HU
The annual meeting of the Horizon Europe project AdvisoryNetPEST – focusing on identifying ways to reduce the use and risks of pesticides – took place this year in Ghent, Belgium, from 19 to 21 January. Experts from the partner countries reviewed the project’s progress, agreed on the next steps, and further strengthened their professional ties. Alongside working sessions dedicated to project implementation, participants also joined a webinar on holistic agroecological approaches. The programme featured talks on close-to-nature forest management, how flower strips can support natural pest control, and mulch systems and rotational no-till in vegetable farming.
The three-day event was hosted by the Inagro research institute, home to Agrotopia in Roeselare, which is Europe’s largest rooftop greenhouse. Researchers there develop and test next-generation greenhouse horticulture and professional urban horticulture solutions in a real-world environment.
Beyond supporting the AdvisoryNetPEST project itself, the meeting also helped reinforce the international expert network behind it. Sharing knowledge first-hand, learning from different practices, and engaging in open dialogue are all crucial to jointly shaping plant-protection solutions that are both effective and sustainable.
AKI was represented by Zsófia Balogh and Gergő Kolesza from the Agricultural Economics and Information Systems Directorate.
