Driving sustainable food systems
and postmodern agriculture

Driving sustainable
food systems
and postmodern
agriculture

Key projects

Maximizing ecosystem services through legume-based farming

Reintroduction of neglected- and underutilized crops to short supply chains

Building partnerships for sustainable soil management in Hungary

Regenerative soil health field trial and guide for farmers

AgriToolKit: developing and measuring sustainability indicators on farm-level

Integration of the stakeholders of Hungary’s legumes value chain

Plant-, animal- and people-friendly stories and recipes for sustainable cuisine

Connecting small farms and urban chefs via ‘Grow on Demand’

Creating a pilot model of urban food strategies for small municipalities

Catering company using local products with full transparency

Legumes in short supply chains and urban kitchens

Pioneering postmodern Hungarian farmers’ markets

More projects

Balassagyarmat & Nagykürtös Research

Balassagyarmat Farmers’ Market

Video highlights

In partnership with

We believe in
small-scale farmers
and high quality,
healthy foods.

Agri Kulti aims to connect cities and rural areas through plant-, animal-, and people-friendly food systems that support the competitiveness of small and medium-sized farms and enable consumers to access healthy and sustainable food.

Since 2011, our research and development projects have focused on establishing farmers' markets, operating Living Lab networks, developing sustainability assessment and decision-support tools, and developing for-profit businesses. Drawing on our practical experience, we actively participate in international collaborations, primarily within the framework of Horizon Europe programs, connecting local innovations with international knowledge. Our partners include European research institutes, universities, farming communities, local governments, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders of sustainable food chains.

Who we are

Gábor Bertényi

CEO – Psychologist, environmental economist

Founder and director of Agri Kulti. He has been active in the fields of local resource-based economic development, short supply chains, bioregionalism, and sustainable food systems since 2010, working to redefine the relationship between cities and rural areas. Based on his research and model development, he is also actively involved in the creation of for-profit enterprises.

Zsófi Veér

Project manager and researcher - Sociologist

She studied Sociology at ELTE before spending a year at Trinity College in Connecticut and receiving a Master’s Degree in Gender Studies at CEU. She is currently the project manager and researcher for Agri Kulti, coordinating the implementation of Horizon projects (DIVINFOOD, LegumES) and leading related research.

Attila Králl

Senior researcher - Biologist, ecologist

A researcher and project manager at Agri Kulti from the beginning, he has been supporting the team from Finland since 2023, where his PhD research focuses on the negative impact of mainstream agricultural practices on birdlife in agricultural areas. He is the coordinator of AgriToolkit’s development and related LegumES project tasks.

Dr Béla Kuslits

Researcher - Medical doctor, sociologist, environmental economist

The topic of his PhD research was the study of consumer preferences within short supply chains. His main areas of interest include ecosystem services, sustainability impact assessments, and a wide range of educational methods. Since 2023, he has been supporting our work from Brussels, primarily in the area of our CAP-related policy activities.

Project manager and researcher - Geographer

She graduated from ELTE with a degree in Geography, then conducted research work in the UK as part of shark conservation projects. Since 2021, as the Hungarian coordinator of the international Save Soil movement, she has been investigating the topics of soil protection and sustainable agriculture. She is the lead coordinator of Agri Kulti's soil-focused projects.

Lívia Németh

Dr Alfréd Szilágyi

Researcher - Agricultural engineer

He obtained his PhD in 2024 from the Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences at MATE. He is one of the founders of the Pallagvölgyi Biokert, a farmer, and actively supports the work of professional civil organizations. He is a member of the Hungarian Permaculture Association and a supporting member of the Hungarian Agroecology Network. He is the coordinator of the farmers participating in the LegumES project.

Zsuzsa Pantali-Kovács

Project assistant

She graduated from the University of Szeged with a degree in Geography. She worked as a key member of the team at Házikó Catering, Agri Kulti's former for-profit project. She is currently responsible for Agri Kulti's financial administration and performs project assistant duties.

Júlia Horváth

Research assistant

She holds a master's degree in sociology. She is the founder and owner of Bolvári Biokert in Zsámbok. She has hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture and short supply chains. She is currently the coordinator of Legumes Hungary Living Lab.