of good practices of sustainable agriculture, as well as the performances achieved by them in the agri-food field.
During the first International Conference organized by the Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Iași, which was attended by over 300 specialists in the agri-food field and renowned Dutch and Romanian companies, Romanian and Dutch farmers, representatives of the public and academic environment, teachers and students, the importance of a sustainable strategy at the global level was pointed out so that agro-food production is done efficiently and without harming the environment.
At the opening of the conference, guests of honor such as Hinke Nauta, head of the mission of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Romania, and Mihai Chirica, the mayor of Iasi, took the floor and encouraged an active collaboration between the academic and the professional environment for the agri-food development of our region.
Through this conference, we wanted to launch new opportunities for dialogue, exchange of experiences and ideas between the two countries, thus contributing to the formation of a strategic vision for the sustainable future of agri-food production in Romania” said Amalia Georgescu, honorary consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Iasi.
The Counselor for Agriculture from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Bulgaria, Sophie Neve, pointed out the importance of the integration of successful examples and the transfer of knowledge that can be done successfully and easily between the two countries:
“It was inspiring to have so many perspectives on sustainable food systems. I was honored to be part of the panel debates and share the policy and position of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, to emphasize the importance and balance of a viable relationship for the activity carried out by farmers, alongside the maintenance of biodiversity for the protection of the environment. We shared the integrated Dutch approach to meet international and EU targets on water, soil, air, climate and biodiversity.
The main debate within the conference brought on stage specialists from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, such as Lars Veraart, general manager of ALPA and Sophie Neve, together with speakers from Romania, in the person of Teofil Dascălu, manager of Frizon Group, Ovidiu Bocaniciu, general manager of Zeelandia Romania and Adrian Iurcan, BIOCOMP general manager.
The moment was moderated by journalist Valentin Huțanu, specialized in the agri-food sector. The debate encouraged an open and balanced dialogue starting from the essential theme in the agri-food area. The debate focused on the principle of “Farm to Fork Strategy”, fundamental in the chain related to the current challenges and actions in the field of food and climate change. Global food crises, the reduction of drinking water resources, pollution, loss of biodiversity, require the application of concrete measures to reduce them.
“Such international conferences, with all the actors involved in the field, represent the way to develop new strategies, to better understand what is happening and how we can manage the future on this key plan of the contemporary global world” declared Valentin Huțanu in the end of the panel, concluding on the importance of continuing active collaborations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Romania.
