Sustainability Festival - a unique collaborative project within the academic community - has been officially opened, hosted by University of Split, October 1-3. This three-day event emphasizes green (agriculture, ecology, waste, healthy cultivation, processing, and consumption of food), blue (marine resources, fishing), and yellow (energy, tourism) aspects of sustainability.
Festival's program includes various roundtable discussions, study program presentations educating professionals in these fields, a fair featuring food products from family farms as well as products from two universities, workshops for children aimed at popularizing science and raising awareness about sustainable development, and preparation of traditional dishes from Dalmatia and Slavonia. Festival’s central part is a scientific congress on sustainability of Mediterranean ecosystems, attended by a large number of internationally renowned scientists in this area. The entire program has been enriched by a painting exhibition, concerts by students from artistic academies in Osijek and Split, as well as a performance of the play "Judita," produced by Split Academy of Arts’ professors and students, as stated by prof. Nikola Koceić-Bilan Ph.D., Vice-Rector for Teaching, Students, and Business.
In the first part, the University of Split signed an agreement that will enable setting up a joint study program, Sustainable Mediterranean Ecosystems, with Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek and University of Dubrovnik.
A part of the Sustainability Festival was 'Dalmatinka' conference dedicated to agriculture. Danijel Koletić, representing Apriori World and presiding over organizing committee of the project "Let's Inspire Agriculture/Dalmatinka 2024," noted that around 220 high school students and over 100 agricultural community stakeholders attended.
Assoc. prof. Mario Bjeliš Ph.D., head of Mediterranean Agriculture, revealed that the idea is to show high school pupils, through practical examples in agriculture - by former students producing in their family farms and representatives of large companies - that agriculture is a sector of the future, which can, through the application of modern technologies and tools, ensure their livelihoods.
Referring to strategic issues, Mladen Fruk, head of Directorate for Professional Support in Agricultural Development, as a delegate from Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, stated that recent trends show a declining interest among high school pupils in enrolling Croatian agricultural faculties. He noted, however, that the European Commission, developing strategic documents in this programming period, recognized the importance of knowledge transfer and innovation in agriculture.
Member of Croatian Parliament and Chair of its Agriculture Committee, Marijana Petir, pointed out that as a member, Croatia is beneficiary of European Union’s longest-standing and most expensive policy - the Common Agricultural Policy, which gets allocated nearly half of its budget. Besides direct support, she emphasized, young people receive support for starting agricultural businesses - which increased compared to previous budgetary period. Amounts rise up to 100,000 euros, with Croatia opting for 70,000.
In the musical part of the program, soprano Leona Sever, Academy of Arts’ student, class of Terezija Kusanović, participated, accompanied by prof. Pero Prosenica.
By: Ana Marasović/Dalmatinski Portal
Photo: Veljko Martinović/Dalmatinski Portal
