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Using biomass to produce food, materials and energy can help boost rural communities, increase competitiveness and combat many of the challenges that the EU is faced with. These are the conclusions put forward by farming ministers on the opportunities that a sustainable and circular bioeconomy presents for a greener, fairer and more competitive Europe.

Peter Kullgren, Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs:

Discussion "Innovations in Agriculture" is part of the Open Science Forum and will be held during the National Youth Forum "Science, Technology, Innovation, Business" - Plovdiv. The discussion will take place online via the Zoom platform.

Topic:

Innovations in Agriculture

Date:

The European Commission and the European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) held the launch event of the Mission Soil Manifesto. The launch event was a key milestone for the success of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’.

A novel soil health dashboard within the EU Soil Observatory highlights the location and estimates the extent of unhealthy soils in the EU, as well as the degradation processes behind them.

Following the success of the first edition of the first EU Organic Awards, the call for applications for the 2nd EU Organic Awards opens today until 14 May 2023.  The EU organic awards acknowledge different actors along the organic value chain that have developed an innovative, sustainable and inspiring project resulting in real added-value for organic food production and consumption. The awards ceremony will take place in Brussels on 25 September 2023.

Solar Foods is a Finnish food tech startup that has created a way to produce a new, natural source of protein just out of air and electricity. What started as a research project carried out by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and LUT University has now grown into a successful start-up with more than 20 employees. Solar Foods has set itself an ambitious target: to revolutionise food production and help solve world hunger and the environmental problems caused by agricultural practices.

On 02.02.2023  the Commission adopted new rules which will, once applicable, lower the Maximum Residues Levels (MRLs) of two pesticides in food. Assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have shown that the two chemicals, belonging to the group of neonicotinoid pesticides, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, pose a high risk to bees and contribute to the global decline of pollinators. For this reason, their outdoor use has already been banned in the EU in 2018.

Are you searching for the population density, the average distance to healthcare facilities or the broadband speed in any rural area, municipality, or region in the European Union? It is now possible thanks to the newly launched rural observatory.