The Conference will cover the following thematic areas:
Session 1: Plant production
Field crops; Horticulture; viticulture and enology; fruit growing; field crops; ornamental, aromatic and medicinal plants; grassland and pasture management; botany; plant physiology; genetics, breeding and biotechnology; seed and propagating material production; nutrient management and fertilization; tillage; mechanisation; Organic agriculture; Production techniques; agro-ecology and agro-ecosystems management; soil fertility management (cover crops, compost); regulatory framework (standards, legislation, inspection, certification, accreditation and labelling); socio-economic of organic agro-food sector.
Session 2: Plant protection and Food safety
Pests, diseases and weeds, invasive species, integrated pest management; biological control; plant protection products, abiotic disorders, plant tolerance and resistance; plant certification; food technology; food safety; post-harvest handling and technologies.
Session 3: Genetic resources
Genetic resources of plants, animals, forest trees, micro-organisms and aquatic organisms; all aspects of taxonomical, morphological, physiological, biochemical, genetic, cytological and ethnobotanical research on genetic resources; landraces, local populations, traditional varieties, crop-wild relatives, autochtonous breeds; crops/breeds evolution, domestication, history of cultivation; preservation and sustainable use; gene bank management (collecting, maintenance, evaluation and documentation)
Session 4: Phytochemistry and Medicinal Plants
Extraction, Isolation and Structural Elucidation of Bioactive Components, Biological activities of plant extras and isolated compounds, Metabolomics approach, Ethnomedicine, Cultivation, Conservation and Propagation of Medicinal Plants, Phytochemical Studies of Medicinal Plants, Essential Oils and Aromatic Plants, Pharmaceutical technology
Session 5: Animal husbandry
animal production including poultry and aviculture; fisheries, aquaculture and marine biology; animal health and zoonoses; physiology; nutrition; animal welfare; epidemiology; biosecurity; veterinary services; genetics and breeding; grazing management; wildlife management; fisheries and aquaculture; beekeeping.
Session 6: Rural development and agro-economy
Rural policy; farm economics and management; governance; rural economy diversification; rural finance; green economy; rural tourism; social capital, social inclusion and rural institutions; rural services; rural sociology; rural-urban interactions; urban and peri-urban agriculture; local, territorial and area-based development; rural innovation systems; innovation in agricultural training; rural networks and clusters; food chain organization; valorisation of typical and traditional products; gender issues; agricultural extension and advisory services; rural resilience, poverty and vulnerability; insurance and risk management in agriculture.
Session 7: Rural Environments and Architecture
urban/rural classification; urban-rural continuum; urban-rural relations in Europe; urban-rural interface; urbanisation; suburbanisation; sprawl; degree of urbanisation; ‘blended’ environments; population density; mobility patterns of inhabitant; rural environment; cultural landscape; tourism and rural architecture; settlement patterns; building typology; ‘rural homes’; farming complex; traditional architecture, one-family house; dwelling culture; co-housing; preservation of rural heritage; sustainability of rural environments.
Session 8: Environment protection and natural resources management
Soil and water conservation; soil, water and land resources management; sustainable watershed management; biodiversity and agro-ecosystems management; landscape and natural resources management; irrigation and drainage; pedology; agro-meteorology; soil erosion; sediment transport; erosion control works; control works in the torrential drainage basins; land use and climate change; natural hazards; risk management; environmental aspects of raw materials exploration; management in protected nature; land degradation and desertification; salinity; soil-water-plant-atmosphere continuum; environmental impacts and footprints of food production and consumption; food losses and waste; wastewater treatment systems; multifunctionality; biofuels and renewable energy; application of computer graphic methods; automation solutions; the sustainable use and modelling; policies related to environment protection and natural resources management.
Session 9: Forestry
Forest management, Forest protection, Silviculture, Forest Policy and Economics, Land use, Landscape protection and management, Forest ecology, Non-wood forest products, Forest genetics and biodiversity, Old-growth forest, Hunting and wildlife management, Forest Ecosystem Services.