BovINEBeef Innovation Network Europe
BovINEEV-ILVO performs multidisciplinary, innovative and independent research aimed at economically, ecologically and socially sustainable agriculture and fisheries. Through this research, ILVO accumulates fundamental and applied knowledge which is vital for the improvement of products and production methods for quality control and the safety of end products, and for the amelioration of policy instruments as a foundation for sector development and agricultural policy for rural areas.
The ILVO Animal Science Unit is experienced in studies about sustainability and profitability of dairy and beef cattle husbandry. The main research topics are nutrient requirements, feed evaluation, feed intake and efficiency, reduction of nutrient excretions and emissions into the environment, quality of milk and meat, the valorisation of by-products and feed crops produced on-farm. The ILVO Social Sciences unit works on the sustainable development of the agricultural industry as well as rural areas in general, with the focus on Agricultural and Farm Development and Rural Development.
ILVO is leading WP6: Environmental Sustainability. This WP is divided into 2 themes: ‘Reduction of the carbon footprint in beef production’ and ‘Water use and quality’. Every year, one priority topic per theme will be selected together with the Technical Working Group, where ILVO takes the lead. Together with the European partners, good practices from the beef industry and innovations from research are collected, to answer the needs of the industry. The outcome will be reported back to the BovINE network.
In addition, ILVO will contribute to WP2: Network Formation. ILVO will develop guidelines for (1) setting up the network in the BovINE project, (2) identifying grassroots needs and good practices via the TWG, and (3) a systemic literature review to collect research innovations that address the defined priority needs. This will ILVO communicate back to all partners in the project.
Karen Goossens is a master in Biotechnology (Ghent University) and obtained a PhD in veterinary sciences (Ghent University) in 2009. Since 2014, she works as a senior researcher for the ILVO cattle research group and is an expert in cattle nutrition, rumen microbiology and the relation between cattle nutrition, rumen microbiome and volatile emissions. Karen Goossens will coordinate the progress of WP6 Environmental sustainability together with Riet Desmet. Through her network with stakeholders and actors from the Flemish beef cattle sector, she will contribute to the development of the Flemish regional network.
Riet Desmet is a master in Animal Nutrition (Wageningen University). The focus of her master thesis was on methane emissions and the link to milk fatty acids in dairy cattle. Since 2020, she works at ILVO as a cattle researcher. Together with Karen Goossens, she will coordinate WP6 on Environmental Sustainability, with the main focus on performing the systemic literature review and leading the Technical Working Group.
Laure Triste (Female) (Dr.) is researcher at the Social Sciences Unit, research domain Agricultural and Farm Development at ILVO. She performed a PhD on dynamics of participation and learning in sustainable farming initiatives. Further she was/is involved in both national and European projects on agricultural knowledge networks and farmer learning to increase sustainable farming practices (e.g., DAIRYMAN, AGRIDEMO-F2F, FarmLife, FABfarmers).
Els Belmans is a bio science engineer and has an additional master in spatial planning. She is a researcher at the Social Sciences Unit, research domain rural development at ILVO. She was/is involved in both national and European projects related to regional (rural) development, the interaction between agriculture and environment, water governance and participative learning processes.
Els, Erwin and Laure will mainly contribute to task 2.3– systemic approach for identification of priority topics and good practices. First, they will make guidelines for regional network creation in close collaboration with WP1- project coordination and management. Second, they will provide general guidelines for a structured process to capture grassroots needs and to collect good practices and research innovations. This will happen in close collaboration with the technical WPs 3-6. Third, near the end of the project they will report on the networking processes and on the combined impact of good practices and production systems on the 4 thematic areas in the project.
Erwin Wauters has a PhD in agricultural economics from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and works as a senior researcher at the Social Sciences Unit of ILVO. He studies the economic, institutional and social aspects, and more specifically how such aspects influence the kind of farming systems we have. This includes the role of policies, market and institutions. He works mainly in the livestock sector. For several years, he was also a professor in agricultural economics at Antwerp University.
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FAO: Maeve Henchion
The BovINE Project
Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre
Dublin 15
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 rural
renaissance programme | Project No: 862590 under call H2020-RUR-2019-15