What it takes for a farmer to be successful nowadays, digitalization of public administration, is sustainability in agriculture only a myth, how to use digital platforms and artificial intelligence in agriculture, would cost-free digital transformation bring about opportunities for farmers, what are the benefits of artificial intelligence in agriculture, potential use of satellite images and drones in agriculture, livestock breeding and how to increase production of fruits and vegetables… were some of the main topics of panel discussions and expert presentations at this year’s AgroRocks.
Learn new information, connect with other experts and inspire further agricultural work was the organizers’ (Agroklub and Association of Agricultural Journalist (DANH)) guiding thought. The organizers, along with partners which included Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food (HAPIH), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences (FAZOS) and Croatian Chamber of Agriculture (HPK) have gathered close to 400 participants on October 4th in Osijek.
The decline in agricultural production halted by additional subsidies
This international conference on new technologies in agriculture held in the Economic Center of Osijek-Baranja County was opened by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Josip Dabro, congratulating the organizers on organizing such an important event for farmers, especially nowadays, in times of numerous challenges.
“Here, farmers will have an example of good practice and science in one place, as well as exposure to media, which are very important in the agricultural world today. In the ministry, we are currently amending the strategic plan with the aim of increasing agricultural production in milk, meat, fruit and vegetables. By the end of the year, we will have clear outlines, clear financial investments and, of course, then we will begin to measure the results”, said Minister Dabro and concluded that the decline in agricultural production has been stopped with additional support in the last four months.
Among other high-ranking guests, the conference was attended by the prefect of Osijek-Baranja County Mato Lukić, MPs Marijana Petir, Sandra Benčić and Goran Ivanović, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Zdravko Tušek, State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds Domagoj Mikulić, acting director of HAPIH, associate professor, Ph.D. Krunoslav Karalić, President of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture Mladen Jakopović, Dean of the Faculty of Agrobiotechnological Sciences Osijek, professor. Ph.D. Krunoslav Zmaić, representatives of cities and municipalities and numerous farmers.
Digitalization – the key to production process optimization
„Agriculture and food production nowadays represent one of the key safety policies, climate change mitigation and sustainable production have no alternative and agriculture must contribute to reduction of greenhouse gas emission“, pointed out Krunoslav Karalić, the acting director of HAPIH, while emphasizing how green and digital transition in agriculture is no longer only an option, but rather a necessity.
„In Croatia, only 67% of market needs are covered by national production. In order to reach a productivity level similar to those of the most developed European Union’s member states, it is necessary to intensify the production, increase and optimize the production by unit area while adjusting to climate changes, i.e. mitigating it’s negative consequences, as well as utilize our natural resources in a sustainable manner. In doing that, advanced technology can make a great impact.“, said Karalić and concluded how digital agriculture includes tools and services which collect, store, share and analyse agricultural production data in order to facilitate real-time decision making and production process optimization.
„Digitalization of agriculture is also an opportunity for introducing small and medium enterprises to said systems. Therefore, the solutions to recent challenges, i.e. how to help producers transform food systems, could be given by scientists and agronomists.“, concluded Karalić.
PlantHealth4Life at AgroRocks
In the context of greener and more sustainable agriculture, there is PlantHealth4Life campaign. The campaign, which HAPIH is implementing in cooperation with EFSA for the first time in Croatia, focuses on the preservation of plant health. This conference was another great opportunity for its promotion.
Which document is necessary for the smooth trade of plants and plant materials within the EU; what impact does the spread of plant pests have on agricultural yields; what is the name of the list of pests that includes the Asian cutworm, the Japanese sawfly and the shield moth – these were the questions of a short educational quiz on plant health prepared for AgroRocks participants by HAPIH experts.
By answering these questions, the participants were not only being educated, but were also given the opportunity to win attractive prizes, which, inspired by the campaign’s messages about the impact which plant health has on biodiversity, included a cute stuffed animal Pesty and useful pots with certified parsley, mint and basil seeds. The quiz participants, besides the prizes, brought home new knowledge of plant passports, EU’s list of quarantine pests and of the impact of plant health has on agriculture.
The HAPIH team made sure that the campaign’s messages were brought closer to each of the mentioned groups with quizzes and prizes – whether it was information about the importance of not importing plants and plant materials that do not have a plant passport, certified herb seeds intended for planting or Pesty – a stuffed plant pest for the youngest plant health ambassadors.
The winners of the Communicator of the Year and RuralFoto 2024 awards have been announced
One of the founders of the Agroclub and the president of DANH, Vedran Stapić, presented the flattering award “Communicator of the Year” to associate professor, Ph.D. Tomislav Kos from the Department of Ecology, Agronomy and Aquaculture of the University of Zadar.
“Associate professor Kos, in addition to regular activities at the faculty, actively popularized the results of his own research in the field of controlling harmful organisms, as well as the application of new, digital technologies in agronomy,” Stapić explained the jury’s decision and added that this year’s award winner is the author of numerous advisory articles in national and local newspaper and a frequent guest on radio and television shows. He emphasized his openness to media inquiries, but also his way of communication, close to farmers and residents of rural areas, and as such brings results in the transfer of knowledge and the popularization of agronomic science.
This was the occasion to announce the winners of the RuralFoto competition for the most beautiful rural photos in four categories: production, village, animals and nature. Almost 1,300 photos by 506 authors were submitted to the competition, and AgroRocks participants could see 40 photos or ten finalists from each category at the special exhibition.
The winning photo chosen by the audience and the prize – a weekend vacation in Baranja for two people – was won by Ivan Mandić from Lipnica near Tuzla (BiH) with the motif of a boy raking hay with a pitchfork, helping to collect food for domestic animals. The photo was nominated in the village category.
In the animal category, Milena Erceg’s photo was the most beautiful, showing a little girl, Danica, with a small calf and its mother in the barn of a dairy farm in Brestovčina near Gradiška (BiH).
The winner in the production category is Dejan Adžić, whose photo shows a field full of hay bales near the village of Orlovac, near Grubišno Polje.
Jelena Potrebić from Novi Sad made the winning photo in the village category where she captured a shepherd, a neighbour in the village where she bought a cottage, with his sheep in the village of Orešac near Knjaževci in Serbia.
The picture of the winter idyll of the Turopolje forests with meadows along the Odra River, by Ivan Kovačić, won in the nature category.
