Botswana's offer still stands: Germany can have 20,000 elephants.
Botswana's president renews his offer: 20,000 elephants for Germany. The debate over hunting trophies nearly caused diplomatic tensions in 2024. Here's what's behind it.
Five leading research institutions from Europe have joined forces to form the European Science Alliance for Agriculture and Food (ESAAF). The Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) from Germany is also part of this alliance, as reported by the Science Service. The aim is to increase the influence of science on European agricultural policy.
The focus is clearly on agriculture and food production, as well as the specific regional conditions that practitioners face daily. The alliance's goal is to incorporate scientific findings more quickly and effectively into political decision-making processes. This is to ensure that future EU strategies, such as the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, the implementation of the Green Deal, or ensuring food security, are based on a solid, independent factual foundation.
"Agricultural policy needs a fertile ground of facts to make good decisions," says Sjoukje Heimovaara, President of Wageningen University & Research. There has been a lack of a central point of contact for policy advice at the European level, and ESAAF aims to fill this gap in the long term.
The alliance brings together expertise from Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Poland, with the potential for additional partners to join. ESAAF also aims to prevent duplication of research efforts and initiate new projects in agricultural and food research.