Dear colleagues and participants,

It is our pleasure to invite you again this year to the celebration of World Food Day 2016, which will be held on 14th October 2016, in Osijek. The conference is organized by the Croatian Food Agency (HAH) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

By celebrating a World Food Day for seventh year in a row, we bring in the focus the most important issues and themes in order to highlight areas needed for action and provide a common focus. Since the three main FAO goals are: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all, it is of utmost importance to put it on national agenda, as well.

This year’s conference theme brings in the focus impact of climate changes on agriculture and food production, and has a great contribution to this growing global problem which affects food and water supply in general. Therefore, emergency actions have to be taken by different members of community – experts, scientists, politicians, and economists, and by individuals as well.

General knowledge about impact of climate changes on agriculture has significantly improved over the past 20 years. Today is of great importance to use acquired knowledge in order to make high-quality actions and policy geared towards natural resources preservation and ensuring quality and sufficient food production.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank all our patrons: President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, as well as Ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection. Only in synergy, we can make a step forward and concrete changes. Therefore, I hope our selection of themes and speakers will meet your expectations. They are truly precisely chosen in order to perceive and analyse this extremely important theme from different perspectives.

Furthermore, we will try to provide you a warm welcome and productive and pleasant atmosphere during the professional part, as well as during informal gatherings.

I sincerely look forward to meeting you in Osijek.

Andrea Gross-Bošković, M.Sc.

Director