ACLI RACALE announces the congress “Resilienza: Xylella research talks to people”, to be held in Salento, in September 2019

Along with the loss of millions of olive trees across the Apulian region (Southern Italy), the introduction and relentless spread of Xylella fastidiosa caused a serious socio-cultural problem: mistrust in science and scientists involved in the research of the fastidious bacterium fomented by a consistent part of the civil society. Nowadays, a considerable number of persons either inside or outside the region where the first bacterial European outbreak was described perceive scientists as “far from the reality”, incapable of communicating their researches, pursuing something different from what would help in solving the “Xylella-problem”. Such tense climate exacerbates the gap between research and society, creating more than a problem for both the parts.

The main goal of the congress “Resilienza: Xylella research talks to people” is to begin to fill this gap: Italian scientists involved in research on Xylella fastidiosa are invited to present and discuss their work, as oral presentations or posters, during a congress that will reunite both researchers and people interested in Xylella fastidiosa and the ongoing research, including farmer associations, public institutions, schools and stakeholders.

The congress, organized within the framework of the European Project POnTE (Horizon 2020), will be held in Racale (Lecce, Southern Italy) on 19–20 September 2019.

The call for participation, with detailed information on registration and submission of contributions is available, in Italian, at this link.

For more information: resilienza.acliracale@gmail.com; danielecornara@gmail.com