When asking connects you to an entire system of knowledge

Sometimes a simple question opens the door to a network of collaboration much larger than we imagine. That's what we can say happened, in a way, to Ricard Ballester , an advisor at La Unió Llauradora i Ramadera , when he decided to use the Advisor Support Service of the AKIS Advisor Platform.

"I wanted to ask you a question about the almond wasp (Eurytoma amygdali), about integrated control and the effectiveness of different techniques. I also wanted to learn about the latest advances in biological control and which research teams are working on it..."

Ricard needed reliable and up-to-date technical information. And when you ask a question, you want to know who's behind the answer, because trust is key. In this case, his query was referred to the Agrarian Technological Institute of Castilla y León ( ITACyL ), whose specialists prepared a detailed technical report on the latest advances in integrated pest control.

Not in vain, the Advisor Support Service is a free tool that provides specific answers and solutions from specialized institutions: the National Agri-Food Technology Center of Extremadura ( CTAEX) (agricultural and food research); the Galician University Business Foundation ( FEUGA) (innovation and entrepreneurship); the Navarre Institute of Agri-Food Technologies and Infrastructures SA ( INTIASA) (fertilization and integrated pest management in horticultural and field crops); the Agrarian Technology Institute of Castilla y León ( ITACyL) (sustainable agriculture and livestock farming, and agricultural technology);the University of Córdoba-ISAG (traceability in agri-food, digitalization in livestock farming); the Wine Technology Center ( VITEC ) (viticulture), and other industry professionals.

“Thank you very much for your response to my inquiry; it was very helpful. Congratulations to Constantino for his work.”

As luck would have it, shortly afterward Ricard met the technician who had prepared the report during a training course. "That makes you realize that we're all part of the same knowledge transfer network," he comments, "and how important it is for the entire agri-food system to advance."

"It's a very useful service," he adds. "Because, even if you work in this field, there are things you miss, or topics you want to know the latest updates on. It's worth making this service more widely known."

Ricard is clear: this service must be made visible. Farmers and ranchers, he says, still struggle to navigate digitalization, but they do use social media. “Perhaps that's the way to reach them. And, on a professional level, LinkedIn is the gateway for advisors to learn about and use it.”

This is just one example of how the Spanish AKIS works in practice : connecting advisors, researchers, and technology centers to provide rapid, rigorous, and collaborative responses to the challenges of the field.

If you are also an agricultural advisor or technician, remember that you can use the AKIS Advisor Support Service to resolve your questions and contribute to the dissemination of knowledge within our network.

Visit akisplataforma.es and discover news, innovative projects, courses, and tools to improve your daily work. And take advantage of the free AKIS Advisor Support service at akisplataforma.es!