Well-trained professionals are needed to operate innovative agriculture and the food industry

(Photo: AM)

The Minister, who is also the Fidesz MP for the region, said that vocational training, including agricultural vocational training, was renewed in 2020 in connection with this aspect, which made the path to agricultural higher education easier. He added that this year more than 3,200 students were admitted to state-supported agricultural higher education institutions, of which more than 500 were in Mosonmagyaróvár. He highlighted that digital technology, precision farming, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence are now part of everyday life in the agricultural economy, and that an appropriate educational environment is needed to acquire modern, 21st century knowledge. In this spirit, the Ministry of Agriculture announced a call for support for demonstration farms in 2023 as part of the Rural Development Program, so that practical training sites equipped with the best possible technology can be established, through which institutions can transfer knowledge in 21st century conditions – he said.

19 institutions received 15.6 billion forints in the call, including two projects of Széchenyi István University

Applications were submitted by agricultural vocational training centers, higher education institutions with teaching farms, and 100 percent state-owned research institutes conducting variety experiments – he added. István Nagy emphasized that the implementation of the projects contributes to the expansion of the knowledge base, the promotion of knowledge transfer in agriculture and forestry, and also helps the efficient transfer of knowledge necessary for successful farming. The support was used to purchase, among other things, machinery, food industry machinery, precision and IT equipment, but in some cases, infrastructure developments were implemented and workshops were renovated, he said. The minister also spoke about the need for farmers to apply innovative technologies in crop cultivation, environmental protection, forestry, animal welfare, animal health, economic management, organizational and marketing solutions that allow them to optimize production, reduce pollutant emissions and effectively adapt to the effects of climate change. Ferenc Friedler, the university’s rector, said that the two projects not only represent infrastructural development, but also express the view that sustainability and modern food production should be treated as a priority. Tamás Tóth, dean of the university’s Albert Kázmér Mosonmagyaróvár Faculty, said that the institution’s educational and research base has been expanded with two new demonstration plants: the pig and poultry demonstration plant and the smart garden of the dairy processing demonstration plant have been completed. The aim of both developments is for high school and university students, as well as corporate partners, to get to know modern, digitally supported agricultural solutions and food production processes in practice. Miklós Szabó, mayor of Mosonmagyaróvár (MPKE), said that the city and the university live in symbiosis with each other, so these two developments also strengthen the city’s economy.

AM/MTI