My research area covers generational renewal topics in agriculture. When I heard about the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) database that included important aspects of social capital, my curiosity brought me to the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Institute of Demography (NIDI) of the Netherlands Academy of Science and Art, affiliated with the University of Groningen. I felt like this database could be useful to shed some light on the nexus between social relationships and the choice of agricultural career path in Lithuania. As a result, I filled in the application to spend three weeks at the NIDI working on the research project "Towards a better understanding of family relations and generational renewal nexus in agriculture“ In November, I was excited to learn from the COORDINATE Transnational Access Visits (TAV) team that my application was successful, and my visit was planned for spring 2024.
From April 17 to May 9, I had the honour to participate in a pulsing with energy life of the NIDI, where I was hosted by Aisling Connolly and the welcoming GGP team. All visiting researchers were invited to join inspiring scientific workshops organized by the NIDI and weekly meetings of the Generations and Gender Programme (GGP) team. During the first week, I was introduced to the GGP team and provided with a perfect environment to familiarize myself with available data, explore datasets, and process and analyse all relevant data. My study showed that the choice of the agriculture-related career path was influenced by different dimensions of social relations. Occupation of parents in agriculture was one of the essential explanatory variables that allowed to predict the choice of the agricultural career path. However, the quality of relations with parents at the age 15 did not contribute to a better understanding of respondents’ behaviour.
During the TAV visit, it was inspiring to hear about the research areas of visiting researchers from Estonia, Moldova, Serbia, and Spain. Our discussions broadened my scientific research horizons and encouraged me to think “outside the box”. On May 6, 2024, the results of my research were presented to the GGP team and visiting researchers. We discussed the potential of the GGS data to conduct research in the field of agricultural economics. I also received valuable feedback on research development possibilities. Thus, the trip home was enriched with new ideas for future research.
During my stay, I also enjoyed the beauty of The Hague in spring. Nature started to wake up, and small islands of tulips at every step created a fabulous experience. The vibrant „City of Peace“ combined an impressive historical heritage with royal places and magnificent monuments and hosted the Dutch government and international organisations that contributed to the development of international law. To sum up, TAV visits are a great opportunity to get away from a daily routine and return home with new ideas, academic contacts for future cooperation, and unforgettable personal travel experiences. Do not miss this opportunity because it could be your life-changing event!
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