Photo: Senate President Miloš Vystrčil PRAGUE – January 11 – The upper parliamentary chamber hosted a conference titled "The Future of Czech Agriculture." The event was organized by Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, together with the Committee for Economy, Agriculture, and Transport, with the support of Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný. The conference also featured a speech by Petr Štěpánek, Chairman of the Subcommittee for Agriculture. The speakers focused primarily on the future development and new challenges facing Czech agriculture.

“This conference builds upon a meeting held in October at the Senate with Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný and representatives of Czech agricultural organizations. We are continuing the discussion about the future of agriculture in the Czech Republic. It is important that we focus not only on the current situation, but also on the future and on developing a sound strategy for the further development of Czech agriculture, which we will advocate at the European level,” said Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, regarding the conference.

Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný said about the topic: “Today we are talking about the future of Czech agriculture, but the current situation is also important. While the present is not without its challenges, it also has its strengths that give us hope. These include the experience of our farmers and breeders, very good competitiveness, for example, in cereals and poppy seeds, a high-quality genetic potential of livestock, and also care for good animal welfare, which is at a high level in our country. We also know that agriculture cannot exist without modern methods and technologies. We must focus even more on ecological and precision agriculture, and of course, professional education is essential to ensure that Czech agriculture has a future, even in international comparison.”

“Czech agriculture faces new challenges related to the geopolitical situation and climate change. The conference aims to prepare for these changes and find common solutions,” said Petr Štěpánek, Chairman of the Subcommittee for Agriculture. He also stated that sustainable agriculture is a priority for the Czech Republic.
“The future of Czech and global agriculture depends on how it deals with the impacts of climate change. This primarily involves adapting to a higher frequency of extreme weather events and changes in production conditions. The most serious impact will undoubtedly be an increase in the number and intensity of droughts, which will have a direct impact on agricultural production,” emphasized Professor Zdeněk Žalud from Mendel University in Brno.

The conference was moderated by Jarmila Smotlachová, Deputy Chairwoman of the Subcommittee for Agriculture. The goal of the conference was to initiate a public discussion with the main players in the agricultural sector in the Czech Republic on updating the current Strategy of the Ministry of Agriculture with a perspective to 2030.

Speakers included representatives from agricultural associations and academics. They spoke about the development and impacts of climate change, productivity in agriculture, the development and trends in Czech agriculture, and its strengths and weaknesses. The topic also included agriculture in Poland.

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