ENAJ and EU-FarmBook are inviting 25 agricultural journalists from ENAJ member guilds to the first ENAJ-EU FarmBook workshop, which will take place in Gent, Belgium, from July 8–10. The theme of the event is “Moving towards resilient farms”. There will be networking opportunities, as well as a panel discussion with EU officials, agricultural representatives, and scientists. The press trip also includes an exclusive program for journalists, which consists of a panel discussion on innovation reporting, a speed dating session with 15+ innovative spin-off companies, and excursions to farms and research institutes.
EU-FarmBook is a Horizon Europe project that is working at regional, national and European (EU) levels to build an online platform to share agricultural and forestry knowledge. The goal is to make knowledge from funded projects accessible to everyone. As agricultural journalists report on innovations, the project cooperates with ENAJ in organizing a yearly exclusive journalist event. The first one will take place in Gent in July 2024; there will be four more events in the coming years in different EU countries.
If you are a working journalist and interested in the program, please register as soon as possible.
Our goal is to welcome 25 journalists from all member guilds. Register here!
The cost to participate is 150 euro per person, to be paid once you’ve been selected. Registration closes on May 31 (extended deadline to the 14th of June). Selected journalists will be notified in the first week of June.
You can find more information about the program here.
Registration opens: TODAY
Registration closes:
May 31(extended deadline to the 14th of June)Selected journalists notified by: June 7
Cost to participate: 150 euro
Number of participants: 25 ENAJ journalists
The invitation includes:
- Two overnight stays at a hotel in the city center of Gent
- Three lunches, two breakfasts and two dinners, plus drinks
- Bus transfer on Innovation Tuesday and Science Wednesday
Participants will need to organize and pay for travel to and from Belgium themselves.
The program
< Networking Monday > begins at 14:00 on July 8 at the University of Gent in the center of Gent with a light lunch. At 15:00, Lisa Bellocchi, president of ENAJ, will welcome the participants in the “Oehoe”, the auditorium of the University of Gent. Professor Pieter Spanoghe, project coordinator of EU-FarmBook will introduce the topic. Following that, two further keynote addresses will be provided by: Inge van Oost, Policy Officer at the European Commission, DG AGRI; and Matija Žulj, CEO of AGRIVI, which is specialized in digital agriculture solutions that empower growers and agrifood companies across the value chain.
The keynotes will be followed by a panel discussion. Inge van Oost, Jelte Wiersma, Secretary General of CEMA, Justine Arkens from Groene Kring, the young farmers association of Flanders, and Pieter Spanoghe will discuss pathways to resilient farms from the perspectives of EU administration, economy, young farmers and science. After the panel discussion, important stakeholders will share their opinions on what has been said earlier in a wrap-up session. The wrap-up session will take place in the foyer of the Oehoe and will be accompanied by a flying dinner and networking opportunities.
< Innovation Tuesday > starts with a panel discussion on innovation reporting in agricultural journalism. Experts from Belgium/Canada, Croatia, France and Romania will share their knowledge with colleagues and 15 innovative spin-off companies. Following that, journalists will be invited to meet with innovative spin-off companies in a speed dating-style session. In the afternoon, the journalists will visit Hof Te Kattem, an organic pig and arable farm. Participants will learn about pig farmer Pieter Van Wilderode’s unique approach to producing and marketing pork, and meet with key players in the value chain, including a local butcher, and a piglet producer. Journalists will also learn about potato and grain production, and a unique energy project set to take place on the farm.
Following that, participants will head to Gent University’s demonstration farm in Bottelare. The program will end with a BBQ.
The program on < Science Wednesday > includes a visit of the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) and the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO). At VIB, journalists will learn about research projects for drought-resistant arable crops and the influence of soil bacteria on soy production in Flanders.
At ILVO, the journalists can choose between a dairy farming tour that highlights innovations such a climate scan tool for calculating the carbon footprint of a single liter of milk OR an arable farming tour that features HYDRAS, a state-of-the-art, multi-sensor field used for crop research. This field helps researchers breed stronger, more drought-resistant and climate-resilient crops. The program ends with a light lunch at noon.
Please see the attached program for more details.
Click here to register!