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 topic | name | Focused topics | name |
1 | 1. 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) | IB | 1.1 Farmer needs Assessment and Capability Mapping. (15 min). 1.2 Scaling Up Successful Interventions (15 min) | JO GV |
2 | 2. 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) | JK | 2.1 Building Collaborative Networks and Partnerships (15min) | LA |
3 | Moderated 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 |
4 | 4. Policy Development for Sustainable Advisory Services. Question: Supportive current policies? How to advocate for policy changes that support sustainable advisory practices? (PT3) (30min) | MM | 4.1 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 |