The LiveNet Associated Networks are moving from preparation to action, marking an important new phase in the project’s work to strengthen agricultural advisory networks across Europe.
Following the work carried out through the National Networks, the project is now extending its activities through the Associated Networks, which will contribute to bringing LiveNet closer to advisors, farmers and other relevant actors in different national and regional contexts. This transition is part of the project’s wider approach to creating an operational European network capable of supporting knowledge exchange, capacity building and the identification and scaling of Innovative Advisory Practices (IAPs).
Portugal takes its first steps
The Portuguese Associated Network has now been established and held its first formal meeting on 23 October 2026, coordinated by CONSULAI. The online meeting brought together actors connected to the Portuguese livestock and agricultural knowledge and innovation ecosystem.
The meeting marked an important step in moving from building the network to actively working with its members.
Participants were first introduced to the LiveNet approach and the role of Innovative Advisory Practices, including the different ways in which advice can support learning, innovation and the adoption of new practices. These can range from facilitated peer-learning groups and individual advice to multi-actor approaches, practical training and digital advisory methods. As highlighted during the meeting, innovation in advisory services is not only about what advice is provided, but also how it is co-created, shared and applied.
A major part of the meeting was dedicated to identifying the needs and challenges facing the Portuguese livestock sector. Through an interactive exercise, network members were invited to draw on their experience with farmers, associations and public policies to identify key needs, translate them into priority problems and connect them to relevant themes and livestock production systems.
The priorities identified by the network will help guide the next stages of its work, including the exploration of tools, methods, platforms, producers or organisations that could provide relevant solutions.
From networks to practical knowledge exchange
The activation of the Associated Networks represents another step towards LiveNet’s wider ambition of building a strong and connected European community around agricultural advisory services.
By creating spaces where advisors, farmers, researchers and other AKIS actors can identify challenges together, exchange experiences and explore innovative ways of providing advice, the networks will help ensure that LiveNet’s work remains connected to the realities faced on the ground.
The Portuguese network is one of the first examples of this next stage taking shape: bringing people together, understanding their needs and using those needs as the starting point for future knowledge exchange and advisory innovation. As the Associated Networks continue their activities across Europe, the experiences emerging from each country and region will contribute to a wider LiveNet learning process, connecting local challenges and solutions with a European network of agricultural advisory knowledge and practice.
