Stakeholder Feedback Shapes the Best Practice Catalogue

Stakeholder feedback provides practical input for the TRANSFER Danube Best Practice Catalogue

As part of the TRANSFER Danube project, CULS/PP8 has completed an analysis of stakeholder feedback collected during the first wave of National Dissemination Events. The analysis supports the development of the Best Practice Catalogue for climate change impact in agriculture (D.3.2.1) and helps ensure that its content reflects the practical needs and experience of farmers and other stakeholders.

In total, 85 questionnaires from four stakeholder events in Romania, Austria and Czechia were analysed. One of these events took place in Znojmo, Czechia, on 25 November 2025, where predominantly small, highly engaged farmers discussed climate-related challenges and the future content of the Best Practice Catalogue.

The results show a strong demand for practical and decision-oriented information. Stakeholders particularly highlighted the importance of information on the benefits, economic aspects and potential risks of individual practices, together with equipment requirements and suitability for specific soil and climatic conditions.

Drought and heat waves emerged as important climate-related challenges, while improving soil structure and water retention ranked among the strongest priority areas. Implementation costs, machinery availability and uncertainty about expected benefits were identified as important barriers to adopting new practices. In contrast, training and demonstrations, recommendations from other farmers and opportunities to test practices directly were among the strongest factors encouraging uptake.

The findings also underline the importance of transferability. Differences in soil and climatic conditions were identified as the main limitation to transferring successful practices between regions. The future catalogue should therefore explain not only what a practice involves, but also where it is suitable and under which conditions it can be successfully applied or adapted.

The stakeholder feedback will provide direct input for shaping the content, thematic priorities, structure and presentation of the TRANSFER Danube Best Practice Catalogue, supporting its development as a practical decision-support and knowledge-transfer tool for agriculture across the Danube Region.