The FAIRNESS Action annual conference, organized in Rome by CREA
It will be held in Rome, on 19-21 September 2023, the Conference on micrometeorological measurements -Urban microclimate monitoring and agricultural meteorology for climate change, funded by the intergovernmental Programme COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), which supports the creation of the interdisciplinary research network called CA20108 - FAIR NEtwork of micrometeorological measurements (FAIRNESS).
The event represents the FAIRNESS Action annual conference, organized this year by CREA - Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy and Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment and the University of Florence - DAGRI Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry.
The Conference is divided into four sessions: 1. Networking and communication; 2. Development and implementation; 3. Dissemination and application; 4. Beyond FAIRNESS Strategies, that follow the activities of the Network's Working Groups.
The current state of weather-induced agricultural losses, water use for irrigation, the appearance of new invasive species and disease vectors (strongly depending on micrometeorological conditions), new environmental zoning of plant diseases and pests, deforestation, increased urbanization, rural-to-urban migration and increased urban energy consumption for cooling/heating impose scientific and societal request to provide micrometeorological knowledge share platform (Micromet_KSP) in order to communicate: a) compiled an inventory of available and quality proven micrometeorological in situ data sets on the European level and beyond; b) measurement and data management recommendations designed in order to meet FAIR principles and avoid temporal and spatial gaps; c) examples of rural and urban FAIR data sets; d) Q&A exchanged between Action members, stakeholders, specialized user groups and the general public.
The FAIRNESS action - which brings together, at the CREA headquarters, the scientific community from all over Europe, enriched by the participation of representatives from Brazil - intends to present the results of past and ongoing research activities and improve standardization and integration between databases/sets of micrometeorological measurements that are part of research projects or local/regional observational networks established for special purposes (agrometeorology, urban microclimate monitoring).
CREA is very involved and active on agrometeorological issues, its commitment ranges from planning, to research and training.
As regards training, since 2021 the Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy of CREA co-directs and is the founder of the International Advanced school in Agricultural Meteorology.
This 2023 edition of the School (Bratislava, Slovakia - 11-15 December 2023) it also co-organized with the scientific and financial support of the COST FAIRNESS project which promotes this conference in Rome and aims to provide young researchers and professionals with high-level innovative knowledge and skills on the most advanced technologies for the agrometeorological analysis and monitoring applied to a sustainable agricultural development under climate change.
Addressing identified challenges requires an effective transboundary network of researchers, stakeholders (extension services and research institutions, local authorities and ministries, SME) and civil society (specialized and general public) from Europe and beyond to identify and fill knowledge gaps, standardize, optimize and promote new environmental-tailored measurement and control procedures, enhance research effectiveness and improve dissemination.
filiberto.altobelli@crea.gov.it ; giuseppina.crisponi@crea.gov.it (Communication)