Shaping a Greener Future

Full Professor in Agronomy and Field Crops at the Institute of Plant Sciences of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, where he coordinates the Research Group in Agroecology (GOA) and the International PhD Programme in Agrobiodiversity (2013-2019 and 2026- ). He is involved in inter- and transdisciplinary research on the link between agrobiodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services (functional agrobiodiversity) in different agroecosystems and at different temporal and spatial scales (field, farm, territory), increasingly conducted with a participatory approach. He is also involved in the ecology and management of wild and weedy vegetation and the design of low-input, organic and agroecological cropping and farming systems. He regularly participates in regional national and international research projects (he has won >20 European FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020,

Horizon Europe, ERA-NET and COST actions projects since 2007). He has participated as (co-)author in ca. 390 scientific papers, many of them published in the best international journals in the field. He collaborates as an expert agroecologist with FAO, the European Commission (Joint Research Centre in Ispra, regular research projects evaluator and monitor), EFSA (environmental risk assessment of GMOs in agriculture), the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (on organic farming). In 2015-2018 he was a member of the panel for the evaluation of the efficacy and risk of biopesticides for the purpose of their authorization (EU Southern Zone – France, Greece, Italy and Spain). From 2002 to 2015 he was scientific secretary, vice-president, president and past-president of the European Weed Research Society. He is co-founder of Agroecology Europe (www.agroecology-europe.org), of which he was vice-president, and of AIDA-Italian Agroecology Association, in which he was a member of the Executive Board.

Speaker Prof. Paolo Bàrberi

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SPEAKER: Prof. Vladislav Popov PhD

Popov is an acting Professor at the Dept. of Agroecology, Vice-rector of the Agricultural University of Plovdiv, (AUP), Bulgaria. Internationally recognised researcher, expert and adviser, experienced in leading high-profile (inter)national R&D projects in agroecology, organic agriculture and bioeconomy in the EU-27, Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia and East Africa. Member of the Standing Committee of Agricultural Research (SCAR) at the European Commission (EC). Member of the Advisory Board of the 2^nd FOOD 2030 High-Level Event of the European Commission “Research and Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security: Transforming our food systems”, and Viice-Chairman of the LifeWatch ERIC. A National Coordinator and Chairman of the Executive Board of the National Scientific Programme (NSP) of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) of Bulgaria “Healthy Foods for Strong Bioeconomy and Quality of Life” (2018-2023) and NCP “Smart crop production” (2021-2024).

Leader of the AUP expert group for the execution of the Ministry of Agriculture Technical study “SWOT Analysys of the impact of agriculture on environment and climate”2019-2020 for the Strategic Plan for development of agriculture 2021-2027.

Member of scientific teams in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects and evaluator at the Research and Executive Agency of the European Commission (EC), expert of the European Training Foundation, the EIT-Food and the FAO and a MES delegate in the EC ‘Shadow committee” for Cluster 6 of the Horizon Europe and the Expert Group for preparation of National Bioeconomy strategy of Bulgaria. A member of the Editorial Boards and the Scientific Committees of Bulgarian and foreign journals, author of 100+ scientific publications, books, manuals, etc.