“Towards Sustainable Agriculture – What’s missing? What do we still need to know?”

On November 29^th and 30^th, 2019, the Selectia Research Institute for Field Crops, a SKIM proeject partner, held an international scientific conference in Balti, Moldova. This multi-stakeholder event drew together farming, policy, science and research institutions for two days of presentations and plenary discussion on topics related to sustainable agriculture and food systems. With over 130 participants from 13 countries, the conference offered an international platform for experts from various academic and cultural backgrounds to share their knowledge and research on the state of sustainable agriculture. The diverse nature of the conference made for fruitful discussion and debate, as attendees grappled with the question, “where do we go from here?” The conference was organized as a follow-up event to the initiation of a Sustainable Land Management Community of Practice (CoP) at the SKIM Project’s annual Regional Workshop. Over the course of the SKIM project, this CoP will develop a strong inter-regional KM network, enhanced by different multi-stakeholder activities and opportunities for knowledge sharing and capacity development. Therefore, one of the goals of this conference in Moldova was to leverage knowledge from participating institutions that are specialized in certain subjects related to sustainable land management. In doings so, the intention is to foster the communication of this knowledge in a way that is accessible to a diverse group of stakeholders from other areas of study.

In order for participants to benefit from their colleagues’ expertise, several strategies for knowledge management (KM) were employed. An abundance of microphones in the room allowed for everyone’s voice to be heard and encouraged active participation in plenary sessions. The discourse was facilitated by a dedicated team of interpreters that deftly switched between Romanian, Russian, and English to include all nationalities in the conversation.

All event proceedings were captured through a livestream broadcast, allowing those who could not attend the event to access the presentations in real time and permit recordings of the sessions to be shared to a wider audience. These strategies for knowledge capture and dissemination were recognized as KM best practices and will be encouraged at future events.

After two days of presentations and moderated discussions, the event culminated with the deliberation and approval of a Farming Forever declaration, a list of future actions and research directions to be taken into account by the attending institutions. This was an opportunity for attendees to voice their expectations for their own institution, and/or collaborating institutions, in order to move towards a more sustainable agriculture production paradigm. Some key points include:

• Measuring the value of farms using non-linear indicators, replacing worth valued in dollars or hectares with values related to carbon sequestration, conservation measures, natural resource use, and soil health.
• Greater links between research, government, farmers, and consumers, starting with more inclusive conferences and rebranding of research for diverse audiences.
• Develop issue-specific, holistic solutions that incorporate financial, economic, ecologic, and agronomic considerations.
• Involve more young people and women in sustainable agriculture initiatives.
• Build a greater network between experts and communicate more actively with media.
• Advocate for greater recognition of soil carbon at international climate conventions.

The resolutions also reflect a desire for improved KM practices. These suggestions advocate for improved networking and knowledge sharing to improve collaboration between the attending institutions and to inform and engage other researchers, producers, and consumers to scale impact in sustainable agriculture initiatives.

Participants further echoed some of these points through sharing what they expected from institutions in their fields:

“I expect institutions to take scientific facts into account and make information accessible. Sometimes that means making multiple versions of the same research for different audiences.” – Jelmer Buijs, Head Agronomist at AgroFarm Capital, the Netherlands

“I share knowledge through speaking, television, radio, videos, writing... my target audience is anyone who will listen. I would like to speak to people who themselves can make a difference other than broadcasting my information everywhere. The difficulty of course is getting these important people to take notice...that's where institutions could help.” – David Dent, Independent Scientist, UK

"The scientific community here is very passionate, but the practical application of it does not get back to the public, and there’s a disconnect... I would love to see a working group, with farmers, research institutions and communications specialists, to devise ways to make a better system and products to get science to the ground. I would love to see that sort of collaboration.” – Angela Zimmerman, Agronomist, Ag Connect Ministries, Moldova/US

The common thread between these perspectives and others that contributed to the Farming Forever declaration is a need for greater institutional capacity in terms of knowledge identification, creation, storage, and sharing.

The conference fostered knowledge exchange in an open and inclusive manner, while also providing opportunities for agriculture institutions to reflect on their practices and advocate for collective improvement. The event provided a fundamental contribution to the Sustainable Land Management CoP, paving the way for future activities dedicated to improving the KM practices of participating institutions and stakeholders for a more robust regional KM network.