From 29 September to 1 October 2026, the XXII European Rural Development Network (ERDN) Conference, entitled “Resilient Rural Areas and Sustainable Food Systems: Governance, Policy Frameworks and Structural Challenges”, was held in Mitrovica, Kosovo. The conference was organised by the ERDN in cooperation with the Public International Business College Mitrovica (IBCM). The event brought together researchers and experts from various European and other countries working on rural development, agriculture, food systems, territorial resilience, and public policy.
The Institute of Economics and Rural Development of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences was represented at the conference by Dr Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė, Dr Monika Belhaj, and doctoral students Genovaitė Beniulienė and Jonas Pupius. The Institute’s researchers presented four topical research areas: policy integration within the EU governance system, with a focus on stakeholder perspectives on the development of National and Regional Partnership Plans in Lithuania; the application of universal design principles to rural renewal; the assessment of agricultural support measures from a regional development perspective; and the concept of innovation ecosystems, their governance models and regional manifestations. Dr Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė also chaired one of the conference parallel sessions and served as a member of the jury evaluating participants’ presentations during a practical workshop.
European integration and rural development constituted an important strand of the conference discussions. Experiences from Kosovo, Poland, Romania and Lithuania were presented, alongside discussions on the role of EU policy instruments and future funding frameworks, institutional cooperation, and the preparedness of rural and agricultural sectors for ongoing changes. Other sessions addressed territorial exclusion, accessibility of public services, digital transformation, women’s leadership, agricultural financing, water resource and irrigation management, soil conditions, bioeconomy, innovation and sustainable food systems.
The conference programme also included a visit to the agri-food company ARTI FRUIT L.L.C. in Prizren, where participants learned about aronia cultivation and processing as well as the specific features of the company’s business operations. The visit offered a practical example of rural entrepreneurship, innovation, and added-value creation based on locally sourced raw materials.
Participation in international ERDN conferences provides an opportunity to present research carried out at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences to an international academic and expert community, exchange research findings and experiences from different countries, strengthen scientific cooperation, and develop new partnerships for future international research and project activities.
More information: dr. Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė, zivile.gedminaite@lcss.lt