GreenFit comes to Malta!

On Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th March, MaYA and Merill Rural Network had the pleasure of hosting the second consortium meeting of the 3 year-long GreenFit project. As one of the eight pilot partners, we took this opportunity to showcase Malta’s hospitality while providing the right setting for a fruitful, collaborative, and engaging exchange.

The plenary meeting took place at the beautiful Valletta Design Cluster, What used to be the ruins of an old slaughterhouse has been in the past years renovated thanks to EU funds, now allowing participants to explore the capital and wander through its vibrant surroundings. The rooftop garden, open spaces and modern conference hall offered an inspiring environment for discussions and networking. In addition, the Mediterranean Culinary Academy deliciously catered to the event with high-quality, locally-sourced (and generous!) dishes during the lunch breaks.

Day 1 - Sharing insights and building alignment

The first day opened with a welcome from MaYA President Jeanette Borg and technical expert Neil J. Tirchett, who provided an overview of the current state of agriculture in Malta. We took the chance to highlight why its integration into the project is essential as Malta’s small-scale, fragmented farming landscape presents unique challenges that are often underrepresented in European projects.

All pilot and research partners then shared feedback from the focus groups conducted in their respective countries (see article), sparking engaging discussions on the commonalities and differences farmers face when adopting new technologies across diverse geographical and socio-economic contexts. Surprisingly, we identified many similarities around the challenges, particularly in the financial and technical barriers, already shaping the direction of upcoming interviews and research activities.

The Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) team led an interactive brainstorming session on stakeholder mapping, helping define the broader ecosystem the project will engage with. Followed by another session led by the European Rural Community Alliance who emphasised the importance of positioning GreenFit within a wider European knowledge network, encouraging synergies with existing initiatives, organisations, and stakeholders to ensure meaningful knowledge exchange and visibility of results.

To wrap up an intense yet exciting first day, we had the honour of welcoming the Minister of European funds Dr. Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, who delivered an inspiring speech on the role of agriculture in Malta and its importance within European programmes and innovation discussions.

In the evening, participants gathered at Tal-Petut for a social dinner, where we proudly showcased Maltese gastronomy through fresh, local ingredients - reflecting what agriculture in Malta should truly be about.

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Day 2 - Discovering the technologies behind GreenFit

The second day marked a turning point in understanding the technologies being developed within the project. While initial discussions and focus groups introduced general concepts, this session provided a clearer picture of the actual tools that will be tested with farmers.

The Technologies Sales Pitch Workshop shed light on innovations such as Extended Reality (XR) for training (including augmented and virtual reality), Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS), and climate modelling tools. While these technologies may still feel distant for many farmers today, they highlight the project’s ambition - and reinforce our role in ensuring that small-scale farmers are not left behind in this transition.

MaYA also invited a group of local stakeholders to join the discussion, giving them the opportunity to engage directly with the consortium and contribute to EU-level conversations. A sincere thank you to all those who participated - your insights were invaluable in reflecting the realities of Maltese agriculture and the implications of these technologies.

The day continued with a collaborative session among pilot partners to develop the “pilot canvas”, compiling each region’s characteristics and needs in preparation for the next phases that will focus on training and testing the solutions directly with farmers across pilot regions.

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Beyond the meeting room

To mark the occasion, we invited partners to take part in a Merill Rural Network experience, where they participated in pastizzi-making and olive oil tasting. This offered participants a hands-on opportunity to discover Malta’s landscapes, flavours, and traditions - ensuring they could fully experience the local culture alongside the project discussions.

To sum up, these two days went beyond project updates and coordination. For us, they were a valuable opportunity to highlight Malta’s unique rural environment and farming realities, while fostering meaningful connections across the consortium. Indeed, this meeting marked an important step in ensuring that Maltese agriculture is fully integrated into European innovation pathways.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in the organisation and to all participants for embracing the experience with such enthusiasm and openness. Stay tuned for more updates by registering here and following our socials!