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World Food Day 2016

  • Academician Ferdo Bašić, prof. emeritus
    Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, participant of the WFS, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Croatia
    Akademik Ferdo Bašić, prof. emeritus

    Croatian Agro-ecologist Ferdo Bašić has matured in the circle of the Zagreb agro-ecological school, the backbone of which is the Department of General Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb. Nearly five decades of work dedicated to research of the soil, land management and soil protection, inspired by words of the founder of the Department Academician Gračanin: Croatian soils are greatest treasure of the Croatian people, the inexhaustible source of his power and the foundation of the Croatian homeland. To know them means to know the foun-dations on which Croatia exists…
    The texts of which is the author from 1983 to the present only in Croatia taught more than 150 000 students of secondary agricultural schools. His lectures remember students of more faculties of the University of Zagreb; first of all parent – Agronomy, and postgraduate study “Environmental engineering”. They listened students of the oldest our agricultural colleges in Križevci; Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Split; agronomy at the University of Mostar and the University of Sarajevo.
    The credibility of his verbal and written appearances originates from research. Academician Bašić is author of more than 250 scientific papers (a1-25, a2-59, a3 80), author or editor of the over one hundred scientific and professional books and over 350 scientific papers. We emphasize monograph titles The Soils of Croatia, published by the prestigious publishing house Springer (Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London and New York). He relies on teamwork, so with his name there is over three hundred and fifty co-authors, of which over one hundred from abroad – all continents. His web page, where you can find much more details, visited over 11 000 times numerous visitor all over the world.
    With its overall effect, especially in the agroecological valorisation – Regionalization of Croatian agriculture, the creation and promotion of environmentally, economically and socially sustainable land management as backbone of sustainable intensification of plant growing in different agro-ecological conditions, had a deep impact on Croatian agricultural sciences.

  • Andrea Gross – Bošković, Master of food technology and biotechnology
    Director
    Croatian Food Agency (HAH)

    Born in Zagreb. After finishing the mathematic-informatics high school, began to study at the Faculty of Food and Biotechnology Technology, University of Zagreb, where graduated in 1995 on food engineering and biochemical engineering.
    First job was in a chemical company “Meteor” Đakovo as a head of Laboratories for control and development of new products. Since January 2005 started to work in the Croatian Food Agency, first as head of Risk analysis department, and after reorganization, as a head of the Risk assessment department. Meanwhile, from June 2007 to June 2008, she was on the position of acting deputy director. Since 1 July 2013 she is in position of Director.At the Faculty of Food Technology Osijek is currently attending postgraduate studies of food technology.
    In the previous period, finished a series of domestic and foreign education related to risk assessment and communication in the country and abroad as well as the implementation and control of HACCP system in the food industry.
    She is a member of EFSA Scientific network for microbiological risk assessment (MRA), EFSA Emerging risk exchange network (EREN) as well as national member of the EFSA Advisory Forum.
    During negotiations, she was a member of the working group for preparation of negotiations – acquis communautaire, Chapter 12 – Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary protection, and is full member of the Croatian Society of Chemical Engineers, Croatian Society of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists and Croatian Microbiology society.

  • Ana Marija Crnić, M.Sc.
    Head of State and Border Sanitary Inspection Sector, Directorate for Health Improvement, Ministry of Health, Zagreb, Croatia
    Ana Marija Crnić

    Ana Marija Crnić has graduated from the Faculty of Food technology and Biotechnology, University in Zagreb, with the title of graduate engineer of food technology, field of biochemical engineering. After graduation, she has worked in the private sector in various positions in the field of food and hospitality. In May 2004, she began to work as a sanitary inspector in the City Office for Health, Zagreb, where she was engaged in inspection, administrative and professional tasks in the areas of the sanitary inspection jurisdiction: food safety, items of general usage, sources of non-ionizing radiation, protection of the population against infectious diseases, transport, use and disposal of chemicals and biocides, transport of genetically modified organisms, implementation of public health measures for human health protection from harmful environmental factors.

