Empower the powerless: Visegrad experience for small scale family farms in the Western Balkans

Small-scale family farmers play a major role in ensuring food security, safeguarding biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources. Small scale farmers dominate the Western Balkans and still most of the V4 countries. This kind of farming, however is under threat because it isn’t competitive with production of large agricultural holdings. The disappearance of small-scale family famers threatens food security of the region and contributes to the loss of traditions, culture, and natural values. Maintaining sustainable small-scale family farming is possible through enhancing the farming activity’s economic viability. The project aims at empowering small scale family farmers in two Western Balkan countries by transferring V4 experiences on sustainable farming and farmers’ economic empowerment.

Activities

Project achieves its goals through the following activities:

1. "Train the trainers" event for NGO's and representatives of farmers' associations (3.-4.2.2015 - event report and materials), training material
2. Local trainings for small-scale family farmers
3. Study trips in Slovakia and the Czech Republic
4. Guidance document with thematic chapters, case studies and policy recommendations
5. Closing workshop and conference

Partners

• CEEWEB for Biodiversity, Hungary (main applicant) - www.ceeweb.org
• Naturalist Club, Poland - kp.org.pl
• Young Researchers of Serbia - www.mis.org.rs
• Eco center, Serbia - www.zaprokul.org.rs
• Juniperia, The Czech Republic - juniperia.cz
• Balkan Net, Macedonia - www.balkannet.eu
• Daphne - Institute of Applied Ecology, Slovakia - www.daphne.sk

Our contribution

Juniperia brings to the project its know-how about cooperation with farmers on biodiversity issues. Juniperia contributes to these activities:

1. Presenting and experience sharing at the "Train the trainers" event, contributing to training material
2. Organizing a study trip in the Czech Republic
3. Providing case studies and policy recommendations to the guidance document

Implementation period

09/2014 - 2/2016

Funding

The project is generously funded by the International Visegrad Fund, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and the European Commission. The donors are not responsible for the views expressed on this project website or any materials produced in the project.