“Horti Eco” Strumica Association of Producers of Vegetables and Flowers

Total budget: MKD 237.600

Timeframe: 01.12.2020. – 31.05.2021 (6 months)

CONSTITUENTS

The target group of ZPGCV Horti Eco Strumica are the farmers – carriers or members of family agricultural businesses of the four municipalities from the south-east planning region (Strumica, Vasilevo, Bosilovo and Novo Selo) with the coverage of all sectors.

The presence of women farmers in the organization is of crucial importance, and therefore ZPGCV Horti Eco Strumica includes more than 65% women in its activities.

Additionally, ZPGCV Horti Eco Strumica is an organization that also develops the capacities and skills of the young farmers in the Municipality of Strumica, encourages the team work and communication among them, gives its contribution to their economic empowerment, and thus also improving the quality of living. Horti Eco Strumica includes more than 75% of young people in their activities.

ON THE PROJECT SUPPORTED BY CIVICA MOBILITAS

Frim agricultural waste to “black gold”.

BACKGROUND

In the Republic of North Macedonia, the communal hard waste, including bio-waste is stored at a landfill (legal landfills) and it is thrown at thousands of illegal landfills. Also, there is no selected collection of bio-waste. Only selective collection of paper as kind of a bio-waste is made by communal enterprises. On top of the above, in the rural communities with mainly agricultural activities, there are no official systems for waste collection. The waste treatment depends solely on the practice of waste treatment in the agricultural economies. In the agriculture sector in Macedonia there is no usage of the so-called good agricultural practice, there is no approximation and usage of the basic technical requirements for conducting agricultural work and environmental protection, i.e. it is only on paper that every farmer uses good agricultural practices, and on the other hand we are already at the end of the National Strategy for Waste Management, which envisages that by 2020 there is 50% reduction of bio-waste compared to 2008. However, it remains to be seen if possible, although the chances are small taking into consideration that with respect to the current situation in this field in the country. The agricultural waste, its proper treatment, is part of the themes that the organization has especially worked in the last several years after the effect of the climate changes has become more and more visible in our agricultural production as well, and because of the constant burning of stubble and other type of agricultural waste, and taking into consideration that the primary target group that ZPGCV Horti Eco Strumica works with are farmers, the organization itself is directly concerned about this problem and it will be actively involved in solving it.

GOALS AND RESULTS

Goal: Raising the awareness with the local rural population om green economy and the need to protect the environment.

Objective: Visible and practical implementation of the green economy principles in the agricultural waste treatment in the local community.

RESULTS

1. Increased number of farmers with practical knowledge on the need to use green economy and environment protection;
2. Developed and promoted practices for processing of agricultural waste and obtaining “black gold” – compost.

ACTIVITIES

1. Conducting research on the most frequently used practices of agricultural waste management – the research will be conducted in the four pilot municipalities where the project will take place: Strumica, Vasilevo, Bosilovo and Novo Selo, and it will be conducted with 100 farmers who will be contacted by a local researcher or visited depending the state of affairs with Corona;
2. Organizing a one-day training with 40 participants (10 participants from each municipality where the research has been conducted) on green economy, proper agricultural waste management and impact on the environment protection;
3. Mapping and identification of four family farming businesses who will collect the agricultural waste for the needs of the project and where the composters will be placed; minimum one of them should be a woman;
4. Procurement of five demonstration composters that will be placed in the previously identified farming businesses that will show interest to directly be involved in the process of compost production + SOUUD Dimitar Vlahov, Strumica;
5. Organization of trainings for production of compost from agricultural waste as a study circle in each of the demonstration farms, i.e. conducting trainings in informal way with the inhabitants around each of the agricultural businesses, and there will be a composting manual to expand the composting practice;
6. Organizing a promotional media green bio caravan which will visit the four agricultural businesses and SOUUD Dimitar Vlahov, Strumica, where composters have been placed in order to share the experience with the journalists, media, local governments and the citizens to promote the compositing practice in the broader public.