Events

FUTURAL (Powering the Future through Smart and Innovative Solutions for Rural Areas) is an EU-funded innovation project led by the Agricultural University of Athens, involving 21 partners from across Europe. The project seeks to test and pilot a set of community-led social, technological, and business innovations designed to generate lasting change through collaboration with rural communities. In this context, the project will organize its first EU-wide Rural Innovation Forum , a two-day networking event bringing together stakeholders from the rural ecosystem (such as FUTURAL multi-stakeholder pilot projects -MAPs-, rural innovators, rural networks, policy makers and implementers, EU-funded projects, organizations and entrepreneurs) with the aim of laying the groundwork for capacity building and experience sharing on smart community-led innovation in rural areas. Goals To increase the capacity of rural communities to implement and adopt social, technological, and commercial innovations by organizing a series of workshops on capacity development and policy and governance frameworks. Present and share experiences of co-creating innovations in multi-stakeholder pilot projects (MAPs). Introducing the Alpha version of the FUTURAL Smart Solutions and Metasearch Platform. Maximize interaction and knowledge exchange among FUTURAL's MAPs, partners, and participating experts within and outside the project. PROGRAM | REGISTRATION

From June 10 to 12, 2025, CIHEAM Zaragoza will host the International Symposium "Empowering Women through Innovation in Mediterranean Agri-Food Systems." Organized by CIHEAM Zaragoza and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), with the collaboration of the CIHEAM General Secretariat and the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the event will bring together representatives of international organizations such as FAO, IFAD, OECD, the European Commission, ICARDA, and IWMI, as well as entrepreneurs, researchers, and members of civil society and the private sector. The symposium seeks to highlight the role of women as drivers of change toward more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agri-food systems. A dynamic program, including lectures, roundtables, case studies, interactive workshops, and field visits, will address the main challenges and opportunities facing women in Mediterranean agriculture and rural areas. The event will also address how innovation—from digital technologies to agroecological and social solutions—can catalyze women's empowerment in agri-food systems, transforming traditional practices and promoting more sustainable and inclusive models. Highlights from the program include: High-level conferences on the latest trends in innovation applied to the agri-food sector, with a special focus on women-led approaches. Interactive workshops on technology and social innovation , designed to foster networking among women entrepreneurs, share experiences, and present pioneering projects in the agri-food value chain. Inspiring case studies of women leading technology initiatives in rural and agricultural areas of the Mediterranean. Field visits to local projects run by women, demonstrating how innovation transforms communities from the rural perspective. The symposium will also analyze the obstacles that limit women's access to technology, training, and financing, and will propose avenues for cooperation to build inclusive innovative ecosystems. In a context of climate change, resource scarcity, and digital transformation, the event is positioned as a strategic opportunity to redefine the role of women as drivers of change in Mediterranean agri-food. The event, which will feature in-person and virtual participation (subject to registration), will be a key platform for promoting strategic alliances, sharing best practices, and generating innovative solutions for women's empowerment in the agri-food sector. More information and registration will be available...

The Symposium will take place at the Lleida Conference Centre “La Llotja”, located on the right bank of the Segre River, near La Mitjana Park, from 1 to 4 JULY 2025. New developments in weed science are geared towards achieving a balance between crop production and sustainability. In this regard, scientific research on weeds at European level is based on the EU Common Agricultural Policy and increasingly focuses on integrating new tools, methods and strategies to improve weed management. This situation could be defined by the motto of the congress: Joint approaches for sustainable weed management.

FIMA will once again be the largest event in the agricultural world in Southern Europe. Mechanisation and technological innovations will show professionals the best way to make their farms more profitable, improving performance and productivity. The importance of the farmer will be evident at an event that pays special attention to Mediterranean Agriculture and where the situation of European and world agriculture is constantly being discussed. Farmers, cooperatives, service companies, importers, distributors, engineers, the academic world, research and public administration, among others, meet at this benchmark forum in Spain for the agricultural sector. More than 1,200 exhibitors (420 of them foreign) on an exhibition area of more than 100,000 square metres, attracted 167,564 visitors at its last edition, from 54 different countries.