Anne Clermontelle, agri-food strategies expert, presented the Interreg Sudoe project AGROSMARTcoop during our 1st plenary meeting for 2017, held the 25th of January, 2017 at the common office of Hessen, Emilia-Romagna and Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Brussels.
The AGROSMARTcoop project is a European project cofinanced at 75% by the Interreg Sudoe programme 2014-2020 through the ERDF and is about the integration, competitiveness and intelligent economic growth of agri-food cooperatives in the Sudoe rural areas. The consortium has 24 months and a total budget of 1 295 000 € to implement its activities, which means 925 000 € of ERDF help.
The project aims to attenuate the disadvantages of rural areas belonging to the Sudoe and to promote their economic development through the support of their agri-food cooperatives. Its main objective is to create an intelligent space for promotion, networking and interaction between agri-food cooperatives of the Sudoe, with advanced structures, tools and services to support and improve the technological innovation, the management, marketing and the competitiveness of cooperatives with the sharing of knowledge and best practices.
AGROSMARTcoop will focus on 5 strategic sectors: meat, milk, fruits and vegetables, oil and wine.
Project activities are divided into 3 work packages:
WP1. The analysis of the adaptative capacity of agri-food cooperatives from the Sudoe to the current market, with a benchmarking of strengths and needs of agri-food cooperatives of the Sudoe, especially regarding eco-marketing and sustainable technological innovation;
WP2. The development and invigoration of the virtual platform of intercooperation for the agri-food cooperatives which will provide informations, technical advices and trainings to agri-food cooperatives of the Sudoe;
WP3. Actions for the dissemination and the fostering of scientific and technological knowledge with awareness campaigns on innovative practices between agri-food cooperatives and with forums and seminars on eco-innovation and eco-marketing.
The project covers 6 Regions of the South-West of Europe: Galicia, Castilla-La Mancha, Basque Country and Extremadura in Spain, Norte Region in Portugal and Nouvelle-Aquitaine in France.
The consortium is composed of 8 partners with 5 cooperatives unions and 2 research centers. The coordinator is AGACA – Association of agri-food cooperatives of Galicia in Spain.
AREPO has participated to the construction phase of the project and is integrated to the consortium as an internal partner. AREPO has a budget of 112 500 euros cofinanced at 75% by the ERDF to implement its activities, which means 84 375 € of ERDF help. Its main activities will begin at the end of 2017.
With expertises in the promotion of the quality of agri-food products and its network of Regions, AREPO will bring its experience to improve the marketing strategies of agri-food cooperatives and will play a key role in activities of promotion, networking and results dissemination to its member Regions and to strategic political representatives. AREPO is in charge of the coordination of the Working Group 3 whose activities and working methodology will be defined in the months to come.