    In April 2009, she started to work as a Head of Sanitary State Inspection Directorate at Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, whose scope of work, in addition to the inspection, administrative and professional activities within the competence of the sanitary inspection, also includes the strategic objectives development, reporting on the implementation of the set objectives, development of legislation in the field of sanitary inspection that are harmonized with the acquis of European Union, drafting opinions and procedures on application regulations in the field of sanitary inspection, drafting opinions and giving consent to the subordinate legislation of other government bodies in matters within the scope of the sanitary inspection. Since 2012, she is a Head of Department of State and Border Sanitary Inspection Sector at Ministry of Health.

    In the past 12 years of working in sanitary inspection, she has participated in many scientific and professional conferences and educations in the field of food safety, as a participant and as a lecturer as well. She participates in the development and creation of a common policy in the field of food safety together with Ministry of Agriculture and other institutions involved in the food safety system in the Republic of Croatia.

  • prof. D.sc. Danijel Jug
    Faculty of Agriculture, Osijek, Croatia
    Danijel Jug

    Danijel Jug was born on October 29, 1972, in Osijek, Croatia. He is an employee of University J.J Strossmayer in Osijek, Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek at the Department for Plant Production.

    He graduated in 1998 at the Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek and became engineer of agriculture, Crop farming course. In 2005 he achieved his master degree (MSc) at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agronomy with the specific field of study Agroecology. In October 2006 he achieved academic degree of PhD in the scientific field of biotechnical sciences, specific field of study Crop Production. From November 2013 he was elected for academic rank of full professor.

    His main field of expertise and scientific interest is in Conservation agriculture, Agroclimatology, Soils and crop management, Sustainable land management. As a coordinator or a lecturer, he is lecturing at the University (undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate doctoral study). As an author or co-author he published more than 120 scientific papers and more than 90 professional or popular papers. Also, as first author he has published a university textbook Soil tillage in agroecology framework (in Croatian) and university practicum Glossary of Agroclimatology (in Croatian). He has given several invited and plenary lectures on national and international conferences. He has been participating, as project manager or researcher, in several national and international research projects mostly related to plant reaction on different climatic variations and their adjustment by applying the conservation tillage systems. He is an active member of Professional Organizations CROSTRO – Croatian Soil Tillage Research Organization (president), ISTRO – International Soil Tillage Research Organization, IUSS – International Union of Soil Sciences, ECSS – European Confederation of Soil Science Societies, CSSS – Croatian Society of Soil Science, CAS – Croatian Agrometeorological Society and GlobalFAMS – Global federation of Agrometeorological Societies.

  • Tomislav Kiš, DVM
    Assistant minister, CVO
    Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate
    Ministry of Agriculture
    Tomislav Kiš

    He graduated Veterinary Medicine at University of Zagreb in 1997. Since 2007 he is employed in Ministry of Agriculture – Veterinary Directorate. By 2010, he worked in Veterinary public health Sector, mainly on the implementation of the ‘hygiene package’ EU legislative frame into Croatian legislation and public health system, within the Croatian accession negotiations with the European Union. Since 2010, he worked in Animal health protection Sector, on the development and the implementation of different National veterinary programmes for control and eradication of certain diseases. From 2012 to 2016 he was on the position of Head of Animal health protection Sector, responsible for national legislation frame within the field of veterinary epidemiology, animal welfare, animal identification and registration system and structure and organization of national veterinary service. In March 2016 he was appointed to the position of assistant minister in the field of veterinary medicine and food safety.

    In the past 10 years he participated in numerous professional conferences and training courses, as a participant and as a lecturer in the field of practical implementation of various national programmes and measures for the control and eradication of certain diseases of domestic animals to veterinarians and farmers in the field.

  • Angelo Maggiore
    Officer
    Scientific Committee and Emerging Risks Unit, EFSA, Parma, Italy
    Angelo Maggiore

    Angelo Maggiore is a marine environmental scientist. Since 2014 he is working as Scientific Officer in the Scientific Committee and Emerging Risks Unit of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). He is currently involved in a 4-year project on risk characterization of ciguatera food poisoning in the EU and has coordinated a project on cyanobacteria toxins in food. He has supported the EFSA Scientific Committee in the development of the Guidance to develop specific protection goals options for environmental risk assessment at EFSA, in relation to biodiversity and ecosystem services.

