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In this perspective analysis, we strive to answer the following question: how can we advance integrative biology research in the 21st century with lessons from animal science? At the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, we share here our three lessons learned in the two decades from 2002 to 2022 that we believe could inform integrative biology, systems science, and animal science scholarship in other countries and geographies. Cultivating multiomics knowledge through a conceptual lens of integrative biology is crucial for life sciences research that can stand the test of diverse biological, clinical, and ecological contexts. Moreover, in an era of the current COVID-19 pandemic, animal nutrition and animal science, and the study of their interactions with human health (and vice versa) through integrative biology approaches hold enormous prospects and significance for systems medicine and ecosystem health.

The Position Paper was developed by the SHERPA Multi-Actor Platform (MAP) based in Slovenia. Though exchanges and discussion with science-society-policy interfaces, the Slovenian MAP investigated social relations in rural areas of the country. In particular, it analysed how successfully social networks work in rural areas and, based on semi-structured in-depth interviews, it checked which social issues the rural population faces, how they might be solved, and which are the knowledge gaps in this field.

The latest Common Agricultural Policy reform intends to expand and strengthen environmental and social support and to liberalise the delivery model carried out through strategic planning. This paper aims to assess the potential impacts of the new CAP reform on the main agricultural markets in Croatia. The impact assessment is analysed using the AGMEMOD model where, in addition to the baseline scenario, three scenarios of potential changes are developed and compared to the baseline. Changes in market patterns (production, yield and net trade) at the end of the simulated period are compared with the baseline scenario results by 2030. The reduction in support levels to production, abolishment of voluntary coupled supports and introduction of additional environmental constraints have a significant impact on the main Croatian agricultural markets. Crop markets prov to be less dependent on subsidies, so that market pattern changes will not mean the loss of Croatia’s net export status for soft wheat, maize and soy beans, while barley no longer holds this status. Livestock sectors, especially beef and dairy, in addition to demonstrating a distinct lack of competitiveness even before the Croatian accession to the EU, additionally suffer significant production volume losses along with an increase in imports. Although significant, changes to the Croatian agricultural market are not dramatic enough to cause a complete production breakdown by 2030.

Local livestock breeds in Slovenia have been eligible for financial incentives in the form of a fixed payment per livestock unit (LU) since 2002. The scheme has however not been successful in reversing the erosion of animal genetic resources (AnGR). This paper investigates an alternative, whereby incentive payments would better reflect breeders’ actual opportunity costs. The paper contributes to the limited existing body of knowledge related to the use of tender mechanisms in the design of the payments for agrobiodiversity conservation schemes (PACS), particularly for AnGR. Empirical findings draw on the results of a stated preference survey involving 301 farmers in Slovenia, engaging, or being potentially able to engage, in the rearing of local pig, sheep and goat breeds. Interval and logistic regression model results suggest that willingness to accept (WTA) conservation support significantly differs from actual payment levels. The estimated WTA was found to be 27% lower for the local sheep and goat breeds and 5% higher for the local pig breed, suggesting that differentiated incentive payments would provide a more cost-effective alternative. Additional analysis of breeders’ preferences and motives for engaging in local livestock breed production further informs understanding regarding AnGR conservation policy and the importance of accompanying actions to reverse negative population trends. These include reducing administrative barriers and enhancing the market valorisation of local breeds.

Diversification is an important element in the development of agriculture as well as non-agricultural activities within the rural economy. It is essential for economic growth, improving income and employment opportunities, and the overall resilience of rural areas to long-term trends and shocks. The following gaps in improving the potential for diversification in rural areas were identified during the SVARUN workshops: A) Lack of reliable data on the situation in rural areas and comprehensive research on the diversification of rural economies, including consumer research. Horizontal and vertical knowledge transfer and the involvement of all institutions in the development of new skills also need to be strengthened. B) Weak horizontal and vertical integration (along value chains and between industries); the need for greater added value in conventional and new value chains, the strengthening of the circular bioeconomy, the economy of experiences and the consideration and exploitation of society's growing demand for greater sustainability - nature conservation marketing and sustainable tourism; the need for greater digital, entrepreneurial and financial literacy. C) Inadequate basic services, which are a prerequisite for living and working in rural areas. D) The need to open up institutions and establish appropriate public policies and a stable support environment that offers start-up funding and knowledge and supports entrepreneurship and (cross-sectoral) integration.

During 2020, SHERPA piloted the process through which it identifies knowledge, shares it with MAPs through discussion papers, synthesises the outputs of MAP discussions into a paper for discussion at EU level and produces a position paper for publication following those discussions. Three MAPs took part in this pilot exercise – from Alqueva (Portugal), Emilia-Romagna (Italy) and Slovenia. The topic initially identified for the pilot was whether better indicators could be found to judge the success of interventions,currently being designed in Member States’ CAP Strategic Plans to protect and enhance biodiversity, although discussion in the MAPs also focussed on needs and types of intervention. A focus on landscape features was agreed. The pilot was undertaken before SHERPA’s repository was fully functional

This MAP Position Paper contains theresult of a six-step Delphi method (i.e. desk research and context analysis, interviews, interview analysis, MAP survey, survey analysis, validation of results) that theSlovenian SHERPA MAP, called SVARUN(made up from stakeholders in the field of science, policy and society), used to discuss what the desirable, probable and realistic future would be for their territory by investigating main current themes for rural areas in the MAP region, opportunities and potential challenges in the next 20 years, visions for rural territories by 2040 and perceived challenges in reaching the visions.

The Latest Common Agricultural Policy reform intends to expand and strengthen environmental and social support and to liberalise the delivery model carried out through strategic planning. This paper aims to assess the potential impacts of the new CAP reform on the main agricultural markets in Croatia. The impact assessment is analysed using the AGMEMOD model where, in addition to the baseline scenario, three scenarios of potential changes are developed and compared to the baseline. Changes in market patterns (production, yield and net trade) at the end of the simulated period are compared with the baseline scenario results by 2030. The reduction in support levels to production, abolishment of voluntary coupled supports and introduction of additional environmental constraints have a significant impact on the main Croatian agricultural markets. Crop markets prov to be less dependent on subsidies, so that market pattern changes will not mean the loss of Croatia’s net export status for soft wheat, maize and soy beans, while barley no longer holds this status. Livestock sectors, especially beef and dairy, in addition to demonstrating a distinct lack of competitiveness even before the Croatian accession to the EU, additionally suffer significant production volume losses along with an increase in imports. Although significant, changes to the Croatian agricultural market are not dramatic enough to cause a complete production breakdown by 2030.

The paper investigates the relative influence of landscape characteristics, production intensity and the EU’s Common agricultural policy interventions on the diversity of farmland birds. For this purpose, data from the Farmland Bird Monitoring Scheme in Slovenia and high spatial resolution data from the national agricultural databases in the period 2008–2019 were analysed with the Boosted Regression Trees (BRT). The diversity of farmland birds was found to be highest in open, diversely cropped and extensively to moderately intensively managed landscapes in Natura 2000 sites where farm holdings were allocated a low average amount of both direct payments and payments for agri-environmental measures (AEM) and organic farming (OF). Furthermore, the highest diversity of the subgroup of grassland specialists was associated with very open and extensively managed grassland landscapes with low stocking density (