On 16 June, PoliRuralPlus participated in the Policy Lab organised by the INTERESH project, an event dedicated to sustainable soil management and the role of coordinated policy action in supporting more resilient territories.
The discussion focused on soil degradation and its effects on agriculture, ecosystems and local development. In this context, the Policy Lab offered PoliRuralPlus the opportunity to exchange views with local stakeholders, policy actors and scientific experts on how healthy soils can support local production systems and contribute to more sustainable food chains.
This topic is closely connected to the Italian pilot of PoliRuralPlus, which focuses on strengthening Short Food Supply Chains in Apulia. Soil quality is a key condition for maintaining productive, resilient and locally rooted agricultural systems. For this reason, the event helped highlight the link between environmental sustainability, local food production and integrated rural-urban development.
The Policy Lab also provided a space to discuss existing instruments and resources available in the territory to support sustainable agriculture and more coordinated territorial strategies. Participants underlined the need to improve cooperation among institutions, farmers, researchers, advisors and other local actors.
The event represented an important communication and networking opportunity for the projects. It helped create new connections, identify possible synergies with related initiatives and reinforce the importance of collaborative approaches to support sustainable agriculture, local food chains and integrated development in the region.
