Since its inception, the EU Network dedicated to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been a hub of information regarding the trends, challenges and perspectives underpinning agricultural and rural governance. For more than ten years, the Agrinovation magazine has been a focal point of outreach efforts in this context as it informs a vast community of researchers, stakeholders and decision-makers across the Old Continent. Through dedicated showcases of new solutions and knowledge exchanges, this publication presents a roadmap of how the agroforestry sector is set to develop today and tomorrow. 

The transformative power of ongoing research and emerging technologies is a central theme in the recently released 11th annual edition of the magazine. Among the initiatives presented as drivers of innovation in this regard, FORSAID is singled out in a dedicated article. The piece offers an overview of the background and vision that paved the way for the project’s pan-European consortium to come together.

More specifically, an emphasis is placed on the promise held by the technologies underpinning FORSAID such as artificial intelligence, remote sensing, robotics and DNA barcoding. As project coordinator Prof. Andrea Battisti asserts in the article, the new standard they offer in the early detection of forest pests “can save time, reduce labour costs and offer more accurate results”. Ultimately, coordinated and effective deployment of these solutions is proving to be crucial in minimising or even avoiding outbreaks of numerous EU-regulated insect, fungi and nematode species. 

The piece also outlines the inclusive approach favoured within FORSAID as it seeks to compile its findings into an improved pest management paradigm. In that sense, it is made clear that insights from research, citizen science and business alike will be taken into account as this strategy comes together. 

You can read the full issue here. More information about FORSAID’s core objectives can be found on this page.