Project “Sustainable Development of the Dobrudja Region through the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union”

The overall objective of this information campaign is to promote and raise public discussion about the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Bulgaria and Romania as a system of European Union agricultural subsidies and programmes designed inter alia to assist the sustainable development of the rural regions and biodiversity protection. The aim of the initiative was to support the popularization of the measures related to the agro-ecology in the Bulgaria-Romania cross border region.

The specific objective of the campaign is to clarify how CAP can influence the development and competitiveness of sustainable agriculture in Bulgaria and Romania, and how organic farmers in the cross-border Dobrudja region can utilize the opportunities provided by the CAP to improve their market position and their prospects for further development.

The information measure focused on the cross border region of Dobrudja, shared between Bulgaria and Romania. It was intended to offer more praxis-oriented and case study based information to potential beneficiaries of CAP measures in these countries (unlike the gross-scale information measures organized on national level in both countries).

Accordingly, the main subjects covered by this information campaign was as follows:

·         What is CAP, what are its objectives and tools especially as regards sustainable development?

·         How does CAP support sustainable development of rural regions, in particular how can farming adapt to climate change and produce bioenergy?

·         The reformed CAP and sustainable development

·         How does CAP support sustainable farming and agricultural practices in Bulgaria and Romania?

·         What are the key issues related to environmentally friendly agricultural practices and how can local farmers’ skills for introducing such practices be improved?

The target audience of the campaign was the public in rural areas in the Dobrudja region, as well as the agricultural stakeholders, farmers and other potential beneficiaries of rural development measures. The messages were targeting so called “small” stakeholders in the process of sustainable development and agriculture in the region: farmers, managers of local cooperatives, representatives of business (SMEs), local elected representatives (in the rural municipalities), civil servants, journalists, university lecturers, students. 

Activities:

·         Creating informational web portal in Bulgarian and Romanian languages;

·         Development and dissemination of informational bulletins;

·         Development and dissemination of CAP informational kit for farmers;

·         Organization of informational seminars and consultations on agro-ecological topics in Bulgaria and Romania;

·         Organization of an international conference;

·         Media publications and reports.

Results:

·         Conducted a series of training sessions and information meetings for farmers and other stakeholders;

·         Issued and disseminated information and training materials aimed at acquainting and educating farmers in four main areas - organic farming, reduction of water pollution, production of energy from agricultural production and development of eco and rural tourism;

·         Creation of an information portal in three languages ​​- Bulgarian, Romanian and English.

·         Conducted multiple focus seminars in Bulgaria and Romania aimed at disseminating information on the Common Agricultural Policy, funding opportunities for agricultural projects, good agricultural practices in Dobrudja, environmental and rural tourism, fertilization, genetically modified products, etc.

Conducted mobile training seminars providing personal consultations to producers of leading experts in the field of agro-ecological agriculture.