The Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) is a system that supports agricultural modernization, primarily the spread of innovation and digitalization, through knowledge transfer, sharing and exchange in agriculture. Agricultural advisory services are a key element of AKIS, which supports the flow of information and building relationships between partners in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness. The implementation of the above is facilitated by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 i2connect international project, which aims to develop advisory competencies supporting interactive innovation processes in the agricultural sector. Within this framework, member countries undertake to strengthen and develop advisory functions through training and study trips abroad (cross-visits). The main goal is to recognize farmers' needs for development and integrate them into the advisory process. The country reports of the i2connect project present the AKISs of each country in detail, helping to compare them. It is important to understand the AKIS actors and their relationships, with particular attention to the Agricultural Advisory Systems (AAS), which play a key role in knowledge sharing, digitalization, and ultimately the dissemination of innovation. This study compares the Hungarian and Polish country reports out of the 29 European AKIS country reports produced as a result of the above-mentioned H2020 project. It presents the essential similarities and differences, focusing on the environment supporting agricultural innovation and the characteristics of advisory services developed in these countries, and then draws conclusions from these that may be forward-looking for the two Member States in terms of progress, development, and improvement in this area.
