The overall objective of the project is to support the opening of the European Research Area by developing a sustainable network in the agricultural and food sector in the western Balkans. The consortium brings together 13 organisations from eight countries. A final meeting took place in March in Paris to present the general outcomes of the project. Following on from this, in April 2008, the BAFN team produced several reports that are likely to be of interest to researchers and policy-makers in this field.
A position paper has been produced setting out the scientific fields considered priority areas for the agri-food sector in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR of Macedonia and Serbia. It stresses that capacity building, modernising research infrastructures, developing incentives for the purchase of equipment and researcher mobility are all key areas for development. The reports go on to recommend the following areas for further development:

• biodiversity, including the conservation of genetic resources and indigenous species;
• food safety, including chemical contaminants in food, food allergens and toxins in food;
• animal science, including animal husbandry and zoonoses;
• and food biotechnology, such as nutrition and dietetics.

Further information:
The Balkan Agro Food Network website, which includes all of the reports, is available at:
http://www.europartnersearch.net/bafn/

Source: UKRO