Welcome to the IFSA European Group!

Welcome to the website of the International Farming Systems Association - Europe Group. This website is primarily a repository of the proceedings of various European IFSA symposia, ensuring that the full-text of the presented papers are widely accessible. You can search the website using the search field (top right of your screen). The website also offers a list of Books & Papers which are key sources of further information on Farming Systems Research.

This website is dedicated to Farming Systems Research in a western context (focusing on Europe). If you are interested in FSR as applied in the Global South, we recommend the Digital Collection by the University of Florida, where you can search and download a large number of papers and publications.

 

IFSA 2024

The Steering Committee is delighted to announce that the next IFSA conference will be held in Trapani (Sicily) from 1 to 4 July 2024. The theme of the conference is 'Systemic change for sustainable futures'

There will be a PhD course that starts on 28 June and will run until the end of the conference.

Here is the website of the IFSA 2024

 

 

Join the discussion!

Joint the IFSA Europe Group on LinkedIn 

Related conferences and symposia

The 2nd International Conference on Biodynamic Research was held 30 Aug - 2 Sept. 2021 at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester (UK) (Call for contributions)

The 2nd International Symposium on Work in Agriculture was held 29 March - 1 April 2021 in Clermont Ferrand (France) - the 2nd ISWA will be a virtual symposium!

Workshop on Transversal views of work in agriculture was held 11-14 November 2018 at the State University of Maringa (Brazil)

The 3rd SISA Workshop on Systems Innovation towards Sustainable Agriculture was held 6-8 November 2018 in Riga (Latvia)

The 1st Agroecology Europe Forum took place 25-27 October 2017 in Lyon (France). The overall theme was: "Fostering synergies between movements, science and practice!

The 23rd European Seminar on Extension and Education (ESEE) took place 4-7 July 2017 in Chania (Greece). The overall theme was: "Transformative learning: new directions in agricultural extension and education"

The International Symposium on work in agriculture took place 8-11 Nov. 2016 in Parana (Brazil). The overall theme was: "Complex realities and transformations in work in a diversity of farming models"


The XIV World Congress of Rural Sociology took place 10-14 Aug. 2016 in Toronto, Canada. The overall theme was: 'Sustainable and just rural transitions: Connexions and complexities.

The 5th International Symposium for Farming Systems Design was held in Montpellier, 7-10 September 2015. The theme of the Symposium is "Multifuntional farming systems in a changing world". The research focus of the Farming Systems Design (FSD) community is the farm system level, the interactions and feedbacks at lower and higher levels of integration and the tools and methods required for understanding and implementing multi-functional farming systems expressing good trade-offs between agricultural production and ecosystem services.

The XXVIth Congress of the European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) was held in Aberdeen (UK) from 18-21 August 2015. The congress theme was: "Places of possibility? Rural societies in a neoliberal world"

The 22ndEuropean Seminar on Extension and Education (ESEE) was held in Wageningen (The Netherlands) from 28 April till 1 May 2015. The conference theme was: "Competence and excellence in extension and education" (call for proposals and conference website)

On 10-11 Feb. 2015 the Good Food - Good Farming conference has taken place in Brussels. It was organised by civil society organisations and grassroots movements such as ARC 2020, Friends of the Earth Europe, the IFOAM EU-Group, and the European Economic and Social Committee.

The first Humid Tropics Integrated Systems Conference, with the theme "The role of systems research in sustainable intensification" took place at IITA in Ibadan (Nigeria), 7-10 October 2014.

The 14th EAAE Conference on "Agri-food and rural innovations for healthier societies" was held 26-29 August 2014 in Ljubljana (Slovenia)

International Encounters: "Family Farming and Research" was held 1-3 June 2014 at Agropolis International in Montpellier (France)

2nd Workshop on Systems Innovation towards Sustainable Agriculture was held 22-23 May 2014 in Paris (France)

The Xth Congress of the Brasilian Society for Production Systems (SBSP) was held 14-17 May 2014 in Foz do Iguacu (Brazil).

The 3rd Conference on Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems was held 4-8 May 2014 in Montpellier (France)

The 11th European IFSA Symposium took place 1-4 April 2014 at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. The overall theme is "Farming Systems facing global challenges - capacities and strategies". Go the the Website for the IFSA 2014 for the detailed information.

The 21st European Seminar on Extension Education (ESEE) was held 2-6 September 2013 in Antalya (Turkey)

The 4th International Symposium for Farming Systems Design was held 19-22 August 2013 in Lanzhou, China. Its theme was: Sustainable intensification of agriculture: Systems research helping to meet the needs and managing the trade-offs in a challenging world.

The 2012 European IFSA Symposium took place at Aarhus University in Denmark, from 1 to 4 July. The theme was: "Producing and reproducing farming systems: New modes of organisation for the sustainable food systems of tomorrow".
Website for the IFSA 2012, with all the detailed information!

The Southern and Eastern African Association for Farming Systems Research-Extension (SEAAFSRE) held its 11th regional conference on 19-21 Nov. 2012 in Pretoria, South Africa. Its theme was: ‘Innovation System Perspective in Agriculture and Rural Development for smallholder farmers

2014: International Year of Family Farming

In December 2011, the UN General Assembly declared 2014 to be the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF).

Among its initiatives for the International Year, FAO is planning to publish a major study on family farming and agricultural innovation systems (AIS) in 2014 as part of its State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) series.

For further information, see the FAO Website on Agricultural Innovation in Family Farming Conceptual document in favour of Family Farming


The European Commission held a conference on 29 Nov. 2013 in Brussels, on Family farming: A dialogue towards more sustainable and resilient farming in Europe and the world. You can find a comprehensive documentation on the conference website! Proceedings