H-BRS presents EU-FarmBook to an international Audience of experts

H-BRS continues to promote knowledge transfer between research and agricultural practice at the European level: Professor Katharina Seuser and Aysegül Yasari from the Institute for Technology, Resource and Energy-efficient Engineering (TREE) organized the third international press tour as part of the EU-FarmBook project. This time, the trip took them to Brittany, where the project was presented to about 30 representatives from academia and the trade media at the Institut Agro Rennes-Angers.

The study tour, which lasted several days, was organized in collaboration with the European Network of Agricultural Journalists (ENAJ) and the French Institute for Animal Husbandry (IDELE). Journalists from nine EU countries, as well as Switzerland and Norway, gained insights into new digital approaches to knowledge transfer and innovative research projects at agricultural (experimental) farms in Brittany. The region is one of the most productive areas for livestock farming in Europe.

“Our concept for press trips has once again proven successful—we gave journalists access to researchers, innovative companies, and working farms, and provided them with a wealth of relevant information about digital tools in livestock farming,” Seuser summarized. She explained that the journalists’ articles would support the transfer of knowledge from the laboratory to the field. “In addition, we informed the tour participants about the EU-FarmBook digital platform, which also aims to transfer knowledge from research to practice,” the professor emphasized.

Developed as part of the EU research program Horizon Europe, the online platform EU-FarmBook—with the participation of H-BRS—consolidates results from EU-funded research and innovation projects and aims to make them easily accessible to farmers, advisors, and other stakeholders in agriculture and forestry.

EU FarmBook-Team: Patrick Sarzeaud, Katharina Seuser, Klaus Knippertz, Bérenger Morel, Inge De Bo, Peter Rakers. Photo: Luc Servais

Putting research findings into practice

Patrick Sarzeaud, Senior Innovation Manager at the French project partner IDELE, emphasized in Rennes the importance of digital innovations for livestock farming and the role of EU-FarmBook as a European knowledge platform. IDELE has participated in approximately 40 European research projects to date. “We are proud that, as the French ambassador for EU-FarmBook, we provided more than 2,000 files last year. We will, of course, continue this commitment,” said Sarzeaud.

The project’s scientific coordinator, Inge De Bo from Ghent University, highlighted the platform’s open access in all 24 official languages of the European Union. With the help of the AI-powered “Farm Assistant,” users can ask questions in their own language and receive automatically translated content. “The platform is currently still in the development phase. New content is added daily, and existing features are continuously being refined,” explained De Bo. Multilingual access, in particular, will significantly increase the practical benefits for farms.

Specialized journalism as a partner in knowledge transfer

Yanne Boloh, president of the European Network of Agricultural Journalists (ENAJ), also emphasized the importance of close collaboration between research, the specialized media, and the agricultural sector. EU-FarmBook provides numerous topics relevant to agricultural journalism while also supporting the dissemination of innovative solutions in agriculture. “Our common goal is to encourage farmers to implement innovations on their farms,” said Boloh. The competitiveness of European agriculture depends crucially on scientific findings finding their way into practice.

Communication as key to innovation

Professor Katharina Seuser heads the research area of Technology Communication and Acceptance at the TREE Institute at H-BRS. Her work focuses on how innovations can be communicated in an understandable way and accepted by different target groups. In this context, specialized media play a central role as multipliers. In addition to her academic work, Seuser serves as a volunteer on the Management Committee of the European Network of Agricultural Journalists as Germany’s representative. The international press tour highlights the close interconnection between research, science communication, and specialized journalism, which also shapes knowledge transfer in the EU-FarmBook project.

European collaboration

Twenty-nine organizations from 18 countries are collaborating on the EU-FarmBook project. The goal is to make research findings and innovative practical solutions available throughout Europe and to strengthen the exchange between academia, extension services, and the agricultural sector. The project was launched in 2022 and will run through 2029.