2023 Agricultural Outlook Conference
ETSIAAB students Paula Valencia and José Carlos Menchén presented their vision for the future of agriculture at the 2023 Agricultural Outlook Conference, held in Brussels on 6 and 7 December.
12-12-2023
Paula Valencia and José Carlos Menchén, students of the MSc Degree in Agricultural Engineering at the School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB), participated in the EU Agri-Food Days held in Brussels from 5 to 8 December 2023, presenting their vision for agriculture in 2050 at the 2023 Agricultural Outlook Conference.
José Carlos Menchén and Paula Valencia, ETSIAAB students (UPM).
In this edition, the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) has involved young professionals working in agriculture in the coming decades. To this end, DG AGRI has invited students of agriculture from three different countries, including six from Spain, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Together with the six Spanish students, six from Sweden (outgoing Presidency) and six from Belgium (incoming Presidency) also participated. The participation of the ETSIAAB students, selected together with four more students from the University of Cordoba (UCO) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), was financed by the European Commission for travel and accommodation.
Visit of the six Spanish students to the European Parliament.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food coordinated the selection of the Spanish representatives and, in the case of the ETSIAAB, addressed students of the MSc Degree in Agricultural Engineering who presented their ideas via short video clips.
Paula Valencia and José Carlos Menchén present their poster to Wolfgang Burtscher, Director-General of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Nominated students Paula Valencia and José Carlos Menchén developed their ideas by presenting a poster to Wolfgang Burtscher, Director-General of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, Director of Strategy and policy analysis (DG AGRI).
In their presentation, they emphasized the vital role that embracing technologies, such as artificial intelligence, precision agriculture, and CRISPR-Cas in plant breeding will play in the future of agriculture. They regarded it crucial to address the legal, economic, social and educational obstacles that affect overall access to these tools. Only wide circulation will make it possible to ensure a sustainable future for agriculture, able to face the challenges of climate change and soil degradation.
Click on image to enlarge.
The students not only presented their vision for the future of agriculture. Besides, they attended several activities and conferences as part of the EU Agri-Food Days. They could talk to the leading actors that play a critical role in the European agricultural policy and, thanks to the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union, visit its offices, the European Council and the European Parliament.