On April 3rd, 2025, over 100 partners from across Europe gathered online for the 3rd Mid-Term Annual Meeting of the Climate Farm Demo project. This virtual event served as an important opportunity to reflect on achievements, address ongoing challenges, and realign priorities as the project enters its next critical phase. Now at its halfway point, Climate Farm Demo has evolved into a truly pan-European initiative—with over 1,460 Pilot Demo Farmers , 280 Climate Farm Advisors, and a dynamic network of national coordinators and thematic and sector leaders. Over the course of six focused sessions, participants engaged in open dialogue, practical exchange, and forward-looking collaboration to drive the project forward.
The day opened with a strategic overview from project coordinator Christine Berger from IDELE, who outlined both notable milestones and areas requiring renewed momentum. While farm recruitment and deliverables are largely on track, the meeting highlighted the importance of maintaining strong progress on audits, finalizing Adaptation & Mitigation Plans, and ensuring demonstration events are implemented across all countries. Christine called on partners to step up efforts in the coming months, emphasizing that the project’s credibility and impact rely on visible, measurable progress.
This was followed by the session “Audits & Plans: Update and Feedback from the Advisors,” led by Lorena Giglio and Elena Bortolazzo from CRPA. The session provided a detailed snapshot of progress: 855 Adaptation & Mitigation Plans had been submitted, reflecting broad engagement across production systems. Advisors identified 143 climate-smart practices already in place, with 159 additional measures selected for future implementation. Annual monitoring was stressed as essential for long-term impact evaluation. Elena Bortolazzo then presented findings from a partner-wide survey, which revealed common challenges such as time constraints, technical barriers, and varying levels of farmer engagement. The session underlined the need for more targeted training and peer support, setting the stage for deeper collaboration in the session that followed.
Next came “Let’s Be Pragmatic and Move on to Solving the Challenges Faced by Advisors in the Field,” a highly interactive session facilitated by Elena Bortolazzo from CRPA and Maria Suomela from ProAgria. Participants worked on developing practical solutions and ideas to enhance audit understanding and quality, strengthen adaptation and mitigation measures, complete pending plans, and re-engage farmers. A live poll revealed that participants left with a clearer understanding of the next steps, and feedback emphasized key themes of communication, community, and support—showing just how valuable cross-country exchange can be.
Building on this momentum, the session “Challenges in the National Networks and How to Encounter Them” brought together testimonies from across Europe, offering real-world insights into national-level coordination challenges. Zlatko Tomljanović (Croatia) spoke about the impact of farmer reluctance, while Eduardo Crisol (Spain) highlighted the need to show profitability outcomes when it comes to implementing Adaptation and Mitigation measures. Catalin Dragomir (Romania) and Vasilis Psiroukis (Greece) reflected on the value of collaboration across networks, and Maria Suomela (Finland), Ales Tolar, and Neja Cokl (Slovenia) emphasized the importance of communication and peer learning. Andrea von Essen and Amanda Ahlqvist (Sweden) discussed strengthening trust between coordinators and advisors, while Dana Simova (Slovakia) and Pascal Python (France) explored how better engagement with policymakers and national reward systems could drive long-term success. Guided by a dedicated team of facilitators—Greg Csima and András Vér from Széchenyi István University, Dajana Vujaklija, Isidora Čolić and Slađana Blažević from BioSense Institute, Laure Triste from ILVO, Andreia Carvalho and Maria Mendonça from CONSULAI, Justyna Fila from Agricultural Advisory Centre in Brwinów, Poland, and Elena Bortolazzo from CRPA—each group used MURAL boards to co-develop actionable solutions, proving that even in diverse contexts, shared challenges can be tackled together.
Shifting from coordination to impact, the session “Delivering Successful Demos” focused on how to design and promote farm demonstration events that truly engage. Led by Tom O’Dwyer from TEAGASC with input from John Greaney – TEAGASC, Isidora Čolić – BioSense Institute, and Ellen Bulten – Wageningen Research, the session combined real-life case studies with communication strategies. From writing strong invitations and leveraging local media to tapping into existing networks and using social media effectively, the message was clear: small, well-executed actions can make demo events far more impactful and inclusive.
The meeting concluded with a strong and motivating closing from Christine Berger and Pierre Andong (ACTA). Christine recapped the day’s key messages and reinforced that Climate Farm Demo is not just a project—it’s a collective story of climate action, told through advisors, farmers, and the systems that support them. Pierre reminded partners of the upcoming October 2025 reporting deadline and stressed the importance of proactive coordination. Christine’s final words were a call to mobilize: “At this stage of our project, we need all of you—especially those of you in charge of the advisory services teams on the field.”
The 3rd Mid-Term Annual Meeting marked a pivotal moment for reflection and re-commitment. As partners celebrated achievements like the successful onboarding of demo farms and the development of strong knowledge networks, the sessions also made it clear that the months ahead are crucial. There is a shared responsibility to accelerate progress on key actions, enhance internal collaboration, and transform insights into impact. With renewed clarity and a united drive, the Climate Farm Demo community is ready to move forward—together.
