By implementing the organic agriculture component of the Greening Economies in the Eastern Neighbourhood (EaP-Green) project, which started in 2013 and concluded in 2018, UN Environment aimed to:
- Collect and disseminate background information on the current state of national organic sectors, trade activities, and capacity needs in the Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian (EECCA) region;
- Enhance stakeholders’ understanding of the current opportunities associated with the development of organic agriculture as well as its connection to poverty reduction, environmental management, and sustainable trade opportunities;
- Increase production and trade of organic agricultural products by building farm- and company-level capacity to link distribution chains to growing European and international organic markets.
The project conducted two main activities:
1. Providing training, market information, and marketing tools to farms and producers
Specific activities included:
- Offering market information and training to organic producers with a focus on exports to the EU and documenting best practices of organic exporters;
- Guiding selected companies in branding and marketing their products and supporting their participation in high-profile international organic trade fairs;
- Training selected companies/farmers on organic agriculture and certification practices;
- Piloting awareness raising and media campaigns to boost supply and demand of organic products on the domestic market.
The following video was produced as part of the EaP GREEN project to increase awareness of the benefits of organic products in Moldova.
2. Organizing regional workshops and conferences on organic agriculture with the participation of the private sector, export promotion bodies, and policy-makers. These workshops served to:
- Develop capacity and share information about the economic, environmental and poverty reduction benefits of investing in organic agriculture;
- Create momentum in the region for transitioning towards a green economy through organic agriculture.
For example, around 200 participants from 35 countries gathered to discuss the development of the organic sector in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 16-17, 2015, at the 5th International Conference on Organic Sector Development in Eastern European countries and the Caucasus.
