Best reccomended strategies for
Local Action Groups within organic
sector
Strategy for the Local Action Groups
within organic sector
Aims:
• Development of the ecological
awareness of the local citizens
• Development of organic farming in
the area (county / group of the
communes)
• Multifunctionality / increase the
economy of the area via different
actions connected with organic
farming
• Development of eco-tourism,
biodiversity, on-farm processing,
direct sale, craft, folklore, culinary
arts
• Increase of sell / consumption of the
organic products
• Increase of diversity and quality of
the organic / regional products.
Tools of the strategy:
• In case of groups of beginners – start with organic
round tables on possibilities of production and
market, good co-operation of all stakeholder
• Advice to generate power via a bottom-up approach
• Establish informal group and selecting the leader –
a person with appropriate skills and personally
interested in organic farming
• Contact local authorities and other stakeholders of
the region, including local media.
Tools of the strategy:
• Organizing the common
meetings with the existing local
action groups in the surrounding
– exchange of experience
• Supporting establishing of the
association of local stakeholders
(different actors) that can
effectively promote organic
farming and products or the
producers’ group or the cluster
• Formal or informal group must
be connected by strong common
interest, for example common
sell of products.
Tools of the strategy:
• Establish the aims of the group, rules of the
proceeding, selection of the formal leader/s and
steering group
• Fundraising: project applications prepared with the
help of the experts, employing professional fundriser
• The group should be supported by all possible available
mesures and programms
Reccomendations for the formal and informal groups
interested in the development of organic farming
• the group should start by SWOT analysis or other
method of situation analysis
• the aims must be realistic - by the project planning
• the group should be visible on the local and national
level
• the group should look for the connections with
groups existing in the region
• the group should look for political support on the
local level
• it is necessary to ensure the sustainability of the
project – should be continued after the project ends.
Different activities supported by the experts:
* Meetings of stakeholders (farmers,
processors, traders, advisors, local
authorities) inviting scientists to present
the results of relevant research
* Transferring knowledge of what is
“organic” has to be done to customers
and children (basic trainings)
* Distinguishing different target groups
(small children, pregnant women,
schools, restaurants, parents, teachers,
nurses, medical doctors, etc…)!
* Advanced trainings on production
problems, marketing, sale, quality
of products, animal husbandry
* Newsletters in electronic version –
news on PPPs, new methods of
technics of cultivation,
innovations
* Communication: direct meetings,
internet, website (with the help of
experts) e.g. databases and website
connecting the producers, sellers
and customers.
* Organising educational farms
(inviting children as well)
* Local workshops on selected topics
* Organizing local market places i.e.
1 day in a week, in each town ( the
place where different actors meet
each other and debates taking
place).
* Examples on how to organize
alternative food chains, like
CSAs, on-farm sales (maybe
with distribution points)
* Implementing short marketing
chain model (as in example of
Spain)
* Inviting famous persons to
increase the attractiveness of
the local events (artists, writers,
cooks, politicians etc.).
* Open days/fair (culinary attractions with
good organic food & drinks, distributing
interesting recipes)
* Supporting organic restaurants,
guesthouses, school canteens, etc.
* Supporting organic agro-touristic farms.
Multifunctionality of agriculture
and rural areas
- several examples
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND
MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF THE RURAL AREAS
BASED ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE MEANS:
• Local processing of food (household
production of cheese, meat, pasta, fruit and
vegetable processed
products)
• Farm gate sales
• Local, small restaurants
and guest houses
offering organic food
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND
MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF THE RURAL AREAS
BASED ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
• Local ecological
events: harvest home
festivals, open days,
apple tree days
• Restitution of regional
culture:
paintings, sculpture,
ceramics, textiles,
blacksmiths, other
crafts, performance
on musical
instruments, dance,
song
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND
MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF THE RURAL AREAS
BASED ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
• Groups of
producers
• Local markets
and organic fairs
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND
MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF THE COUNTRYSIDE
BASED ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
MEANS:
• Local ecological
events:
harvest
home festivals, open
days, apple tree days
• Restitution of regional
culture:
paintings, sculpture,
ceramics, textiles,
blacksmiths, other
crafts, performance
on musical
instruments, dance,
song.
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND
MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF THE COUNTRYSIDE
BASED ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
• Attractive
agricultural
landscape
based on
small and
medium
organic
farms
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT
AND MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF
THE RURAL AREAS BASED ON
ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
• Regional food
• Biodiversity of plants
through the restitution of old
trees and fruit shrub cultivars
• Biodiversity of animals
through the restitution of old
animal breeds (cows, horses,
pigs, geese, ducks, hens)
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND
MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF THE RURAL AREAS
BASED ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
• Open,
demonstration
farms
• Agri-tourist
farms
Sustainable Tourism can result very important
for the Sustainable Development of rural areas
Fabio Piccioli
Guests’ expectation
about Bio Hotel
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Healthy food
Organic food
Nature
Peaceful place
Natural products
Sport offer
Health
Natural wood furniture
Wellness
Recreation
Fabio Piccioli
How to develop organic market?
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Supermarkets
Organic shops, fairs and markets
Organic typical quality products
Organic restaurants and agritourism
Open farms and didactic farms
Organic school’s canteens
Organic Days.
Fabio Piccioli
Organic School’s Canteen
Fabio Piccioli
Organic Day
Importance of the human
resources
• Education of the citizens (secondary and high
schools)
• Ecological education
• Enterprise development
• Networking = creation of the groups, associations,
cooperation networks, companies, producer groups,
etc.
• Important role of local leaders!!!
Networking
Training, network and exchange of experiences are important, for organic
farmers, and for all the local actors
Fabio Piccioli
Role of local community in the promotion
of multifunctional development
Promotion of development by involving all the local inhabitants
in order to provide understanding about the identity of their
own area
Information of the citizens about advantages and opportunities
deriving from integrated strategies for development and
promotion of the area.
Role of information activities
Spreading of information and knowledge of common
interest to all the local operators is an key element in
starting up new processes of local development.
Creating Eco-regions in cooperation with local authorities
Organic Food Valley
Poland – Lubelskie voivodship
http://www.dolinaeko.pl/
Creating Eco-regions in co-operation with local
authorities
• Organic Food Valley in Poland – Lubelskie voivodship
• The main aim of the project is to create a platform to develop and
promote organic food products in Eastern Poland.
• Detailed aims:
• to support development of the Organic Food Valley Cluster
• to enhance the cluster cooperation between the scientific institutions,
innovation entities and entrepreneurs involved in the production,
processing and distribution of the organic products
• to raise the competitiveness and innovation of the cluster participants.
Organic Food Valley
• Detailed aims:
• to increase organic production and the employment in
the sector of organic products
• to improve the access of the cluster participants to the
complex information and knowledge on production,
processing and marketing of organic products
• to increase the demand for organic products.
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF
THE COUNTRY BASED ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE MEANS:
lively, active
agricultural region
preserving cultural
traditions of the region
preserving clean
environment and agricultural
landscape
high quality food
flow of native and
foreign tourists
diversified tourist offer
diversified and higher
income of people
living in rural areas
increased export
of goods and services
improvement of economics
in the region
Thanks for your attention!