What was the challenge/problem addressed?

The region and the department have launched an initiative to promote local sourcing in school canteens, rather than importing products, with the aim of supporting local agricultural development. This approach benefits the community by boosting the local economy and reducing dependence on imports. For farmers, the procurement platform offers several advantages. It allows them to sell large volumes of products (15 million meals per year), providing a significant market for their production. Dodatno, logistics are simplified as the platform collects products directly from farmers, avoiding trips to Rungis (main wholesale market). Contracts with public markets are secured for periods ranging from 1 Consulai_i2connect_Horizon2020+logo_1 4 godine, providing some stability to participating farmers.

Kako ste riješili problem?

Initially launched by a department, a project aiming to promote local sourcing for school canteens was expanded after involving the region. Several studies were conducted successively to assess the feasibility, profitability, and sizing of the project, as well as to identify potential productions suitable for the Île-de-France region and adjust public markets accordingly, in collaboration with agricultural chambers and taking into account feedback from farmers. The process also involved building the procurement platform and issuing corresponding public contracts. Farmers were trained by agricultural chambers to answer to public markets. At this stage, the focus is on implementing the project, particularly by finalizing the construction of the platform and transitioning to local production and distribution for school canteens.

Ono što je inovativno u vašem praktičnom slučaju?

The innovation of this project mainly lies in its structure and institutional commitment. Typically, vegetable processing facilities are not part of the public sector, but in this case, a Public Local Company (SPL) was established to manage the platform, with the region and the department as the main shareholders. What is innovative is the significant institutional commitment of the region and the department to collective catering, taking control of this competence. Štoviše, the project involves setting up tools capable of managing large volumes (15 million meals per year, with 110 delivery points), which is generally the domain of wholesalers. In summary, the innovation lies in creating a public structure to manage the platform, as well as in the strong commitment of regional and departmental institutions to large-scale collective catering.

Koji su čimbenici uspjeha u rješavanju problema?

Producers who responded to the tenders managed to obtain public contracts, demonstrating the effectiveness of the training provided. A key success factor was also the ability to find producers capable of meeting the requirements of public contracts. This underscores the importance of identifying and selecting suitable producers to ensure the smooth operation of the project.

Naučene lekcije

The collaboration between project shareholders and agricultural chambers enabled the integration of essential agricultural perspectives into the project. This involvement facilitated a better definition of specifications and an adaptation of tender evaluation criteria, taking into account farmers’ viewpoints. The contribution of agricultural chambers was crucial to ensure that tender processes and criteria better reflected farmers’ needs and realities.

What role does the advisor or advisory service play with the practical case?

Agricultural chambers played a crucial role in several aspects of the project:

  • Contributing to the definition of lots in public tenders based on local productions, which helped better meet the region’s specific needs.
  • Training farmers to help them meet the requirements of public tenders, providing them with the necessary skills to effectively participate in the process.
  • Identifying local farmers, assessing their production volumes, and considering production seasons, which facilitated sourcing local products for public tenders.
  • Diagnosing agricultural productions to determine which ones were most relevant to integrate into the project, based on local needs and constraints.

In summary, agricultural chambers acted as an essential link between farmers, institucija, and the project as a whole, contributing to its success.

 

Može li se vaš pristup prenijeti i/ili prilagoditi drugim inovacijskim izazovima i regijama?

Da

Procijenjena prenosivost na ljestvici od 1 Consulai_i2connect_Horizon2020+logo_1 5

(gdje 1 je lako i 5 vrlo teško)

3

 

Za razmjenu iskustava o dobroj praksi, please contact

Colombine Lesage

colombine.lesage@idf.chambagri.fr