What was the challenge/problem addressed?
Recent years have been extremely unpredictable and difficult for Slovenian fruit growers. But difficulties can also be a new challenge and an opportunity to find solutions. Fruit grower Toni Koršič has identified both – a solution and an opportunity – in the Bonita variety. He spreaded enthusiasm among apple growers, set up an industry cooperative and managed to persuade the Italian licence holders of the Bonita club variety to cooperate. Then the story started to come together and the opportunity to realise the Bonita idea opened up with the possibility to participate in European Innovation Partnership (EIP) calls for proposals.
Miten ratkaisit ongelman?
The project, which was initiated by apple growers, aimed to bring together growers who would cultivate the club apple variety ‘Bonita’ in Slovenia, store it successfully and market it in a unified way on the Slovenian market.
‘Bonita’ is a new resistant apple variety that can only be distributed in Europe as a club variety. It can only be planted by a fruit grower who agrees to the requirements of the club variety owners. The variety is suitable for sustainable, more environmentally friendly cultivation, thanks to its genetic characteristics (hardiness). Its attractive appearance, its internal characteristics and the way in which it is sold also make it extremely attractive to consumers.
Successful production and sale require clear technological instructions for cultivation, optimal storage conditions and innovative, integrated marketing methods. Tällä tavalla, knowledge must be disseminated both horizontally among fruit farmers and vertically from the research institution through the extension service to the grower.
Mikä on innovatiivista käytännön tapauksessa?
The current situation of Slovenian apple production is critical. Slovenia is no longer self-sufficient in apples, low farm gate prices and the sub-optimal technological development of Slovenian apple growers limit the possibilities for further investment and development, improving their competitiveness and their ability to adapt to climate change, the requirements of the green transition and the tightening market dynamics. In the EIP Bonita project, a new apple variety ‘Bonita’ was introduced into Slovenian production and onto the Slovenian market. In production, we developed and tested technological measures for successful cultivation, while in the market introduction we paid special attention to market screening and made the new resistant club apple variety visible to consumers.
Mitkä ovat menestystekijät ongelman ratkaisemisessa?
We have successfully developed the production technology in Slovenian plantations and presented it in detail in the printed and e-printed technology guides.
A particular success of the operation is the creation of the BonitaSi brand and the joint appearance on the market. In the area of marketing, a marketing strategy has been developed, which was launched during the lifetime of the project and handed over to the growers for further implementation once the project was completed.
The EIP project ‘Bonita, a new hardy club apple variety in Slovenia – from production to marketing’ successfully brought together the EIP project members associated with the cooperative Tibona z.o.o. and growers of the ‘Bonita’ variety who were not members of the project and who are associated through the company Štajerc d.o.o.. The linking of all ‘Bonita’ apple growers in Slovenia provides the conditions for the establishment of a growers’ group.
Opittua
The experience gained has been very rich. From the initial, partnership-building level, to the transfer of knowledge. Farmers are very receptive to expertise, especially when it is delivered on the spot – in their own plantation and for their specific needs. Cooperation between farmers, advisors and researchers is very useful, where we learn about the problems on the ground and exchange different points of view. With a lot of extra energy, we have also successfully overcome the administrative hurdles that arose at several levels of project implementation. “The project has brought new knowledge into the Slovenian space, stimulated innovative approaches and interconnected different producers as well as farmers with educational and development organisations. This is why the Bonita apple is more than just an ordinary fruit – it is an apple that is good for the consumer, good for nature and good for Slovenian agriculture,” said Dr Jerneja Jakopič, project leader and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Biotechnics.
What role does the advisor or advisory service play with the practical case?
In EIP projects, knowledge is transferred from research institutions directly to the producer farmers, as through the advisory service. In our specific case, the extension service was extremely interested and eager to learn. In addition to the training and workshops organised for them, they regularly attended training sessions, which were primarily aimed at the growers who were members of the partnership in their own orchards, even though they were not compulsory for them. They also disseminated the knowledge they had acquired to other growers who were not involved in the project, published articles, organised workshops to transfer knowledge to expert advisors in the field of fruit growing, presented at fairs and other events, jne.
Voidaanko lähestymistapasi siirtää ja/tai mukauttaa muihin innovaatiohaasteisiin ja -alueisiin?
Joo
Arvioitu siirrettävyys asteikolla alkaen 1 kohtaan 5
(missä 1 on helppoa ja 5 hyvin vaikea)
2
Kokemusten jakamisesta hyvistä käytännöistä, ota yhteyttä
Prof. DR. Jerneja Jakopič
jerneja.jakopic@bf.uni-lj.si; +38641891432
Link to external information
https://www.bf.uni-lj.si/sl/raziskave/raziskovalni-projekti/131/bonita,-nova-odporna-klubska-sorta-jabolk-v-sloveniji–od-pridelave-do-trzenja
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Science- -Tekniikka—Engineering/EIP-Bonita102929347957648/
https://bo