SeeNet

TRANSGROWTH. Business promotion for the trans-national growth of integrated local production systems

Vertical Action: 3.A

The Action aims at increasing and improving the support to production sectors and the quality of food farming (wine-growing and wine-producing, fruit-growing, medicinal herbs) and wood productions thanks to specific activities that concern institutions and economic operators of local productions. Italian experts join South East European partners in a preliminary analysis of food farming and wood sectors through the organization of focus groups and meetings with local key actors. Aim of the analysis is to identify in partner territories the characteristics and organization of the chains of production as well as the training needs in wood-furniture and food farming sectors.

Download documents of the Action - Photo Gallery of the Action

BACKGROUND OF THE ACTION

The Counties of Osijek and Vukovar in Croatia, the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in Serbia and the Canton of Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina are facing common problems and needs concerning the development of enterprises and the growth of production systems. Given the presence of particularly favourable conditions in terms of resources (fertile lands, water, woods), the sectors of wood and food farming represent a chance for the development of these territories, that suffered from the impoverishment of the industrial sector. By now, this vocation still waits to be fully exploited, by improving the organization models of production sectors, increasing the added value of productions and creating the conditions for a better access to markets, both national and foreign. Within SeeNet Programme, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and technical partner Informest, thanks to consolidated relations with regional administrations and with other actors of local development in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, promote an Action aimed at enhancing the growth potential of local production systems supporting the economic cooperation between the areas involved.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

The Action aims at increasing and improving the support to production sectors and the quality of food farming (wine-growing and wine-producing, fruit-growing, medicinal herbs) and wood productions thanks to specific activities that concern institutions and economic operators of local productions. Italian experts join South East European partners in a preliminary analysis of food farming and wood sectors through the organization of focus groups and meetings with local key actors. Aim of the analysis is to identify in partner territories the characteristics and organization of the chains of production as well as the training needs in wood-furniture and food farming sectors. Starting from the identified needs, the Action outlines training and technical assistance to support enterprises on topics such as marketing and branding of products, EU environmental criteria and systems of traceability and certification of products. At the end of the training activities, study visits to Italy are organized with the goal of presenting some organization and development models, elements of success and criticality in the considered productions, and creating and consolidating the collaboration between public and private actors of partner territories. In each territory, a pilot activity insisting on the selected productions is scheduled according to the priorities emerged at local level. The pilot activity represents a first example of implementation of systems, models, techniques, presented in the training context. Furthermore, a transversal pilot activity, common to all territories and aimed at the promotion and organization improvement of productions is performed.

RESULTS

• Preliminary analyses of wood and food farming productions in partner territories have been performed;
• The competences of institutional actors and economic operators of local productions have been increased;
• The competitiveness and organization of food farming and wood productions have been improved;
• The dynamism of sector productions and the production quality have been increased;
• The capacity to access foreign markets, starting from a cross-border and interregional scale, has been improved;
• The associations of enterprises based on sector and/or territorial scale have been strengthened;
• The network between local production systems of SEE and Italian territories involved has been improved in order to share experiences, strategies and opportunities;
• The cooperation among partners has been consolidated.