16th Congress of the European Association of Agricultural Economists, EAAE

On the 21st of July Prof. Koundouri co-chaired the session “Raising the Impact of Agricultural Economics in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Research and Policy” at the 16th Congress of the European Association of Agricultural Economists, EAAE. Chair of the discussion was Prof. Miet Maertens, KU Leuven and Speakers: P. Halvik (IIASA); A. Riccaboni (U.Siena); M. von Lampe (OECD).

Prof. Koundouri was also a member of the Programme Committee

After its postponement due to the Covid-19 crisis, the Congress will take place this summer 20-23 July 2021 in an online format. We are working on the design of the virtual Congress to enhance its benefits to all participants and hope that a large number of EAAE members will attend this virtual event.

Scientific Information

Theme
Raising the Impact of Agricultural Economics: Multidisciplinarity, Stakeholder Engagement and Novel Approaches

The food system faces the challenge of feeding a growing and increasingly prosperous population while respecting planetary boundaries and addressing multiple societal demands. In this context, the expectations placed on scientists, including agricultural economists, by policy-makers, research-funding bodies, academic institutions, the private sector and civil society are changing. Knowledge creation, the provision of policy advice and formulation of general recommendations are no longer sufficient on their own. Instead, the societal impact of the profession needs to be amplified by demonstrating and communicating effectively the outcomes of research.

How then can we, as a profession, raise our impact and contribute more effectively to the resolution of important societal challenges? This is the question analysed during the congress by exploring several promising avenues. Improvements in methodologies and new sources of data create opportunities for generating new impact and measuring societal outcomes more accurately. Sustained interactions with other disciplines in the natural and social sciences hold promises to enhance our understanding of complex systems and phenomena. Effective stakeholder engagement is crucial to identify relevant issues, develop appropriate solutions and ensure the use of scientific knowledge in decision-making throughout society.

The XVI EAAE Congress aims to foster discussion of those issues and stimulate interaction among scholars, businesses, policy makers and representatives from civil society, which will eventually improve farming and life in Europe and beyond.

The Local Organising Committee and Programme Committee are striving to arrange a stimulating and innovative programme consisting of keynote plenary presentations complemented by a variety of sessions (invited panels, organised sessions, contributed papers, organised panels, posters) and field trips. In particular, we encourage policy makers, representatives from civil society and agribusiness to contribute through organised panels, which have a free format and do not require the submission of scientific papers. We hope that the XVI EAAE Congress in Prague will provide an interactive platform for researchers and representatives from non-academic institutions.

Detailed programme here.

Learn more here