June 18th, 2026 – Closing conference

On June 16, 2026, Rietavas Tourism and Business Information Centre will host the international BIOSOLFarm Conference: Empowering Farming in the Renewable Energy Transition.

The conference is part of the South Baltic Interreg project BIOSOLFarm (South Baltic Farms – an essential part of renewable energy systems).

The event will create an open forum for dialogue among farmers, local government representatives, energy experts and project partners. The conference will address the actual energy needs of farms, the challenges they face, and possible solutions that can strengthen their role in the renewable energy transition.

The results of the BIOSOLFarm project will also be presented during the conference.

Farmers, public sector representatives, project partners, business experts, green energy specialists and green transition experts are invited to participate.

Date and time: June 16, 2026, 10:30–16:30
Venue: Rietavas Tourism and Business Information Centre, Parko 5, Rietavas

Registration:
https://forms.gle/kAe1DRmhRekt6cEq8

Energy prices, supply security, climate obligations and pressure to remain competitive are changing how farms think about power. Electricity is no longer just an operating cost. Increasingly, it is a strategic resource, alongside land, equipment, labour and capital.

That shift was at the centre of the BIOSOLFarm conference “Empowering Farming in the Renewable Energy Transition”, held on 16 June in Rietavas, Lithuania. The event brought together farmers, public authorities, energy experts, researchers, business representatives and project partners to discuss how farms can become more resilient, more energy efficient and better positioned in the renewable energy economy.

The conference was part of BIOSOLFarm, a South Baltic Interreg project focused on strengthening the role of farms in renewable energy systems. Its purpose is practical rather than abstract: to understand the real energy needs of farms, identify the barriers they face and develop tools that help agricultural businesses make better energy decisions.

Rietavas offered a fitting setting for that conversation. Opening the event, Mayor Antanas Černeckis reminded participants that innovation has deep local roots. More than 150 years ago, a wind-powered installation on the Red Tower supplied water to the manor. The reference was more than a historical detail. It placed today’s energy transition in a longer story of rural innovation, where technology matters only when it creates visible value for people and communities.

The morning sessions framed the scale of the challenge

Iwona Cichowska-Kopczyńska from Politechnika Gdańska presented the BIOSOLFarm project and its aims. Ieva Budraite of the Lietuvos žaliųjų partija addressed climate change, the Green Deal and the policy trends shaping agriculture. Agnė Bagočiutė from the Lietuvos Energetikos Agentūra / Lithuanian Energy Agency discussed Lithuania’s energy transformation and what it means for farms, from prices and security to renewable energy and available support. Gintarė Petrauskaitė presented energy communities as a model that can turn local cooperation into practical power generation.

The key point running through the discussions was clear: farms cannot treat energy as an external problem. They are exposed to energy markets, but they can also become active participants in local energy systems. Solar power, efficiency investments and shared energy models are not only environmental measures. Used well, they can reduce risk, improve cost control and support long-term planning.

A panel discussion on resilient farming and green energy, moderated by business consultant Ugnius Savickas , brought that question closer to the realities of agricultural business. Participants from farming, energy, innovation and public institutions discussed what it takes for farms to adapt without losing competitiveness. The answer was not a single technology or policy instrument. It was a combination of knowledge, cooperation, investment capacity and practical support.

The afternoon programme focused on the work already being developed through BIOSOLFarm. Project partners presented results and tools related to farmer involvement, decision-making, benefit evaluation, policy recommendations and the long-term continuity of project outcomes through the Thematic Platform.