Strengthen the dialogue between Regions in the European space, which have a unique and crucial role as architects of change, in support of regionalized requests for the agricultural, food and forestry sectors in a particular moment also of renewal of the EU leaders.
This in summary is the message that the vice-president and councilor for agri-food of the Region launched while speaking at the Tenth Annual ERIAFF Conference held in recent days at the University of Applied Sciences of Seinäjoki, in the South Ostrobothnia Region, in Finland.
Concluded with a very positive outcome, with successful participation (over 200 experts from Regions, Universities, Research Institutions and Companies from all over Europe) and a busy program of activities and interventions organized in plenary and parallel sessions on agri-food and forestry systems resilient and sustainable, the Conference was among the first European initiatives promoted after the vote in the European Parliament.
It was opened, among others, by the speeches of the Finnish Minister of Agriculture, Sari Essayah and the video message of the vice-president of the Region, while on the second day of the plenary session, among others, the speech of the permanent secretary took place from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland and a video message from the director of the Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate of the Tuscany Region, Roberto Scalacci.
This year’s theme, “Regions as drivers and agents of change for resilience and sustainability in Europe”, encouraged regional political representatives, officials and researchers from the agri-food and forestry sectors to discuss the role of Regions in building of resilient and sustainable agri-food and forestry systems in Europe. Preserving and safeguarding biodiversity can go hand in hand with food production, and research and development activities can be applied with great impact in rural areas.
In her speech, the vice-president and councilor for agri-food of Tuscany also highlighted how the success of the Conference demonstrates the constant commitment of the participating Regions, first of all, the Tuscany Region, in supporting the development of innovation in the agri-food and forestry sector on the basis of a permanent comparison with the European and international dimension that push towards new production and organizational paradigms. And also thanks to ERIAFF, concluded the vice-president, the Tuscany Region is a recognized leader on the topic of innovation in the agricultural and rural sector at a European level.
The last day of the Conference was in fact dedicated to the meetings of the working groups of the ERIAFF Network, of which the Tuscany Region is leader of the S3 High Tech Farming Group, on high-tech agriculture. For the first time, a session dedicated to the creation of a new partnership of Regions was organized during the working groups to give life to new projects between the participating Regions interested in a common theme, on the model of the “consortium building process”.
ERIAFF is continuing to grow: this is demonstrated by the high participation in this Conference, the new requests to join the network and the need for a renewed communication strategy of ERIAFF initiatives both among the members of the Network and externally. Of note, among the membership requests are those of the four regions of Northern Sweden: Jämtland Härjedalen, Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Västernorrland. Despite its informal connotation, the Network has managed to stand out on the European scene, acquiring recognition from European institutions and numerous international and national initiatives.
What is the ERIAFF network
The ERIAFF network (the Network of European Regions for Innovation in Agriculture, Food and Forestry) – the network of European Regions for Innovation in the agricultural, food and forestry sector – was established in 2012 as a platform for informal collaboration between public administrations of the EU at regional level. The network, since its creation, has been coordinated by the Tuscany Region.
ERIAFF involves 92 Regions (53 members and 39 observers). It has 10 active working groups on: Agroecology, Bioregions, Communication, Food Systems, Forestry Regions, Horizon Europe Missions, Plants, Plant Proteins, S3 High Tech Farming, Social Innovation.
The main event of the ERIAFF network is the annual conference, which has reached ten editions: Tuscany (2012), Brussels (2013), South Ostrobothnia (2014), Extremadura (2016), South Holland (2017), South Ostrobothnia (2018) , Tuscany (2019), Central Macedonia (2022), Bolzano/Alto Adige (2023), South Ostrobothnia (2024). The eleventh edition of the ERIAFF 2025 Conference will be held in Vic, Catalonia (Spain), on 8 and 9 April 2025.
