The START Annual Meeting is a melting pot for exchanging ideas about innovation in the green transition, uniting researchers across disciplines and assisting interdisciplinary cooperation.

The START Annual Meeting 2024

Below you will find the programme for the Annual Meeting 2024 along with along with a description of selection of activities that took place at the event.

Challenges, opportunities, and visions in a transitioning agrifood sector

The Center for Sustainable Agrifood Systems and Copenhagen Business School welcome you to the second START annual meeting. During the two-day conference, we gather the Danish research environments for sustainable transition in the agrifood sector. With an emphasis on interdisciplinarity and system thinking, we create a venue for all research disciplines to share knowledge and network across the Danish universities.


You can download some of the presentations from the Annual Meeting 2024 here:

 

Landuse

The fight for land resources. Associate Professor Andreas Aagaard Christensen, Dep. of People and Technology, Roskilde University

30% Nature by 2030, but how? Professor Henrik Vejre, Landscape Architecture, Planning and Design, University of Copenhagen

Integrating Solar Energy and Agricultural Production. Associate Professor, Johannes Ravn Jørgensen, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University

Greenhouse gas mitigation for agriculture: Opportunities and barriers. Professor Søren O. Petersen, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University

Local Landscape Planning as a way to integrate various development goals: The case of Nørreå River Valley. Professor Lone Søderkvist Kristensen, Landscape Architecture, Planning and Design, University of Copenhagen.

 

Living Lab as a method

Introduction to track. Professor Polymeros Chrysochou, Dep. of Management, Aarhus University

Food Living Labs and Environmental Citizenship: evaluating progress. Professor Danielle Wilde, Dep. of Business and Sustainability, University of Southern Denmark

Living Labs in food systems research – learnings from Food Trails. Professor Niels Heine Kristensen, Dep. of People and Technology, Roskilde University.

FEAST: Food systems that support transitions to healthy and sustainable diets. Research Fellow Anant Jani, Heidelberg Institute for Global Health/University of Oxford

Living labs as a method in agroecology transition across Europe. Senior Advisor Torsten Rødel Berg, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University

 

Tax, regulation and consumption patterns

Introduction to track. Mission Director Anette Engelund Friis, AgriFoodTure

The role of CO2e-taxation in the transformation of agriculture in Denmark. Professor Lars Gårn Hansen, Dep. of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen

The Danish pesticide tax 2013-2024. An example of a green tax with great effect. Senior Researcher Anders Branth Pedersen, Dep. of Environmental Science, Aarhus University

The overall impact of transitions towards plant-based diets. Senior Researcher Sara Monterio Pires, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark

Green conflicts. Associate Professor Anders Horsbøl, Dep. of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University

Programme

Tuesday March 19, 2024

13:00 Arrival, registration, and refreshments
13:45 Welcome and introductory remarks by Chair, START Steering Committee Hanne Harmsen, Vice Dean of Green Transition at Copenhagen Business School.
14:00 Opening debate: Key dynamics in a transitioning agrifood sector
  Professor Jørgen E. Olesen, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University
  Associate Professor Morten Knudsen, Dep. of Organization, Copenhagen Business School
  Associate Professor Jes Lynning Harfeld, Dep. Of Culture and Learning, Aalborg University
15:15 BREAK
15:30 National and International Funding for Agrifood Research
  Chief advisor Lina Christensen, Central Denmark EU Office
  EU Consultant Daniel Enslev, Greater Copenhagen EU Office
  Head of Sector Luis Sanchez Alvarez, DG AGRI Research & Innovation
  Investment Officer for International Collaborations Thorbjørn Moth Gilberg, Innovation Fund Denmark
17:00 Agrifood Researcher EXPO
  Reception and networking with early career poster fair, HUB booths
18:00 DINNER

Wednesday March 20, 2024

8:30 Arrival, breakfast, coffee
9:00 Welcome
  START Steering Committee Session
  State of START and directions on START for 2024/2025
9:25 Introductions to the deep dive into three cross-cutting topics
9:35 Go to one of three parallel tracks

Landuse

Landuse is central to the green transition. Land use changes are needed to meet EU policy targets regarding biodiversity and protection of soil organic carbon, and a national policy goal of 55-65% reduction of agricultural GHG emissions by 2030. Solutions may include land-based energy systems, as well as GHG mitigation for agriculture. And all this while adapting production systems and landscapes to a changing climate.

9:40 The fight for land resources. Associate Professor Andreas Aagaard Christensen, Dep. of People and Technology, Roskilde University
9:50 30% Nature by 2030 but how? Professor Henrik Vejre, Landscape Architecture, Planning and Design, University of Copenhagen
10:10 Integrating Solar Energy and Agricultural Production. Associate Professor, Johannes Ravn Jørgensen, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University
10:30 Greenhouse gas mitigation for agriculture: Opportunities and barriers. Professor Søren O. Petersen, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University
10:50 Local Landscape Planning as a way to integrate various development goals: The case of Nørreå River Valley. Professor Lone Søderkvist Kristensen, Landscape Architecture, Planning and Design, University of Copenhagen
11:10 BREAK
11:30 Debate, moderated by Andreas Aagaard Christensen

Living Lab as a method

9:40 Introduction to track. Professor Polymeros Chrysochou, Dep. of Management, Aarhus University
9:50 Food Living Labs and Environmental Citizenship: evaluating progress. Professor Danielle Wilde, Dep. of Business and Sustainability, University of Southern Denmark
10:10 Living Labs in food systems research – learnings from Food Trails. Professor Niels Heine Kristensen, Dep. of People and Technology, Roskilde University.
10:30 FEAST: Food systems that support transitions to healthy and sustainable diet. Research Fellow Anant Jani, Heidelberg Institute for Global Health/University of Oxford
10:50 Living labs as a method in agroecology transition across Europe. Senior Advisor Torsten Rødel Berg, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University
11:10 BREAK
11:30 Debate, moderated by Polymeros Chrysochou

Tax, regulation and consumption patterns

The agrifood systems are facing important challenges, including demands of environmental sustainability, i.e. reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and providing consumers more plant-based options. But what are the more efficient policy instruments? Tax, regulation or consumers being encouraged to change their consumption patterns. Common grounds for conflicting interests. 

9:40 Introduction to track. Mission Director Anette Engelund Friis, AgriFoodTure
9:50 CO2 as a tool in the transformation of agriculture in Denmark – Tradeoffs and challenges. Professor Lars Gårn Hansen, Dep. of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen
10:10 The Danish pesticide tax 2013-2024. An example of a green tax with great effect. Senior Researcher Anders Branth Pedersen, Dep. of Environmental Science, Aarhus University
10:30 The overall impact of transitions towards plant-based diets. Senior Researcher Sara Monteiro Pires, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark
10:50 Green conflicts: environmental controversies over the use of land. Associate Professor Anders Horsbøl, Dep. of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University
11:10 BREAK
11:30 Debate, moderated by Anette Engelund Friis
12:00-12:45 LUNCH
12:45-14:15 HUB time
  Meet the START HUBs and engage in discussion on where to take the HUBs further research and suggest interesting HUB activities.

Hub time programme