News

The 10th Sino-German Agricultural Week (DCAW) took place in Yancheng, China, from Oct 21-23, 2024. More than 400 delegates from Germany and China as well as international experts exchanged views on agroecology and biodiversity. Organized by the German-Chinese Agricultural Centre (DCZ) and co-financed by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the focus was on both successful projects and the challenges of implementing them on a large scale. One highlight was the tenth anniversary, which was celebrated in a festive atmosphere.

On Oct 15, 2024, the 2nd Forum "Food Systems Transformation in Ukraine – Prospects for Long-term Sustainable Development" took place in Rome. The forum, organized by APD Ukraine, brought together leading experts from politics, science and business to discuss challenges and opportunities for the Ukrainian food system in the context of EU integration and the effects of the war and to strengthen international cooperation.

During an exposure visit organized by the IAK, the delegation members from agricultural science and ministries of agriculture from the six Western Balkan states found out about the state of animal production in Germany. In addition to current research issues along the production chain, visits to farms provided extensive insights into the keeping of cattle, sheep and chickens. Besides environmental aspects such as climate change adaptation, the focus was on animal welfare.

At the beginning of September, a delegation from two projects of the BMEL's Bilateral Cooperation Program went on a joint study trip to Germany for the first time. The participants from the Argentina and Uruguay expert dialogs conducted by the IAK gained insights into the development, application and regulatory aspects of bioinputs.

The 60th SWG Assembly, our central project partner in APD Germany – South East Europe, took place under the patronage of the BMEL from Sep 4-5, 2024 at Griebnitzsee near Potsdam. The opportunity was also taken here to hold the first "Sherpa Meeting" as part of the Berlin Process on the topic of "Food and Agriculture". This diplomatic and development policy initiative supports the countries of the Western Balkans on their path to European integration and promotes regional cooperation.

At the invitation of the German-Argentinean Technical Dialogue implemented by IAK, Dr. Martin Schneider, Managing Director of IAK, was able to get a first-hand impression of innovations in Argentinean agriculture last week. The trip included his presentation on digitalization in German agriculture at the 3rd International Corn Congress, visits to INTA and CLAAS and talks with local authorities.

As part of the German-Mongolian Cooperation Project Sustainable Agriculture (DMKNL) implemented by IAK, a study trip by Mongolian experts on the cultivation and marketing of vegetables in southern Kazakhstan took place last week in Almaty, Kazakhstan. One of the highlights was the signing of a bilateral memorandum of understanding to intensify cooperation in agricultural research and production.

We are pleased to announce that in July 2024, IAK has started the implementation of Phase 2 of the German-Brazilian Agricultural Policy Dialogue funded by the BMEL. Our experienced local team will be strengthened by new experts to jointly improve the framework conditions for a sustainable agricultural sector in Brazil and Germany.

The Ukrainian food sector continues to successfully adapt to EU standards under the challenges of the war.