MAIA Policy Workshop report: “Agroecological Practices for Sustainable Transformations of the Agri-Food System in the Region of Western Greece”

Summary

On February 21, 2025, a workshop was held in Patras under the auspices of the FABLE Consortium and the MAIA HEU Project, to explore tools and roadmaps for achieving more sustainable food systems, with a focus on agroecological practices in the Region of Western Greece (RWG).

Introduction

This event addressed the challenges faced by Western Greece’s agriculture, including climate change, soil deterioration and economic constraints. Participants also explored how agroecological practices can enhance resilience, productivity and livelihoods in the region.

Greek agriculture has been decarbonizing, but not as fast as the other sector which has resulted in a growing share of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) since 2000. The adoption of agroecological practices such as organic farming and cover crops has been moderate, far from the 25% target of the European Green Deal.

Barriers

The workshop highlighted several barriers to implementing agroecological practices in Western Greece, including:

• High initial costs of adopting advanced technologies
• Lack of consolidated results based on scientific evidence to build the economic and social case for sustainable transformation in the agricultural sector
• Limited awareness among farmers, and the complexity of eco-schemes
• Disconnection of the agricultural sector from research outputs
• Lack of centralized information-sharing platforms for stakeholders

These barriers hinder the widespread adoption of sustainable farming practices and emphasize the need for targeted interventions.

Enablers

Participants identified promising enablers for advancing agroecology in the region:

• Public-private partnerships were recognized as having untapped potential for driving investment in sustainable and digital solutions
• Better data-sharing between farmers
• Support from diverse EU funded projects is available.
• Tools developed by the MAIA project, such as the Connectivity Hub and SummarAIse were introduced as innovative platforms to bridge information gaps, simplify regulations, and provide actionable insights for farmers and policymakers.

These solutions aim to make sustainability practices more accessible and foster collaboration across sectors.

Outcomes & impacts

The workshop successfully brought together diverse stakeholders to explore pathways for sustainable agricultural transformation. Discussions emphasized integrating agroecological practices into Greece’s National Commitments Pathway, which could lead to near net-zero emissions by 2045. Insights from tools like the FABLE Calculator also showcased how practices like increasing cover crop usage could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving soil health.

Lessons learned

Key lessons from the workshop include the importance of aligning eco-schemes with farmers’ economic incentives to increase adoption rates. Stakeholders stressed the need for consolidated scientific evidence to build a compelling case for agroecological reforms. Practices such as cover crops could cut GHG emissions by 4% by 2040, boosting soil health and resilience. Moreover, simplifying complex EU green policies can play a pivotal role in overcoming behavioral and regulatory barriers, ensuring that sustainability initiatives are both practical and impactful.

Download the full event report.

See the event announcement.

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