CDR (Agricultural Advisory Center in Brwinów), Poland, is a state-controlled public agricultural advisory entity. CDR operates countrywide through the head office located in Brwinów (near Warsaw) and four branch offices in Kraków, Poznań, Radom and Warsaw. It is a governmental institution subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Centre is an operator that cooperates with agricultural advisory organizations. Thanks to the cooperation with agricultural advisors, it can get through to end-users – farmers and foresters, which is very helpful to be well orientated to real farmers’ needs and demands. Additionally, it ensures greater spreading of knowledge and innovation dissemination.
CDR is a national center for knowledge and innovation transfer in Polish agriculture and rural areas. It is a place of professional development of Polish agricultural and rural advisors, setting directions for development of modern agriculture, development of farms based on economy, implementation of new socio-economic solutions. The CDR implements European and international projects in the field of knowledge transfer, innovation as well as research and development in the agricultural sector, financed under the Horizon 2020, Erasmus+ and Interreg programs.
The CDR in Brwinów will participate in WP1 on farmer engagement and in WP8 on dissemination and promotion. The tasks of CDR include, in particular, preparing implementation methods for tasks and activities for Provincial Centres of Agricultural Advisory (ODR), preparing and transfer information and training materials for ODR, conducting training for agricultural advisors employed in ODR, and in private or commercial advisory companies, as well as for teachers in agriculture schools, running the central information system and data bases for the purposes of agricultural extension, organising shows, seminars and conferences, disseminate the results of scientific research carried out for agriculture as well as the preparation of analyses and forecasts with respect to the development of agricultural extension.
Key persons
Ireneusz Drozdowski (male), Director of CDR, graduated from the Agricultural Academy. He has over 40 years of profound experience in agriculture, farming, rural development, and development of public agricultural advisory services. He has exceptional expertise related to the applying of innovative solutions and promoting and disseminating knowledge transfer in agriculture and on the rural areas. For many years involved in the rural cooperative movement in Poland, member of rural cooperative institutions at the local and regional levels.
Henryk Skórnicki (male), PhD in agriculture, head of CDR regional branch office in Radom, is directly involved in the AKIS development at EU and national levels. He has first-hand experience in managing multi-actor approach projects in the area of agriculture as a manager and researcher. Additionally, he has proven experience in designing and managing projects related to the facilitation of knowledge transfer and innovation connecting research centers, agricultural advisory service, and farming communities.
Janusz Dąbrowski (male), university degree, Master of Law, has over 25 years of professional experience in directly managing and carrying out research and evaluation of projects. He was involved as a researcher and evaluator in over 20 projects in Poland and the Balkans. Moreover, his professional experience covers assignments as a team leader and senior consultant in technical assistance projects.
Katarzyna Ambryszewska (female), a university degree in environmental engineering, has 10 years of experience as a project officer in the energy sector, in particular, energy efficiency such as saving energy, reduction of carbon dioxide emission and renewable energy. Moreover, she is an early-stage researcher in phytochemistry and secondary metabolites from plants. She published many scientific papers and participated in numerous EU projects.
