Conference “Sustainable Agriculture” organized by the embassies of Nordic countries

A conference entitled “Sustainable Agriculture” was held at the Naučno-tehnološki park Novi Sad, organized by the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The conference was organized as part of the “Nordic Green Project – Sustainable Solutions for Serbia” initiative, jointly implemented by the Nordic embassies in Serbia. Four conferences dedicated to different sustainability topics are planned and each of the Nordic embassies will have a special responsibility in presenting them. The first conference on sustainable agriculture, sponsored by the Embassy of Denmark, aims at partnership for sustainable agriculture. “I am extremely pleased that we are hosting this important conference that is focused on sustainable agriculture and the application of the latest technology in agriculture.” With this conference, we realize the mission of the Naučno-tehnološki park Novi Sad as a gathering place for the development and application of new technologies, as well as the creation and placement of new products on the market. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire new knowledge and exchange experiences with our Nordic partners”, said Nebojša Drakulić, director of the Naučno-tehnološki park Novi Sad. “Nordic countries have experience and practice in green transition that we want to transfer in order to help Serbia accelerate the green transition and undertake activities related to green initiatives in Southeast Europe, i.e., in the Western Balkans.” The green transition is not only a necessity, but an opportunity for development to be on a sustainable basis. At this conference, we will show the best practices of Denmark, but also the experience of Serbia in creating sustainable agriculture”, said Susan Schein, while opening the conference. She added that, “only by sharing knowledge and joint efforts can we preserve our planet for future generations without compromising the quality of life for each of us.” The moderator of the conference, Iva Petrović, director of the Nordic Business Alliance, pointed out that numerous Danish experts shared their experiences and knowledge on topics such as: application of the latest technologies in agriculture, European directives on industrial emissions of harmful gases in agriculture and other current topics concerning the creation of sustainable agriculture.

In addition to the guests from Denmark, Tom Axelgaard, CEO of Goodvalley
company and president of the association Danish Farmers Abroad, Torben Tornegaard Tolsen, chairman of the Danish Pig Academy association, Lisa Valbom, executive director of Food
Nation Denmark, lectures were also held by Ricardo Kvađato, key expert of IEDSerbia, as well as domestic experts in the field of agriculture Mladen Petković, secretary of the Association for Agriculture of the Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina, professor Vitomir Vidovic, PhD, from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Novi Sad, Marko Panić, researcher from the BioSense Institute and others.
The Nordic countries fully share the vision of the European Green Deal, which emphasizes the importance
of sustainable development. With the aim of making the Nordic region a fully sustainable region, the Nordic Council of Ministers supported Nordic Green, i.e. the “Nordic Green Project”.
It is known that Nordic countries have close cooperation in many fields, as well as Nordic solidarity with other countries and constant efforts to transfer their experiences and best practices to others. The initiative “Nordic Green Project – Sustainable Solutions for Serbia” will present Nordic green technology, business models for environmental protection, solutions in the fight against climate change, all with the aim of creating a sustainable future. After the conference on sustainable agriculture under the auspices of the Danish embassy, the following conference topics have been planned: renewable energy sources under the patronage of Norway (Belgrade, November 15, 2022 at the NTP), Finland will present the topic of green industrial processes (Čačak, February 2023), and Sweden will present solutions for waste separation and recycling (Niš, February 2023). The opening of the conference was attended by representatives of the provincial secretariat for agriculture, water management and forestry, local governments, business associations, academic communities, as well as the ambassadors of four Nordic countries – Susan Schein of Denmark, Kimo Lahdevirta of Finland, Jern Eugen Jelstad of Norway and Anika Ben David of Sweden.