33rd Conference of the Working Group Sustainability / Soil Protection
of the Working Community of the Danube Regions, 15./16. September 2026, Tulln
Welcome remarks
The conference opened with addresses by Kathrin Huber, General Secretariat of the Working Community of the Danube Regions (ARGE Donauländer)/ Department of International and European Affairs of the Office of the State Government of Lower Austria, and Olivier Duboc, BOKU/ University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. Keynote speeches covered the EU Mission „A Soil Deal for Europe“ by Cees Veerman, and „Pantry nature and fodder hedge with grazing“ by Michael Machatschek. Further speeches were dedicated to topics ranging from medicinal herbs and vital mushrooms to food security for crisis preparedness and small-scale farming alternatives.
Workshops & Parallel Sessions
The first day featured afternoon parallel workshops in both German and English, covering topics such as herbs, mushrooms, and multifunctional hedges. On the second day, the focus shifted to practical applications. The morning sessions included hands-on workshops on harvesting and preserving herbs and mushrooms, while the afternoon was dedicated to an outdoor field trip to Grand Farm in Absdorf. Participants explored research demonstrations on agroforestry, soil health, and market gardening, complemented by practical workshops on seasonal tasks, vegetable harvesting, and the management of fodder hedges.
The event was professionally moderated throughout both days by Erwin Szlezak from the Agricultural District Authority of Lower Austria (NÖ Agrarbezirksbehörde). On the sidelines of the event, the SONDAR network, the Austrian-African research network ‘Africa UniNet’ and various collaborative projects such as ARCADIA and PLANTS4COOLING were presented.
ARGE Donauländer
Working Community of the Danube Regions
The Working Community of the Danube Regions (ARGE Donauländer) is a cooperation platform established in 1989 at the initiative of the Province of Lower Austria. It serves as a representative body for the regions, a driving force behind the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), a think tank for Danube Region activities, and a network connecting stakeholders across the Danube Region.