    In the past he has worked at the European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki in the field of environmental hazard classification, supporting the Risk Assessment Committee in issuing opinions on proposals for harmonised classification and labelling.

    At the Italian Environmental Protection Agency, he has worked as environmental damage assessor, providing technical support to the Ministry of the Environment in actions of compensation in cases of damage on different environmental resources.

    At the beginning of his career, he worked as oceanographer at the Imperial College in London and at the National Research centre in Bologna, modelling the ocean circulation under different meteorological forcing conditions and simulating plankton patchiness.

  • D.sc. Branka Ivančan Picek
    Assistant Director, Meteorological and Hydrological Service (MHSC), Zagreb, Croatia
    Branka Ivančan-Picek

    Branka Ivančan-Picek graduated (1979) and received Ph.D. (1998) at Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb (title of doctoral dissertation: „Adriatic atmospheric mesoscale vortex generation “). Her scientific vocation is Senior Research Associate.

    Since 1979 she has been employed at Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ), first at the Department of Weather Forecast (until 2001), and since 2001 she has been working at Meteorological and Hydrological Service as an Assistant Director, where she directs and coordinates research and operative tasks.
    She is a member of Croatian Meteorogical Society as well as the member of Croatian Meteorological Journal editorial board. Since 2002 she has been accredited member of Croatian delegation at Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

    Field of research and operative tasks include mesoscale dynamics and modelling: the orographic impact on the atmosphere, local stormy winds, lee cyclogenesis, stormy weather, weather forecast. The results of her research are useful in weather diagnostic and forecasting, in particular within extreme occurrences, which is extremely important for their early and timely notification within the alert system.

    She mentors graduate and doctoral thesis, and also participates in a series of faculty committees for grading graduate, masters and doctoral thesis at the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Department of Geophysics and at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture.

    She has participated in several scientific projects (Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia). She was a project manager for a project: „Storms and natural hazards in Croatia “, from 2002 to 2013. She has also participated in several international projects (NSF – Nature and theory of severe bora storm; MAP – Mesoscale Alpine Project; WMO-MEDEX – Cyclone that produce high impact weather in the Mediterranean; HyMeX – Hydrological cycle in Mediterranean Experiment; she is an activity coordinator within DHMZ for HORIZON2020 project EU-CIRCLE – A pan-European framework for strengthening critical Infrastructure resilience to climate change (EU-CIRCLE).

  • Žana Počuča, M.Sc.
    Senior Expert Advisor, Directorate For Climate Activities, Sustainable Development And Protection Of Soil, Air And Sea
    Ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection, Zagreb, Croatia
    Žana Počuča

    She completed the study of biotechnology, department of Biochemical Engineering at Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology in Zagreb.

    She began to work at Ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection in 2006 at the Directorate for International Cooperation. Since 2014 she has been working at the Directorate for Sustainable Development, where she starts to be involved in subject related to climate change adaptation. She is currently involved in the project for development of a national strategy for climate change adaptation.

  • D.sc. Reuben Angelo Sessa
    Climate change, DRR and Energy Coordinator for Europe and Central Asia
    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia
    Reuben Angelo Sessa

    Reuben holds a University Degree in Biology from Southampton University, and a Ph.D. in plant genetics, biochemistry and plant pathology from Imperial College, University of London. Reuben started his professional career in 1999 as volunteer in FAO HQ, in 2000 he became a consultant in the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) secretariat, were tasks included the development of international remote sensing and in situ standards for the measuring of the terrestrial climatic variables. Reuben worked in both the offices of the Director of NRC and the ADG of natural resources were he supported FAO work on climate change and the environment including FAO engagement to the UNFCCC, Rio+20 and other international related platforms. In 2010, Reuben coordinated the development of the original climate smart agriculture concept and led the process and was editor of the FAO CSA source book.

    In May 2015, under the cooperate mobility plan, Reuben was appointed as climate change, DRR and energy coordinator for Europe and Central Asia in the Budapest office. Under his new role tasks include developing new programmes in the different sub-regions, providing technical and strategic guidance, as well as coordinating REU work and capacity building activities on the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UNFCCC Paris agreement. Reuben is also alternative focal point in REU for SP5.