This diversity of participants once again demonstrates the urgent need to find sustainable solutions for the development of the bioeconomy, so it can better adapt for the response to climate change and the challenges related to it. The conference sought to answer the questions of why it is necessary for everyone who uses the natural resources to be socially responsible, understand the importance of the bioeconomic processes and choose the most sustainable solutions. Moreover, it also raised questions why, in the light of global trends and guidelines, it is always of the utmost importance to consider the local context first, and to look for the ways to improve the conditions in it. One of the most important sponsors of the conference, a representative of the society that sees the importance of the bioeconomic processes and directly experiences their changes – the Lithuanian Rural Network, also significantly contributed to the search for these answers (LRN; Project No. PLKT-KK-20-1-01801-PR001, the measure is financed in accordance with the activity area “Lithuanian Rural Network” of the measure “Technical Assistance” of the Lithuanian Rural Development Program 2014–2020. The project is supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the budget of the Republic of Lithuania).
According to the participants of the conference, in order to properly implement the objectives of the European Union’s Green Course Strategy, this topic is extremely relevant on the local and global levels. The European Union’s goal for 2050 to ensure the climate neutrality can only be achieved through major complex changes of the European society and the economy. An unprecedented 30% of the EU budget is dedicated to combating climate change. Thus, in response to these globally pressing problems, it is essential that these processes are cost-effective, balanced and fair from the social perspective. This highlights the need to share the best practices from around the world and to analyze such topics as policy and public investment in bioeconomy research, consumer and producer behavior in the context of climate change, business and place models for the circular bioeconomy or accelerating the bioeconomy through investment and financial decisions.
When welcoming the participants of the conference, VMU Rector Prof. Dr. Juozas Augutis noted that looking for sustainable ways to use limited resources, it becomes clear that the importance of this conference reaches beyond the academic interests. Prof. Dr. Irina Pilvere, Rector of Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, noted that changes must start from knowledge and cooperation. According to Prof. Dr. Astrida Miceikienė, Chancellor of VMU Agriculture Academy, not only the developers of the bioeconomy and agricultural sectors, but also each of us must contribute to sustainable, resource-efficient solutions, and better understanding how food reaches our table, and what agricultural systems can be the most sustainable, especially in Lithuania, where agriculture plays a major role in the economy.
“Science can use the fact-based knowledge basis to meet the big ambition of the Green Deal in Europe,” claims Dr. Martin C. Th. Scholten, a scientist from Wageningen University & Research, during the plenary presentation about the system of food resistant to the effect of climate change and its importance in the future. The researcher shared insights on the versatility and adaptability of the bioeconomy addressing the challenges of climate change, helping farmers to adapt to the climate change, ways to sustainably increase the agricultural production and income from this sector, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sustainably use extremely limited resources. Dr. Scholten also pointed out that each of us leaves an ecological footprint, and spoke about the ways to avoid wasting resources and the promotion of recycling and reusing resources. “We have one planet to resource the food production,” reminded Dr. Scholten. According to the scientist, this topic is highly relevant not only globally, but especially in countries like Lithuania, the Netherlands and Latvia, where agriculture makes up an inportant part of the economy.
Dr. Gerald Schwarz, a researcher from Thünen Institute with 15 years of experience in agroecology and rural policy analysis, spoke about the transitions in the field of agroecology. The researcher identified the links between the conventional agriculture and organic farming, initiatives addressing the question how to produce sufficient public goods in agriculture, while supporting the development of private goods that ensure economic and social sustainability on the farm level. He emphasized the importance of increasing agricultural productivity on small family farms that are not overly dependent on the public support, and of replacing inefficient practices with more efficient, agro-ecological ones, ensuring greater involvement of farmers and end-users of these goods in the system, raising their awareness and understanding the food path from farm to fork already at school. The researcher also noted the importance of lifelong learning to ensure the sustainability of the entire agricultural and food system and the preservation of biodiversity, using best agro-ecological practices in different countries, as well as to promote conscious and active involvement of local agriculture and related participants of the system.
During the first day of the conference, the parallel sessions featured comprehensive and in-depth discussions of questions related to the bioeconomy-focused research of various policies, public investment and the financing thereof. In this session, a great part of the presentations addressed the tax policies. Researchers discussed how tax instruments can contribute to the promotion of the bioeconomy, the introduction of CO2 and other taxes related to technological progress, which directly contribute to the mitigation of climate change effects. The discussion dealt with food security issues in African countries, as well as how to find the optimal crop production model by assessing the emissions generated, the condition of the soil and other environmental aspects. Other topics discussed included the case of Latvia and the activities of the support for food producers, as well as the price of certification that promotes the development of organic products and how to insure the smooth course of this process. Participants also discussed the generation of animal waste, shared good practices on how waste generation can be reduced, and how various types of waste can be utilized by changing technological processes and at the same time saving energy resources.
