FOSTERING INNOVATION

EUROPEAN SEMINAR:

PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH

RÉSEAU DE PARTAGE ET DE CONNAISSANCE

AGRICULTURE 4.0

DIGITIZATION

NEW TECHNOLOGYY

TERRITORIAL APPROACH

FOSTERING INNOVATION Meet the challenges of rurality

OPPORTUNITIES

The Walloon Network for Rural Development organises, on the 17th and the 18th of May 2018, a seminar on innovation in rural areas. Bringing together Walloon as well as European players, this seminar will be fully bilingual French-English. During the seminar, the participants will be able to : 1. Discuss new approaches and collaborative methods that aim at stimulating innovation ; 2. Study practical cases, assess their pertinence and the opportunities they create ; 3. Formulate recommendations on how to stimulate innovation in Wallonia.

PROGRAMME 4 topics et 4 approaches, combined in 16 workshops The topics

The approaches

1. How to stimulate innovation in rural territories? 2. Innovation: the virtues of constraint 3. Opportunities and innovations enhanced by digitization 4. Innovating for greater resilience

1. 2. 3. 4.

Agricultural systems Territorial approaches Collaborative systems Collective intelligence

4 workshops on the same topic will be happening simultaneously. This means you have to choose, when registering, which one you wish to attend, depending on your interests.

Throughout the entire event, an innovation fair, where you can find out about the winners of a contest of which the details are very soon to be published, will be held.

PRACTICAL INFO When? On Thursday the 17th and on Friday the 18th of May, from 9:00 to 18:00. Gala evening on Thursday from 18:00 to 22:00. Où ? Franche Comté Farm, Rue de Beauvechain 6, 1320 Tourinnes-la-Grosse (Belgium).

How to register? Registering from 15th of april to 9th of may via www.reseau-pwdr.be/fostering-innovation

EUROPEAN SEMINAR:



AGRICULTURE 4.0

DIGITIZATION

NEW TECHNOLOGYY



OPPORTUNITIES

A diverse and rich programme, for intense and inspiring moments Topic 1 - How to stimulate innovation in rural areas? Innovation can be seen as the result of numerous and varied interactions between groups of people and organisations. These exchanges, which are crucial for the regional competitiveness, allow for the transfer of necessary and complementary skills and knowledge. This, however, raises ethical issues and engages the responsibility of the organisations involved. What do we need to set up to stimulate creativity and the emergence of new solutions? In workshops, we will, based on selected European and Walloon case studies, analyse and discuss about: • knowledge systems and information exchange in agricultural systems; • the impacts of culture on the creativity of rural territories; • third-places allowing new forms of collaboration, like fablabs and co-working spaces; • tools for the territorial management of employment and skills.

Topic 2 - Innovation: the virtues of constraint The challenges faced by rural territories require innovative responses so as to ensure their viability and attractiveness. We live in a finite world with limited resources, in terms of quantity and/or accessibility. These resources’ use, however, increases exponentially, alongside pollution and climate disturbances. These issues are so important, even urgent, that it is essential to guide the actions of the players toward desired innovations or fields where innovation is a survival matter. Are these issues constraints that stimulate necessary changes? In workshops, we will, based on selected European and Walloon case studies, analyse and discuss about: • a way to adapt technology to the farmers’ needs; • local food systems; • the circular economy; • a new way to design products and services based on the population’s unmet needs, according to the “Living Lab” method.

EUROPEAN SEMINAR:



AGRICULTURE 4.0

DIGITIZATION

NEW TECHNOLOGYY



OPPORTUNITIES

A diverse and rich programme, for intense and inspiring moments Topic 3 - Opportunites and innovations created by digitization. The topic certainly is fashionable, but what is behind it and what would we like to make of it? Many of us believe that the introduction of digital technologies in every aspect of the rural economy will create new opportunities, strengthen the competitiveness of existing activities and result in organisational changes. But what is the reality of it? In workshops, we will, based on selected European and Walloon case studies, analyse and discuss about: • the integration of new technologies in agriculture, the “smart farming”; • digital approaches to territories, the “smart village”; • collaborative systems that use digital technologies; • smart solutions developed to help seniors.

Topic 4 - Innovating for greater resilience If resilience is the ability of a territory to overcome external shocks, to reorganise, to learn and to adapt for the longer-term, then to strengthen the resilience of rural territories faced by challenges – such as climate change, decline of resources, ageing of the population, local democracy and job creation – depends on the ability to create integrated strategies mobilizing public policies, citizens’ initiatives and a variety of financial means in a coordinated way. Are the currently emerging answers relevant? Are they enough? In workshops, we will, based on selected European and Walloon case studies, analyse and discuss about: • agriculture and forestry coping with climate change; • responding to the demographic evolutions of the rural territories ; • the energy transition; • citizens’ initiatives that instill transformation and innovation.



AGRICULTURE 4.0

DIGITIZATION

NEW TECHNOLOGYY


EUROPEAN SEMINAR:


OPPORTUNITIES

17TH OF MAY 2018 Welcoming

9:30

Introduction of the Seminar

10:15

Keynote speech - Responsible innovation

10:45

Topic 1 How to stimulate innovation in rural territories?

9:00

Round table What lessons do we learn from the approaches and methods implemented to stimulate innovation at European and Walloon levels?

LUNCH AND NETWORKING

13:45

Topic 1 How to stimulate innovation in rural territories?

12:15 Agricultural systems

Territorial approaches

Collaborative systems

Collective intelligence

Workshop 1 – Consulting services in agricultural knowledge and information systems

Workshop 2 – Impacts of Culture on the creativity of rural territories

Workshop 3 Collaborative thirdplaces (FabLab and coworking) in rural areas

Workshop 4 - Territorial management of skills and jobs

COFFEE BREAK

16:00

Topic 2 Innovation: the virtues of constraint

15:15 Agricultural systems




Workshop 5 – Technological autonomy : adapt farming and energtic tools to the farmers needs

Workshop 6 – Local food systems

Workshop 7 Valorisation of local ressources through circular economy

Workshop 8 - Territorial living labs: innovative places creating innovation

CONCLUSIONS

17:30 18:00

Rural innovation fair

19:00

Gala evening and networking



AGRICULTURE 4.0

DIGITIZATION

NEW TECHNOLOGYY


EUROPEAN SEMINAR:


OPPORTUNITIES

18TH OF MAY 2018 Welcoming

9:30

Key messages from day 1, programme of the day 2 and perspectives

10:00

Topic 3 Opportunities and innovations enhanced by digitization

9:00

Agricultural systems




Workshop 9 – Agriculture 4.0 / smart farming

Workshop 10 – SMART territory and village

Workshop 11 Cocreation through digitzation

Workshop 12 - Aging population: SMART innovative solutions and new services

RURAL INNOVATION FAIR AND NETWORKING

12:00

LUNCH

13:30

Topic 4 Innovating for greater resilience

11:30

Agricultural systems




Workshop 13 – Agriculture and forestry coping with climate change

Workshop 14 – Demographic evolutions: innovative approaches

Workshop 15 Energy transition and sustainable development

Workshop 16 Community-led initiatives

15:00

POOLING OF THE WORKSOPS RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS OF THE SEMINAR

16h30

END OF THE SEMINAR