Forum for Climate Change Adaptation and Opportunities for Start-up Businesses in Agriculture

On November 9th, the "Forum for Climate Change Adaptation and Opportunities for Start-Up Businesses in Agriculture" took place as part of the project EIT Food Start-Up Awareness Event, which is financed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology – EIT Food, supported by the European Union.

The event was officially addressed by the Director of the Institute of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Viktor Gjamovski, and the project coordinator Mrs. Despina Popovska Stojanov. Honorary guests at the event included the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Sarajevo, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Brka, Prof. Dr. Miljan Cvetkovic from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Banja Luka and Prof. Dr. Dragoslav Ivanisevic from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Novi Sad.

The main topic of the event was the current situation globally and locally in terms of the implications of climate change, and simultaneously, sustainable practices that need application in agricultural production were presented, with the aim of greater adaptation of the sector to climate change impacts.

The event was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, the Agency for Financial Support of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Federation of Farmers, the Fund for Innovation and Technology Development, the Foundation for Management and Industrial Research, as well as representatives from other faculties, institutes, universities and NGOs.

The event also organised a Forum for Green Start-up Ideas, whose aim was to motivate young farmers and students to develop innovative ideas from the field of sustainable practices in agriculture and turn them into opportunities for their own start-up business.

There were also representatives from the Business Accelerator UKIM and the organization ProEfekt, and two successful start-up businesses in agriculture were presented as well.

The participants in the interactive workshop had the chance to attend a series of lectures from the field of innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture, then they developed their ideas on how to start their business using the Canvas business model and finally gained knowledge of how to best present the idea to a potential investor.

Last but not least, a number of interesting and innovative ideas were developed from the fields of viticulture, orcharding, agriculture and animal production, which in the future can grow into particular businesses in agriculture.