Knowledge management and competitiveness

The agro-food sector is exposed to an increasingly competitive environment at the national and international Levels. The reform of agricultural policies has started to reduce traditional forms of support and to Liberalise agricultural trade. The components of the agro-food sector are increasingly interlinked through dynamic interrelationships, which go even beyond the traditional agro-food chain. Emerging economic, societal and policy issues put the agro-food sector in the centre of more general concerns, such as sustainable development, environment, rural development, health, etc. These developments create a highly competitive environment for the Agricultural Knowledge Systems which have to undergo major adjustments and to anticipate further changes. The key challenges for the AKS include: reassessing priorities; restructuring their internal organisation in a more integrated manner; developing innovative relations with other knowledge systems; reconsidering the role of the various players in management and strategic planning; and ensuring a more efficient dialogue between science, policy-makers and society.