Exploring the potential of Advisory Networks and knowledge-sharing platforms for more sustainable food systems

On 30 October 2026, the WASTEWISE partner Clara Cicatiello, from the University of Tuscia (Italy), attended the annual meeting of the Sustainable Food Systems Innovation (SFSI) Platform online, where WASTEWISE acts as a contributor. 

The event, titled “EU Advisory Networks: Collaborating for Resilient and Sustainable Food Systems”, focused on strengthening collaboration between EU-funded projects and advisory networks. The event opened with an interactive poll on the most useful resources of the SFSI platform. Case study inventories (67%) and training (50%) received the highest votes.

The event then featured a keynote speech, followed by a panel discussion. The main topic was how advisory networks can interact to support innovation diffusion and therefore support more resilient AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System), and whether the SFSI platform (or other platforms) can be used to this purpose.

Results from a European survey were also shown during the keynote speech, underlying that advisors mostly use face-to-face exchanges and cooperation, while only 10% use digital platforms for networking, so the question was raised about how these digital platforms may be used more effectively. An interesting proposal was the creation of national AKIS hubs to connect EU networks with national stakeholders, facilitate knowledge exchange and collect feedback from practitioners. 

The final panel discussion focused on strengthening collaboration between advisory networks and research projects, mentioning several incentives that could be used to improve the efficacy of the platform, especially in terms of accessibility of the information and examples from other contexts.