About the project
AGREEN project
The project “Cross-Border Alliance for Climate-Smart and Green Agriculture in the Black Sea Basin” /AGREEN/ aims to build capacities for networking and transnational knowledge-transfer base in order to escalate the drive for establishing climate-smart farming and maintaining higher rates of economical and social fulfilment as it is the evolution and future.The AGREEN project promotes the concept of climate-sustainable agriculture as an approach that helps to guide actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security in a changing climate.
Since the agriculture, in addition to being a traditional industry, is identified as major cooperation area for Black Sea countries, the AGREEN project aims to create a transnational platform and network for knowledge and good practices exchange by bringing together many key stakeholders in the agricultural sector from the Black Sea region. This will contribute to the transformation of the agricultural sector and stimulate climate-friendly use of resources and application of technologies for the benefit of local communities and the region in general.
groups of activities
Cross-border networking for the development of a regional brand for climate-smart agricultural production in the Black Sea Region
One of the main goals that AGREEN is set for is the establishment of a network based on the “community-of-practice” (COP) approach to act as a bridge between experts and researchers (who contribute with their professional expertise) and practitioners and farmers (who apply in the real life the knowledge and research results and findings).
Secondly, the project consortium will seek to create a recognizable common brand that distinguishes agricultural products produced in a climate-resistant way and originating in the Black Sea region.
The implementation of the branding strategy shall be complemented with the elaboration of an interactive map of logistic centers for retail and wholesale trade which facilitate trade in sustainably delivered agricultural products in the partner countries and the regions.
Climate-smart Agricultural Practices in the Black Sea Basin
Within the second group of activities, AGREEN COP relies on the crop modelling method to experiment different endemic crops, which are adapted to the specific environmental, social and economic conditions in the Black Sea region. The developed models will experiment 3 different solutions for the BSB on plots provided by the partners in Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia, resulting in the delivery of climate-smart crop models that will be made available for the farmers and other stakeholders.
The aim is to strengthen cooperation among the framers, entrepreneurs and professionals engaged in conservation and sustainable agriculture in the Black Sea region via improving the information exchange, peer learning and to encourage modernization and better performance of the sustainable farms.
Together with the existing solutions, identified in GA T1, they will provide the agricultural producers with a set of tools that will enable them to improve the performance of the their farms in the new changed climate environment in the BSB.
Internet connectivity for information exchange and learning in climate-smart agriculture in the Black Sea Basin
In today's world, the internet connectivity and the ability to exchange information and knowledge are key factors in the development of any field, including agriculture. Thus the third group of activities is aimed at overcoming the barriers for local farms to export their products to the Black Sea countries and to promote sustainable production in agriculture.
Internet connectivity for information exchange and learning in climate-smart agriculture in the Black Sea Basin is achieved by the integration of proper internet tool for network establishment and provision of trade channels.
AGREEN platform is the bridge for transnational connection between climate-smart producers, cooperatives, associations, experts. It enables the stakeholders to effectively use the information, to support the improvement of farming processes by efficient peer learning and modernize the monitoring of good agricultural practices and traceability of farm products.
Entrepreneurial learning for climate-smart agriculture
Transforming agriculture and adopting practices that are "climate-smart" in the Black Sea Basin depends on the targeted improvement of the knowledge of the farmers and agri-entrepreneurs.
Farmers are under the greatest threat from climate change, but they also play a major role in addressing it. Climate-smart farming techniques can increase agricultural productivity and incomes, make rural communities more resilient to climate change and where possible, mitigate climate change. The local knowledge, as well as the capacity to link research and local activities, plays a key role in scaling up the CSA approach to reinforce the resilience of farmers’ livelihoods.
Accordingly, the last group of activities involves the joint development of training course “Entrepreneurship for Climate-smart Agriculture in the Black Sea Basin”, adapted to blended mobility and integrated in the AGREEN platform. The course shall be tested with a pilot group of trainees who will in turn conduct national trainings to multiply the course in their communities.
