Faculty of Logistics and Crisis Management Co-creates the Future of Sustainable Agriculture in Europe
23. October 2025How can Europe farm more sustainably while ensuring farmers’ prosperity? This was one of the key questions addressed at the expert workshop Agroecology Living Labs, held as part of the European initiative AE Partnership – Partnership for Agroecology.
The event brought together representatives of science, practice and policy – farmers, researchers and public authorities – to discuss how best to advance agroecological approaches across Europe.
Organised by the Faculty of Logistics and Crisis Management of Tomas Bata University in Zlín, the workshop focused on three key themes:
- Mapping agroecological activities and sharing experiences from so-called Living Labs;
- Identifying gaps and opportunities for the development of agroecological approaches;
- Assessing the impacts of agroecological measures on sustainability, biodiversity and the resilience of agriculture.
“Agroecology is not just about changing farming methods – it is a systemic transformation that connects ecology, economy and social responsibility. We are proud that our faculty can be part of this European dialogue,” said Prof. Zuzana Tučková, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty.
The discussions took place in an open, participatory format – every participant had the opportunity to contribute their own experience. Together, they developed a proposal for a unified monitoring framework that will, in the future, serve to evaluate the impacts of agroecological approaches across different regions of Europe.
“The knowledge gained will allow us to better direct research and innovation in agroecology. Our faculty has long been connecting science with practice, and events like this are key to effective knowledge transfer,” added Assoc. Prof. Pavel Taraba, Ph.D., Vice-Dean for Research and Development.
The Prague workshop formed part of a broader European effort, with parallel events taking place in Belgium, Germany and Italy. The outcomes of these national meetings will feed into the finalisation of the conceptual framework of the AE Partnership.
The European Partnership for Agroecology, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, brings together the European Commission and 72 partners from 26 countries. The project, officially launched on 1 January 2024 and running until 31 December 2030, has a budget of €300 million. Its aim is to strengthen an agricultural sector capable of facing climate change, biodiversity loss and food security challenges – while remaining economically viable and attractive for farmers.
“Agroecological approaches represent a crucial step towards a more sustainable future. When research institutions and farmers work together on their development, the resulting solutions enhance both the resilience and the health of our agriculture,” concluded Prof. Vladimír Sedlařík, Ph.D., Director of the Centre of Polymer Systems.
