General Qualfarm Project Description

The general and main objective of the project is to activate innovative entrepreneurship in the field of quality processing of agricultural products, with special emphasis on "in-house" processing, i.e. on farms or small workshops. This will be achieved through the provision of education, training and personal guidance in matters of innovation, marketing, food safety and branding by specialized business support structures that will be created in the premises of the beneficiaries of the QUALFARM project.

The innovation and cross-border nature of the project lies in the following:

(a) Creates specialized support structures.

(b) It adopts a specific cross-border approach in an effort to create a distinct identity in terms of quality agricultural products.

(c) It adopts a sustainable approach to business support through the creation of the QUALFARM cross-border network.

(d) It adopts the LEADER approach, which is linked to local empowerment through local strategy development and resource allocation.

The main tool for the implementation of the LEADER approach to spatial development and the participation of local representatives in decision-making are Local Action Groups (LAGs). To this end, the QUALFARM network will seek the active participation of all stakeholders, involve all sections of the local community and create a long-term development plan and cooperation for the in-house processing of agricultural products in the QUALFARM cross-border area and set up four Business Support Offices within the premises of the four project beneficiaries. The project activities cover the rural areas of Evros (Greece), Haskovo, Smolyan and Kardzali (Bulgaria). The above support structures will be responsible for providing guidance, training and continuous support, with the aim of activating innovative entrepreneurship and supporting the existing in the field of processing agricultural products, with a particular emphasis on small-scale “in-house” processing of local quality products, produced by small farms and by the most dynamic sections of the rural population (women, young graduates, etc.). The end-users of the project activities include farmers and members of farm households, as well as SMEs active in the agri-food sector. The basic idea of the project and the partnership was developed based on the experience of participating (in QUALFARM) Local Action Groups (LAGs), which showed that entrepreneurship in rural areas is hindered by some common challenges, namely:

(a) Difficulty in obtaining financing

(b) Limited access of entrepreneurs to business know-how

(c) Restricted access to information and contacts

(d) Lack of support services

(e) Lack of access/expertise regarding cost-saving technologies and

(f) Inadequate skills