Goal of the project
Development of the organic agriculture sector in Moldova by creating an enabling environment for organic farmers.Project number
FDOV14MD07Country
- Moldova
Location
- Moldova
Sector
- Agriculture
- Sustainable farming
- Grains
- Organic production
- Seeds
Project budget
Partners
- Prograin SRL
- People in Need
- Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Institute of Genetics, Physiology and Plant Protection
Project description
Two partners in this project, Prograin SRL and The Organic Village BV, identified the production and sales of Moldovan organic grains and seeds as a business opportunity. They also recognised several obstacles. Within the project the partners intend to create a complete value chain for organic grains and seeds. The Czech NGO People in Need, with many years of experience in Moldova agribusiness, will start to conduct trainings and monitoring of farmers that want to start producing organic. By the end of the project, 20,000 ha of arable land will have been converted to sustainable organic farming. At the same time, the two companies will supply the farmers with organic seeds and fertilizers and start with setting up a certified storage and processing facility in the port of Giurgiulesti. Public partner the Academy of Sciences of Moldova will do research and work towards registration of additional organic seeds and fertilizers, as well as preparing an incentive system for organic farming. The project will also arrange for separate transportation facilities and a laboratory to test the organic produce. And last but not least, the project will provide the farmers with access to international buyers of organic grains and seeds.
For the 250 farmers involved in the project, the conversion to organic, is expected to make their farms more sustainable. Not only ecologically, but also economically. Prices for organic grains tend to be a lot higher than for conventional, and less volatile.