3 - Conversation on Agroecology: The role of Research Infrastructures (RIs) for Agroecology

The Conversations on Agroecology will form the first steps towards strengthening agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) for agroecology transition by facilitating linkages between Living Labs & Research Infrastructures actors across Europe. The online conversations on agroecology will run on a monthly schedule throughout the partnership and enable mobilisation and networking of agroecology actors across and beyond Europe.

This months conversation: The role of Research Infrastructures (RIs) for Agroecology

Topic 1 - 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬
(Speaker: Säde Virkki from the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland)
The role of Research Infrastructures (RIs) is to provide services and resources, such as data, modelling, analysis and experimental research, which users can use to find transformative pathways to sustainable agriculture. As networking platforms, RIs promote knowledge exchange and innovation among users, while providing RI services and resources that can be used to advance agroecological practices. This presentation shares a vision for RIs and highlights their role in promoting scientific research and acting as catalysts for changes in agricultural systems. Participants will learn how RIs can contribute to scientific progress and agroecological transition.


Topic 2 - 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦, 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐞 & 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨-𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞
(Speaker: Michael Mirtl from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH, Germany and the Environment Agency Austria, Austria)
eLTER RI (Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, critical zone & socio-ecological Research Infrastructure) entered the ESFRI Roadmap in 2018. eLTER RI adopts a fundamentally systemic approach to observe and analyse the human-environmental system, encompassing biological, geological, hydrological and socio-ecological perspectives. It will be the first RI capturing and analysing holistically the compounded impacts of climate change, together with other pressures on a wide variety of European ecosystems including agro-ecosystems. The main building blocks of eLTER RI are: (A) the distributed physical network with a wide scale and systematic coverage of major European terrestrial, freshwater and transitional water ecosystems (ca. 200 eLTER Sites and 50 eLTSER Platforms for socio-ecological and transdisciplinary research at the regional scale); (B) Central Services provided by the Head Office and thematic Topic Centres. Standard Observations enable research across disciplines. They range from biophysiochemical to biodiversity- and socio-ecological variables. Ecosystem change is caused by long-term pressures and short-term pulses. eLTER investigates both in a nested design from the local to the continental scale and with strong links with other European environmental RIs encouraging, for example, co-location of measurements. International collaboration through the International LTER (ILTER) and the Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI) are promoted.