¿Cuál fue el desafío/problema abordado??

Imathia is a highly intensive cultivated area in Central Macedonia, where the peach trees cultivated land represents almost half of the total area under peach cultivation in Greece. Peach production was expanded and intensified the years after Greece’s accession in the European Economic Community in the early 1980s. Luego, under the Common Market Organization for Fruit and Vegetable (the purpose of which was to ensure steady incomes for farmers and a continued supply for consumers) a number of about 50 peach producers’ groups were established with main responsibility to withdraw large quantities of their production in exchange of subsidies. Production intensification had severe environmental impact due to the significantly increased use of water, nitrogen fertilizers and insecticides for farming. Due to the important share of Greece in the canned peach market, its global competitors reacted to the market distortions provoked by subsidies and issued formal complaints, which resulted in the severe restriction of the withdrawn peach quantities (1993-1995). At parallel, technical barriers were imposed. Específicamente, certain importing countries impose an absolute prohibition of an insecticide (methamidophos) commonly used in Imathia since it was allowed by the EU regulations. To overcome this barrier the PGs in Imathia had to inspect all peach shipments but such an ex-ante intervention was inefficient and impractical, due to the large number of peach smallholders and the lack of effective traceability system. The need for PGs to find a way to ensure that their products as a whole would comply with the imposed restrictions was urgent.

¿Cómo resolviste el problema??

The crisis in Imathia coincided with the establishment of “Agrocert”, a standardization and certification organization under the supervision of the Ministry, aiming at strengthening farm links with the markets and, thus, improving farms’ competitiveness. Agrocert issued an integrated farming standard (AGRO2) and launched its strategy to approach farmers and PGs in Imathia not by getting in contact with the local agricultural authorities or with already strong players who had established relationships with large input companies but by addressing a group of young and rather marginalized agronomists in the local market of agricultural inputs.

Agrocert sought the adoption of the AGRO2 standard by an increased number of PGs. For PGs this meant that the whole production process (the technical dimension of production) had to be changed, covering all cultivation aspects (es decir. selection of the propagation material, irrigation, fertilization, crop protection as well as pruning, harvesting, post-harvest handling, traceability, biodiversity maintenance, safety procedures for farmers and crisis management plans) in order to be ensured that the pesticide residues would be low enough to allow the produce to re-enter markets. Since the implementation of AGRO2 called for standardized procedures, a thorough plan for the structure, functioning, monitoring and assessment was a prerequisite for the successful outcome of the auditing of the system.

 

¿Qué es innovador en su caso práctico??

It is a social/ organizational innovation since new services and actors emerged (for example PGs’ consultants and farm advisors who were not related to inputs trade) and new links and networks among the actors were established to enable PGs to deal successfully with global peach market challenges. Standardized procedures require the establishment of an internal auditing system and the provision of advice for corrective actions. These elements constituted organizational novelties promoting collective coordination of PGs in the area. A través de los años, farmers had to adopt new practices and technologies (p.ej. the method of mating disruption to control insects) in order to meet the requirements of integrated farming.

¿Cuáles son los factores de éxito para resolver el problema??

  • The unusual alliance between Agrocert and the group of young private advisors, which resulted in an extended network of professionals acting as dissemination agents in the area.
  • In order to introduce and establish its scheme, staff and collaborators of Agrocert participated in meetings with private agronomists and PG representatives, who were also offered 2-day courses. The courses were successful in terms of participation, despite the fees; experts from various institutions (universidades, research institutes and the Ministry of Agriculture) participated as trainers forming a network promoting IF and the AGRO2 standard.
  • The need for collective actions and Inclusiveness were important success factors. Since the implementation of AGRO2 called for standardized procedures by all the PGs’ farmers, new co-ordination mechanisms emerged through the transformation of the input providers’ network and its division into two new networks. Some retailers found a new role as management consultants assisting PGs in implementing and monitoring of the management system’s standardized procedures. A second segment of retailers shifted to technical advisors employed in or collaborating with PGs. agricultores, space was created for the inclusion of public sector experts in the endeavor. Gradually, input companies established links with the management consultants’ network.

 

Lecciones aprendidas

Innovation can take place and have a positive impact when it is implemented by all actors that make up the chain of the agricultural sector. The standardization system was a tool that helped producers and their organizations to work with more organization and consistency and to carry out their work based on a set of conditions and factors that did not include only fruit production. Practices that protect the environment and biodiversity and respect consumer health while ensuring the economic viability of holdings were more encouraged. Market confidence was restored and the products had started to have identity and quality. Por fin, the most important was that the way that the agricultural sector operated was changed radically and pointed the way for further innovations.………………………………………………………………………….

¿Qué papel juega el asesor o servicio de asesoramiento con el caso práctico??

  • The young agronomists initially involved in the innovation were aware of the need for a radical reorientation of private agronomists’ roles. These agronomists – up to then working in input provision, which they accompanied with the relevant technical advice for the better application of the input, targeting the maximization of their sales- had been the first to adopt innovations and adapt to changes. Gradually, their network expanded and embraced the whole, up to then, well-established network of private agronomists, who were transformed from mere input providers to advisors aiming at the rationalization instead of maximization of inputs’ utilization.

¿Puede su enfoque ser transferido y / o adaptado para otros desafíos de innovación y regiones??

sí

Transferibilidad estimada en una escala de 1 Perspectivas de la formación organizada en Hungría sobre el tema de la innovación interactiva y la creación de redes 5

(dónde 1 es fácil y 5 muy dificil)

3

 

Por compartir la experiencia sobre la buena práctica., Para cualquier duda y consulta sobre las próximas clases de excelencia

Iordanidis Ioannis

agriordani@gmail.com , +306977850645

Enlace a información externa

www.agroq.gr