INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND LIFE SCIENCES

23-24 września 2014

On 23 -24 September 2014 in Warsaw at the Hotel Gromada Airport sixth edition, organized for the first time in Poland, the conference titled .: "Greener Agriculture for a Bluer Baltic Sea" (GABBS) took place. The conference was under the honorary patronage of Mr Marek Sawicki - Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Mr. Maciej. H. Grabowski - Minister of Environment. The theme of the conference was "Shared Sea - shared challenge - shared solutions". The main organizers of the project from the Polish side were two institutions - Institute of Technology and Life Sciences and the Agricultural Advisory Centre in Brwinów Branch in Radom. In addition its contribution to the achievement of the conference brought such entities as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, the Association of Scientific and Technical Engineers and Technicians of Agriculture, "World Wide Fund for Nature" (WWF Sweden, WWF Poland), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), YARA Branch in Poland, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Agro Business Park (Denmark).

The conference was attended by over 200 people, representatives of government, NGOs, scientists, entrepreneurs, farmers - from Sweden, Finland, Denmark Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Poland. All countries - the Baltic stakeholders were represented.

Conference was opened by Director of the Agricultural Advisory Centre in Brwinów Branch in Radom, dr Henry Skórnicki, and Director of the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences prof. dr hab. Edmund Kaca, on behalf of The Minister Sophia Szalczyk Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, welcomed all participants. The conference was moderated by Mr. Stina Bergstrom (The Federation of Swedish Farmers) and Paul Biveson (Baltic Sea Action Group, Sweden).

The program of the conference included a plenary session and six separate thematic sessions (workshops).

Award ceremony "Farmer of the Year Baltic Sea Region" granted annually by the Foundation for the WWF was held during the conference. The competition promotes people who take additional measures beyond existing standards, and thus play a significant role in protecting the environment of the Baltic Sea from eutrophication. Farmers of the Year 2014 Baltic Sea Region were awarded Latvian marriage, Juris Cirulis and Vija Cirule.

Ending the first day of the conference was Polish accent, concert performed by the Song and Dance Ensemble of Warsaw University of Technology. Team's performance was received enthusiastically and certainly will remain for long in the memory of the participants.

the conference was officially closed by a representative of the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences, prof. dr hab. Waldemar Mioduszewski, who summarized the conference and said that it has fulfilled its purpose allowing for an exchange of views and information leading to the optimization of the actions for the protection of the Baltic Sea. He also thanked the organizers for their efforts in the preparations.

An additional element of the conference, after its official closing, was a trip to the Natural Reserve "Raszyn Ponds" combined with a visit to the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences and Experimental Department ITP in Falenty. It was attended by 60 people, mostly foreign guests. Guides the group were: prof. dr hab. Wieslaw Dembek, Scientific Deputy Director for Agri-environmental Affairs who presented the history of the palace in Falenty and natural values of the Nature Reserve in extremely interesting way and with great passion, and the Director of the Experimental Department, Tomasz Walczuk who unconventionally presented Experimental Department and familiarized participants with of the department's water management and fish production.

Conference Program

Final Presentation by prof. dr hab. Waldemar Mioduszewski (Institute of Technology - Life Sciences) - Closing of the conference

The report of the conference and all the presentations available at www.gabbs.eu

Photo essay:

The first day of the conference - 23 September 2014. - Plenary Session, thematic sessions

The first day of the conference - 23 September 2014. - The award ceremony "Farmer of the Year Baltic Sea Region"

The first day of the conference - 23 September 2014. - Concert of the Song and Dance Ensemble of Warsaw University of Technology

The second day of the conference - 24 September 2014. - Thematic sessions, plenary session

The second day of the conference - 24 September 2014. - Trip to the Natural Reserve "Raszyn Ponds", a visit to the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences