The papers of the CASEE Conference 2014 "Healthy Food Production and Environmental Preservation – The Role of Agriculture, Forestry and Applied Biology" are now published in a special issue of the "Contemporary Agriculture".
May 25 - 27, 2014
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Serbia
Scientific events such as the annual CASEE conference 2014 held in Novi Sad attract public attention
and hundreds of scientists and prospective scientists.
The fifth CASEE conference "Healthy Food Production and Environmental Preservation – The Role of Agriculture, Forestry and Applied Biology " took place at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture on May 25 - 27, 2014. Over 170 participants from 9 different countries and 15 institutions gathered together and had a fruitful discussion and exchange of experience in 4 main sessions:
- Session I: Agronomic techniques for preserving ecosystem services
- Session II: Plant – soil – water interaction
- Session III: Applied biology
- Session IV: Ecosystem resilience to mitigate climate change effects
During these four sessions of the 5th CASEE conference, the latest scientific results were introduced in order to identify new scientific trends and to put forward recommendations to political decision-makers, to promote scientific collaboration and improve cooperation activities, to facilitate the integration of researchers from central and eastern European countries into the ICA.
Beside the sessions, two additional meetings were held:
- Meeting I: Danube AgriFood Master: This meeting aimed to further develop the master programme "Sustainability in Agriculture, Food Production and Food Technology in the Danube Region"
- Meeting II: Cooperation regarding field experimental stations of CASEE Members: This meeting presented a step forward to a future joint network of CASEE experimental stations where science and practice merge for new achievements.
In total, the 5th CASEE conference had 6 parallel sessions.
The special value of this conference is a high number of PhD students who presented their work to senior colleagues and gained contacts for future activities, encouraged to continue further research.
Next to the scientifc value the CASEE conference also provided an excellent breeding ground for the other side of the CASEE community, in which the administrative staff built a strong collaboration throughout project proposals, networking and workshops. At the General Assembly several interesting eduacational and network projects were presented: the Tempus project LIFEada, the Erasmus Mundus A2 application NetBIODAR, a summer school in "Plant and Fish Biodiversity in the Danube Delta\\" and the network project InAKTION.
The 5th CASEE conference was officially opened on Monday, May 26, 2014 at the Rectorate building of the University of Novi Sad, by Dr. Dragica Koldzin, the representative of the Secretariat for Science and Technological Development of Vojvodina Province. During the ceremony, the representatives of the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, CASEE and ICA addressed the audience. The importance of the conference and life sciences was confirmed by numerous TV crews, who covered the event.
After a busy day, the participants enjoyed the dinner at the restaurant near the Danube, while listening to tambura music and tasting Vojvodina’s traditional dishes.
During the conference, two excursions were organized. The main one introduced a rich history of Novi Sad and a scientific work at the Faculty of Agriculture. After visiting Petrovaradin fortress, and Sremski Karlovci, the participants had a chance to step into the world of wine, by visiting the Experimental Station for Viticulture, where the wine tasting was provided. The additional excursion organized for the accompanying persons enabled them to visit the ancient castles of Vojvodina and to hear interesting stories related to the family who had built them.
The organizers proudly say that hosting the event such as CASEE Conference was a demanding, but valuable task. Pictures will illustrate more than words, and fulfill the gap until the next CASEE conference.
Looking forward to meeting you soon.
The CASEE Presidency wishes to express its gratitude and acknowledgement for the excellent conference organisation by the University of Novi Sad.
Further information on the conference is also available on the conference site created by the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Novi Sad.
Pictures: