Knowledge, skills and innovation are the indispensable foundation of sustainable development. European agricultural and rural development policies have a long-standing record of stimulating innovation, moreover, sharing knowledge within networks speeds the process of adoption of innovations. Given these preliminary considerations, the first challenge of FARM project is to boost knowledge and technology transfer in the agricultural sector. The possibility to increase the level of information available to ARD (Agriculture and Rural Development) about new technologies is directly linked to sectorial investments, economic and environmental efficiency and sustainability, food healthiness and safety, ability to compete in the international market area.
The support in agriculture and rural development (ARD) remains a vital component for economic, social and environmental sustainability. The ARD faces the challenge in terms of sustainable management of natural resources, depopulation and contributing towards the economic development. The scientific development complements this challenge by focusing on knowledge share and fostering the technology and innovations in ARD. According to economic theory and practice, the formation and transfer of knowledge form a basis of economic development.
Moreover, although direct demand for knowledge is today lower than in the past, economic literature confirms the importance of wide networking, in terms of diversification and number of subjects, for the introduction of new technologies in the agro-food sector (Muscio et al., 2017). There is still a huge gap in European agriculture concerning technological development and organization. Consequently, in a vast majority of European countries and regions, especially those of southern Europe, a well-developed sphere of formation and transfer of knowledge is required. E2020 in ARD fosters innovation, cooperation, and development of a knowledge base in rural areas, enhancing farm viability and competitiveness of all types of agriculture in all regions and promoting innovative farm technologies and sustainable management.
