BETA TC shares experiences of rural innovation at a meeting in Basilicata (Italy)

Researchers from the BETA Technology Centre of the UVic-UCC have participated this week in a visit to Basilicata, in southern Italy, organized by the EU CAP Network. This network, of European scope, provides spaces in which to share knowledge and information related to the design and implementation of strategic plans of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The aim of the visit was twofold: on the one hand, to foster relations between an international group of representatives with experience in rural innovation projects, especially EIP-AGRI operational groups made up of companies and research centres working in the field of fertilisation. Moreover, the organisers wanted farmers and livestock farmers from Basilicata, one of the most rural regions in Italy, to exchange experiences and knowledge on the challenges they are currently facing.

The representatives of CT BETA shared the experience of the Circular Bioeconomy of Proximity project, an operational group led by Juvé y Camps and coordinated by the INNOVI cluster. This project seeks to promote the circular bioeconomy in Catalonia by using livestock manure and other organic amendments from the agri-food industry to improve the soil and productivity of Catalan wine farms. The project’s approach is based on the need to valorise and export livestock excrement from areas with a high density of livestock and a high concentration of agri-food industries, and the current need for the wine sector to fertilise its fields with organic fertilisers.

Apart from these types of activities, the EU CAP Network allows organisations, administrations, researchers, entrepreneurs and professionals from the agricultural and rural sector to participate in learning activities, share good practices, access relevant information and establish partnerships. From the point of view of the European Commission, this network provides a collaborative space that promotes the development and improvement of agricultural and rural policies in the EU, fostering efficiency, sustainability and innovation in the sector.