Events

Agroecology in Season: Local Knowledge and Christmas Traditions Across European Landscapes

16 December 2025, 13.00-14.00
Online upon registration

Join us for a festive edition of the Future-proof Agroecological Landscapes Lunch Talk Series and explore how different European regions integrate agroecological practices, local food traditions, and knowledge of seasonal cycles into sustainable agrifood systems. The talk will share stories from Italy, Ireland, Cyprus, and Germany, highlighting both traditional and innovative approaches that connect local products, community practices, and ecological knowledge -with a special focus on agroecological customs and foods associated with the Christmas season.
This webinar is part of communication actions of the ecoFABULAnds project, which aims to identify and assess agroecological practices adapted to the landscape level and linked to the agrifood value chain. This session will highlight how seasonal and traditional agroecological knowledge can inspire more resilient and culturally rooted foodsystems, and how these practices can be scaled to support sustainable territorial transitions.

 

About the Speakers:

Dr. Alessandro Bricca (Italy)
Junior University Researcher (RTDa) at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. A functional ecologist, Alessandro’s research bridges theoretical and applied ecology, with a focus on plant traits, multiscale ecological processes, and biodiversity conservation. He studies how global change and land management shape plant communities across temperate forests, Mediterranean grasslands, and alpine ecosystems.

Dr. Eleni Mangina (Ireland)
Associate Professor at University College Dublin. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence applications in sustainability, circular economy, and precision agriculture. Eleni leads interdisciplinary projects linking digital technologies, agri-food innovation, and sustainable land use transitions in Europe.

Dr. Marinos Stylianou (Cyprus)
Assistant Professor in Environmental Management and Protection at the Open University of Cyprus and member of the Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and Sustainability. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. His research spans pollution remediation, waste characterization, adsorbent materials, abandoned mine restoration, and indoor air quality. With more than 50 scientific publications and participation in over 80 international conferences, he brings extensive experience in environmental research and industry collaboration across Europe.

Dr. Ina Säumel (Germany)
Leader of the Multifunctional Landscapes research group of IRI THESys at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Her research focuses on urban ecology, agroecology, and sustainable land use, with a particular interest in the interactions between cities and their surrounding rural areas. She leads international projects, exploring nature-based solutions, edible city concepts, and agroecological transitions for resilient, biodiverse, and productive landscapes.

 

Program
-Welcome & Introduction – Mina Karamesouti, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (5 min)
-Presentations by the Speakers (Italy, Ireland, Cyprus, Germany) (5 - 7 min each)
-Open Discussion and Q&A (25 min)

The event will be conducted in English and recorded (except for the open discussion).
You are welcome to contribute questions and comments in German as well.

 

Register now on Eventbrite.