At the opening conference of the Thriving Agroecology Living Lab (THALLA), held in Thebes on December 17th, 2024, scientists, policymakers, and farmers from across Greece gathered to discuss how agroecology and community-based innovation can safeguard food security under the mounting pressures of the climate crisis.
In Thebes, at the Conference Centre of the Municipality, the launch of the Thriving Agroecology Living Lab (THALLA) unfolded as more than an academic milestone—it became a vivid manifestation of how science, local governance, and farming communities can converge to address the most pressing question of our era: how to feed a growing population under a changing climate. The opening conference, held on December 17th, 2024, was organized within the framework of the research project THALLA, which aims to strengthen the resilience of the agri-food system through participatory innovation, co-creation, and agroecological practices.
Coordinated by the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) through its Organizational Innovation & Management Systems Laboratory (ORIMAS Lab), and in partnership with the Union of Working Consumers of Greece (EEKE), the Hellenic Agency for Local Development & Government (EETAA), and the Farmers Union, THALLA is part of the Pan-European ECOREADY Network of Living Labs—a collaborative ecosystem committed to developing adaptive responses to food system crises across Europe.
The Dean of the Agricultural University of Athens, Professor Spyridon Kintzios, opened the conference, joined by the Vice-Regional Head of Agricultural Economy, Livestock & Fisheries of Central Greece, Mr. Konstantinos Apostolopoulos, and the Mayor of Thebes, Mr. Georgios Anastasiou. Equally significant were the contributions of Mr. Antonis Raftopoulos, President of EEKE, and Ms. Georgia Gonou, Head of Research, Education, and Lifelong Learning at EETAA, representing Mr. Anastasios Mavridis, CEO of EETAA, alongside the President of the Farmers Union and Mr. Loukas Papacharalambous, Vice-President of the Association of Industries of Thessaly & Central Greece (SBTHSE).
In his keynote address, Professor Panagiotis Trivellas, Scientific Coordinator of THALLA, laid out the complex relationship between the climate crisis and food security, emphasizing that the most vulnerable actors in the agri-food value chain—farmers and consumers—bear the heaviest burden. He stressed that resilience must become the central axis of future policy design, both at national and European levels, and underscored THALLA’s role in bridging research with real-world policy recommendations.
From the consumer perspective, Ms. Anna Hadjipavlou, Director of EEKE, delivered a critical overview of the risks of poverty, food insecurity, and social exclusion, linking them to structural imbalances in food access, price volatility, and market speculation. Her intervention underscored that food security is not solely a matter of production, but of justice—economic, social, and environmental.
In turn, Ms. Georgia Gonou from EETAA reflected on the agency’s role as scientific and technical advisor to local authorities, noting that resilience begins with information and civic engagement. She outlined initiatives to raise public awareness about the degradation of ecosystems, the loss of arable land, and the threats posed by unsustainable development to food sovereignty.
Representing FARMERS UNION, postdoctoral researcher Ms. Eleni Kallikantzarou discussed the increasing cost of climate change for Greek agriculture, from extreme weather events to rising input prices, and the crucial need to support farmers as the system’s frontline defenders. She highlighted that adaptation without participation cannot succeed a principle that defines the THALLA approach.
Postdoctoral researcher Ms. Aikaterini Anastasopoulou, from ORIMAS Lab, presented the project’s methodological backbone: five climate crisis scenarios co-developed by stakeholders to design contingency plans and policy recommendations for food system resilience. Using Living Lab methodologies and open innovation tools, THALLA seeks to simulate crisis conditions such as floods or droughts affecting key agri-food products including industrial tomatoes, cereals, olives, honey, and aquaculture in Central Greece and Thessaly.
The scientific session that followed brought together leading academics from the Agricultural University of Athens. Professor Dimitrios Bilalis examined the cultivation of industrial tomatoes and cereals in relation to soil health and carbon emissions. Professor Dimitrios Tsitsigiannis analyzed the effects of climate change on olive production and plant pathology, emphasizing the need for long-term adaptation strategies in Mediterranean agriculture. Professor Emeritus Panagiotis Harizanis explored the impact of rising temperatures on honey production and pollinator behavior, while Assistant Professor Michalis Malandrakis discussed sustainability and adaptation in aquaculture systems. The session concluded with Assistant Professor Anna Papakonstantinou, who presented the Mediterranean diet as a scientifically grounded model for sustainable nutrition and climate mitigation.
Beyond its research dimension, THALLA aspires to build a Community of Practices, a living network for knowledge exchange among policy makers, scientists, farmers, and citizens. This participatory architecture reflects a growing consensus across Europe that the future of food systems cannot be engineered in isolation but must be co-designed with those who cultivate, process, and consume food daily.
As Professor Trivellas noted in closing, “Resilience is not merely a scientific concept—it is a collective responsibility.” Through initiatives like THALLA, Greece contributes to shaping the broader European agenda on sustainable food systems, agroecology, and social inclusion, turning scientific research into a living dialogue between people and the land that sustains them.
The entire event is available on THALLA’s official YouTube channel (thalla.org), ensuring open access to the knowledge and debates that will continue to shape Europe’s response to the climate crisis and food security challenges of the coming decades.
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