Workshop organized by Mendel University in Brno, on behalf of the FAO, and which will be hosted by Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of AgriSciences in the Czech Republic from 3rd – 6th November 2024.

The overall objective of the Workshop is to enhance collaborative efforts to improve advisory services for optimizing ruminant production, applying a mix of traditional knowledge and modern technology, and exchanging sustainable practices, policies, innovations, and lessons learned among stakeholders. The workshop will also explore the tailoring of solutions that address local challenges and opportunities, offering a commitment to sustainable practices that enhance both productivity and resilience in the ruminant farming sector.

The target audience of the workshop includes advisory practitioners and officers, researchers/scientists, livestock farmers’ associations and their representatives directly involved in ruminant production from selected countries of Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia. Nominated participants may be from the Ministry or from relevant Research Institutions and other organizations. The workshop will be conducted only in English; therefore, sufficient knowledge and use of the English language is a condition for participation.

Detailed agenda

Sunday 3/11

  • Arrivals, registration, welcome cocktail at the hotel Cosmopolitan at 18:00 (6 pm), Address: COSMOPOLITAN BOBYCENTRUM ****, Sportovní 2a, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic

Monday 4/11

  • 9:00 – 9:30 Registration, Coffee
  • 9:30 – 12:30 Morning meetings at the London Hall in hotel Cosmopolitan according to Workshop plan
    • Introductory opening, FAO representative presentation, Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Honorable Guests
    • 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
    • Regional representatives (delegates) presentations (10 minutes per country)
  • 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
  • 13:30 – 17:00 Afternoon excursions to the milk analysis laboratories (Milk Recording by ICAR), Robotic dairy farm + biogas station
  • 18:00 Social dinner in hotel Cosmopolitan

Tuesday 5/11

  • 8:00 – 8:30 Coffee
  • 8:30 – 12:30 Morning meetings at the London Hall in hotel Cosmopolitan
    • Primary topic 1 (Mr. Iurie Brumarel), Focus topic 1 (Mr. Jailobek Orozov) and Focus topic 2 (Grujica Vico)
    • 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
    • Primary topic 2 (Mr. Josef Kučera), Focus topic 1 (Mr. Lasha Avaliani)
  • 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
  • 13:30 – 17:30 Afternoon excursion to Czech Fleckvieh Breeders’ Association and the bull A.I. station (CHD Impuls)
  • 18:00 Dinner at the STAROBRNO brewery restaurant at the Mendel Square

Wednesday 6/11

  • 7:50 transfer from the hotel to the Mendel University in Brno, 880 m (20 minutes by walk)
  • 8:00 – 8:30 Coffee
  • 8:30 – 13:00 Morning meetings at Mendel University in Brno, Building M, room M2.12
    • Primary topic 3 (Mr. Francois Lategan), Focus topic 1 (Mr. Željko Vaško) and Focus topic 2 (Mr. Miroslav Uroševič)
    • 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
    • Primary topic 4 (Mr. Milan Markovič), Focus topic 1 (Mr. Tibor Szucs) and Focus topic 2 (Mr. Kakhaber Koniashvili)
  • 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
  • 14:00 – 14:30 Conference review and closing remarks (Mr. Tibor Szucs FAO REU)
  • 14:30 – 15:30 Reporting and conclusions
  • 15:30 – 16:30 Excoursion to the facilities of Faculty of AgriSciences (Fisheries, Feed labs, Food Tech, Brewery …)
  • 16:30 CEREMONY HALL (Aula) of the Mendel University in Brno (Building A, 3rd floor), Ceremonial announcement of the conference MendelNet´24 – international Ph.D. conference
  • 18:00 The opportunity to join the social evening (dinner) of the MendelNet´24
  • The possibility of returning to the home destination in the evening.

Thursday 7/11

  • Departures according to personal travel plans

Matrix of topics

Theme nr.Primary topicnameFocused topicsname
11. Understanding the Ruminant Industry in Developing Countries. Question: Key challenges faced by ruminant farmers in this region. How can tailored advisory services address these challenges effectively? (PT1) (30min)IB1.1 Farmer needs Assessment and Capability Mapping. (15 min).  
      
1.2  Scaling Up Successful Interventions (15 min)       
JO

GV
22. Strategic Development of Advisory Services. Question: How to develop a framework for advisory services that align with local farmers’ and stakeholders’ specific needs and behavior?  (PT2) (30min)JK2.1 Building Collaborative Networks and Partnerships (15min)LA
3Moderated interactive workshop session:
3. Implementation of Best Practices in Advisory Services. Question: What communication strategies and technologies can be employed to optimize advisory services? (PT4) (30min)
Moderator
FL
3.1 Farm Economic Analysis and Literacy communication (15 min). 

