Polish Hub Outreach Activities – from an Organic Food Market to a Study Trip to Austria
On 5th October 2019, together with Ekosfera Mateczny – organic food market we organized a family event. On the rainy and cloudy day, the customers of the market could take part in a game joined with a gallery walk format. At five stands, participants gained knowledge about the bioeconomy and various issues related to food production. They could also answer questions related to the topics presented at each position. At the same time, the youngest participants solved sensory puzzles by recognizing plants, herbs, grains, vegetables and fruits by smell, sound, touch and taste. Correct answers and a completed scorecard entitled participants to receive awards – organic food from producers present at the market!
From October 21st to 23rd, we organized workshops for the „young ambitious“ group. Among those who volunteered were students, PhD students, scientists from various universities and research centers, farmers and even an importer of natural wines who wanted to see sustainable farming methods. The first day of the workshop took place in Pamhagen Burgenland in the organic, biodynamic farm and winery of Michael Andert, who is also a certified herb educator. He presented his methods of work in the garden and vineyard, including plant protection means based on herbal infusion, ways of selecting plants and herbs so that they are a natural protection for each other and natural fertilization methods. The farm with its animals, plants and people is a closed loop, there are no resources wasted, as all the biomass here is useful and its value is understood. The participants could also see a difference in the soil quality, condition and biodiversity in organic and biodynamic vs conventional vineyard.
The next day everyone took part in a whole day workshop titled “Bioeconomy – Motor for Sustainable Development in Rural Areas? Challenges, Preconditions and Policy Options” organized together with Ecosocial Forum Austria and the Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research, where after the presentations by bioeconomy experts there was time to work together on topics chosen by the experts like: “Prospects for agricultural capacity – A European Perspective; Future Innovation Necessities in Societal Practices for a Circular Economy” and “Bioeconomy as a Driver for Rural Development?”
Our next outreach activities will take a place in January 2020. We will be organizing two workshops:
- precision farming, together with the CLAAS company. The goal of precision farming is to recognize differences in soil properties and yielding capacity in individual parts of the field, and to respond appropriately to this information (probably 17th January)
- bioplastic production, together with Polish Science Academy. The participants will be able to spend 2 days in the bioplastic lab, where they will run their own process of creation of bioplastic, and a group of art students will work on possible design for industrial application of oil-based bioplastics (probably 20th – 21st January)
Also in January we will start a cooperation with youngest stakeholders – three primary schools contacted us to organize for their pupils an educative event based on a competition in the area of bioeconomy. We couldn’t say “no”…
