Between the increasing effects of climate change and a changing social environment at national and international level, the Austrian Society for Agricultural Economics (ÖGA) develops scientifically sound concepts and solutions to meet the challenges facing the agricultural sector in Austria and the EU.
The 35th annual conference of the ÖGA was opened by Jochen Kantelhardt, President of the ÖGA, and Mireille van Poppel, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Equality at the University of Graz. In their opening remarks, they highlighted the diverse and current challenges facing the agricultural sector in Europe and Austria, thanked all those involved in making the conference possible, and introduced the most important items on the agenda.
This was followed by plenary speakers Petr Havlik (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis), Monika Hartmann (University of Bonn), and Sophie Helaine (European Commission). With regard to the general development of the agricultural sector in the EU, Petr Havlik emphasized the urgency of investing in sustainable technologies and processes and placed these in the context of the political and economic development of the EU, with a focus on security and prosperity. Monika Hartmann presented systemic obstacles to greater sustainability in the food trade from the consumer's perspective and introduced innovative practical solutions. Sophie Helaine discussed the European Commission's perspective on the agricultural sector. In addition to the importance of trade agreements, she addressed the different organizational forms of the agricultural sector in individual EU countries and emphasized the importance of promoting young farmers for the future development of agriculture.
The research forums during the conference dealt with methodological advances such as modeling and scenario development, as well as current topics such as nature conservation and biodiversity, human behavior, regional development, and farm succession. Three workshops on the topics of “Climate change adaptation on arable farms,” “Sustainable transformation of agriculture and forestry,” and “Remuneration for ecosystem services through agri-environmental programs” rounded out the conference program.
Together with Stefan Kirchweger, Managing Director of ÖGA, Hermine Mitter, Vice President of ÖGA and Professor of Sustainability, Climate Change, and Human Behavior at the University of Graz, chaired this year's conference committee. From her working group, Maja Jakobs presented the research design of her doctoral thesis. Hermine Mitter also presented exploratory scenarios for European livestock farming systems (Re-Livestock) and outlined foresters' intentions for adapting to climate change.
The conference was rounded off wit the presentation of the Best Presentation Awards, organized by Christian Fritz. Three winners were selected based on the votes of the participants. Cornelia Fischer was honored for her presentation on “Scenarios for milk and beef supply in Austria in 2050.” Karl Reimand impressed the audience with his presentation “Survey on measures for carbon storage in Austrian agriculture,” and Marian Momen was honored for his poster presentation entitled “Transformation of agriculture in alpine grasslands: An analysis of practical, political, and personal influencing factors.” Congratulations!
A joint excursion to southern Styria, organized by Sabrina Dreisiebner-Lanz, topped off the conference program, including visits to the Pronnegg oil mill, Seggau Castle, and the Schauer winery and wine tavern in Kitzeck.
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this year's ÖGA conference, in particular the University of Graz for providing the venue and resources, the staff of the Institute of Environmental Systems Science for their active support in organizing the event, and “Parks” for the widely praised catering during the conference.