At the end of April 2023, agricultural and forestry advisors from Austria, Germany, Slovenia, and Serbia met for an i2connect Cross Visit in Bavaria. Using the example of the FInAL project “Promotion of Insects in Agricultural Landscapes” and “Lebensraum Natur”, the participants carried out an innovation and network analysis. FInAL is a large nationwide project involving researchers of different scientific disciplines, farmers and other partners in three different regions in Germany. What is special about FInAL is that scientists and farmers develop insect-promoting measures together in a co-design process and testing them in landscape labs. The project presented the landscape laboratories set up in representative agricultural landscapes in Germany as part of the “Insect Conservation Action Programme”, in which innovative measures for the promotion of insects through integrated cultivation of renewable raw materials in a landscape context are developed, demonstrated and evaluated. The project is supported by public funding. https://www.lfl.bayern.de/verschiedenes/presse/pms/2022/317838/index.php
The second project of the lebensraum:natur association (which prefers to be called a process rather than a project) aims to raise awareness and sensitise people to the issue of biodiversity and provides comprehensive information to the regional population. Furthermore, concrete projects on the topic of biodiversity are organised and their preservation and maintenance are accompanied. It is supported by income from events and crowdfunding. https://www.lebensraumnatur.at
As the two projects are similar in their objectives and topics, but structured and financed differently, the comparison between them was particularly exciting. The innovation analyses were concluded with appreciative feedback to the project leaders as support for the further development of their projects.
In addition to the interesting project information and trying out methods for innovation analysis, the participants were happy to be able to network, as this is often neglected in everyday work. During the breaks and cozy evenings, there was plenty of time for cross-border exchange, which was greatly appreciated by all.
The video presents the project and the most important results of the project analysis by the participants of the Cross Visit.
