Greening Agrifood in Social Economy

ended

The social economy SMEs in the agri-food sector can significantly and positively contribute to the twin transition, especially the green one, as it proposes ethical and fair models appreciated by the customers and stakeholders. The strategic importance of agri-food for the EU is underlined by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), representing about 36% of the overall budget of the EU. The project aims at building the capacity of social economy SMEs in agrifood by providing training and workshops on sustainable practices and on how to reduce their environmental footprint, namely: • Supporting the transition towards sustainable and environmentally friendly practices and production processes; • Promoting the adoption of sustainable technologies and innovations; • Building the capacity and competitiveness of social economy SMEs through knowledge transfer and skills development about sustainable practices; • Fostering transnational cooperation, best practice sharing, and promoting sustainable practices through awareness-raising efforts. In the first year, the capacity-building activities will focus on business needs and innovation; the second year, the activities will refer to specific operations of the agri-food supply chain (e.g. eco-packaging, local markets, etc.). The project will facilitate the transfer of knowledge and expertise from experts and practitioners through mentorship and coaching programs, as well as through advisory support, additional training, counselling and labelling services. The consortium of the GRAINs project is led by Diesis Network, AGCI and CRIS from Italy; Innova eg from Germany; Ukraine Social Academy from Ukraine and CLNR from Romania. The project will have a Pan-European dimension and impact ensured by the direct participation of Diesis, with its 56 members in more than 25 EU countries, and by EUROCOOP, an associated partner, with its 20 national movements of consumer cooperatives in EU.