3.2 Climate Resilience and Sustainable Practices
(15 min).
ŽV

MU
44. Policy Development for Sustainable Advisory Services. Question: Supportive current policies? How to advocate for policy changes that support sustainable advisory practices? (PT3) (30min)MM4.1 Monitoring and Evaluation of Advisory Programs (15 min)

4.2 Management communication strategies and technologies to enhance the effectiveness of advisory services. (15 min)
TSz

KK

The current advisory services for small and large ruminants are inconsistent and fragmented in Europe and Central Asia. These services, which are essential for the health and productivity of livestock, often face challenges like uneven knowledge sharing, poor coordination among service providers, inadequate policies, and a lack of common best practices. As a result, many farmers, especially in rural and remote areas, do not have access to the quality support they need to manage their livestock effectively.

Details on the logistics are consulted with each participant. Mendel University in Brno will take care of the catering, travel costs, accommodation, and any incidental expenses. Return economy air a daily subsistence allowance (DSA) will be provided. Participants will be picked up at the airport and transported to the workshop venue (and vice versa). Brno is one of the best-served cities in terms of public transport. It is located on a direct train line from Vienna (Vienna Schwechat Airport) to Brno. In the city: every time you get on tram, bus or trolleybus, you just need to present a credit or debit card (called also Beep and Go) – the price of 1 hour’s ride is CZK 25 (€1). The timetable is available on-line at the IDOS or/and application on iOS, Google Play.

Address of the venue: hotel COSMOPOLITAN BOBYCENTRUM ****, Sportovní 2a, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic

  • Daniel Falta, Associated Professor at Mendel University in Brno (MENDELU), Director of the workshop (on behalf of Service Provider – FAO)
  • Francois Lategan, Assistent Professor at MENDELU, Expert guarantor with 30 years of experience in Advisory Services and Extensions
  • Lenka Zapletalová, Workshop secretary, MENDELU
  • Tibor Szucs, Livestock Production Specialist, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia
  • Michal Kulík, Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic
  • Bosnia and Hercegovina
    • Mr. Željko VAŠKO, Mr. Grujica VICO
  • Georgia
    • Ms. Gvantsa BEZHANISHVILI, Mr. Lasha AVALIANI, Mr. Kakhaber KONIASHVILI
  • Republic of Moldova
    • Ms. Efimia POPUSOI, Mr. Iurie BRUMAREL
  • Uzbekistan
    • Mr. Oybek MUKHAMMADIYEV, Mr. Mirzokhid YULDASHEV
  • Kyrgyzstan
    • Mr. Jailobek OROZOV
  • Montenegro
    • Mr. Milan MARKOVIĆ, Mr. Miodrag DOŠLJAK, Ms. Hristina ŠEKULARAC
  • Serbia
    • Ms. Ana NIKOLIĆ, Mr. Miroslav UROŠEVIĆ
  • FAO
    • Ms. Angela SANTA, Mr. Eran RAIZMAN
  • Ms. Pavlína ADAM, Assoc. Prof., Ph.D., Vice-rector of the Mendel University in Brno
  • Mr. Mojmír VACEK, Assoc. Prof., CSc., Product manager in company FARMTEC dealing with stable technologies and cattle breeding management, Associated professor at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (Moderator, PT2, PT4)
  • Mr. Josef KUČERA, Assoc. Prof., Dr., Executive vice chairman of the board of the Czech Moravian Breeders’ Corporation (www.cmsch.cz) and Chairman of the board of the Guarantee Agricultural and Forestry Fund (www.pgrlf.cz) (Speaker, PT2)
  • Mr. Radek FILIPČÍK, Assoc. Prof., Ph.D., Head of the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of AgriSciences MENDELU
  • Mr. David LIPOVSKÝ, Ing. – Head of laboratories and department of breeding work at Czech Moravian Breeders’ Corporation, Milk labs – pick-up schedule and case logistics; Milk Recording (under ICAR) – Access to data, field consultancy (www.cmsch.cz) (Monday Excoursion)
  • Ms. Linda SZEMLOVÁ Ing. – the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, “robotic dairy farm” – Zemědělská společnost Devět křížů, a.s., (Monday Excoursion)
  • Mr. Pavel KRÁL, Ing. – Director of Czech Fleckvieh Breeders’ Association (www.cestr.cz) (Tuesday Excoursion)
  • Mr. Michal BASOVNÍK, Ing. – Deputy chairman of the board at Breeding Cooperative Impuls (www.chdimpuls.cz) – a company with experience with Czech Development Agency projects. (Tuesday Excoursion)