2.4.2. ADEPT Pag. 1 of 4

Short Schedule Farm/Company

Name: ADEPT Web site: www.fundatia-adept.org E-mail:

Place

Country: Romania Region: Transylvania City: Saschiz

Product Type Promoting local farm products, processing in modern hygiene conditions and marketing tools

Reference year 2008/09

Farm description

Start point/Challange

Successful elements

Output/Effects

Agricultural Development and Environmental Protection in Transylvania Marketing

in a Rural Biodiversity conservation and community development in Transylvania

Region

ADEPT TRANSYLVANIA

Description

ADEPT is a charity Agricultural Development and Environmental Protection in Transylvania, Romania. The ADEPT’s objective is the protection of biodiversity and landscape, linked to economic regeneration of the area such that each supports the other. The ADEPT projects are focused on the Tarnava Mare area of Transylvania, an area of exceptional natural and cultural heritage. It is important, because it is one of the first major projects in the EU designed of combining commercial and bio-diversity interests. The project has the following components:

- investment in natural farming, organic food processing and marketing - maintenance of agro-biodiversity mainly natural grassland habitats - support of local farmers for sustainable land use, encouragement of

organic agriculture and farmer networks - regeneration of village economies through promotion of sustainable

livelihoods, micro-enterprises (tourism, traditional crafts).

Biodiversity Generating income for the local population by giving value to and promoting traditional farm products in respect of the regional biodiversity and cultural heritage. Food

Tourism

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ADEPT

Start Point

The basic ideas of the ADEPT members were the wish to sustain the economic development of a region by using the areas natural resources. The starting point was the wish of preserving cultural heritage in Saxon Villages, that will be lost if the villages fail to survive economically. Strengthening of the local economy, using the cultural and the natural heritage as a motor of development, could be achieved after reaching some important tasks:

- landscape preservation - tourism development - marketing of natural/ecological products - market identity (brand) - promotion of local food (jams, bread, sausages) - co-operations and sponsoring (Orange, OTP bank, slow

food) - fund raising (Darwin, EU) - lobbying (ministries, local government)

Farm description

Start point/Challange

Successful elements

Output/Effects

Challenge

Never give up! Always try to find the best channels to reach the customers’ expectations!

Since the rich biodiversity is directly linked to the land use methods (extensive agriculture and grazing, rotational harvesting and coppicing of woodlands), the greatest threats facing the biodiversity in the short-term comes from the abandonment of these traditional land management techniques. Therefore, it was necessary to develop an integrated system of production, processing and marketing based on organically grown products combined with elements of eco-tourism. A considerable element of marketing was the creation of a regional brand. From the social point of view, it is still very difficult to invite people to act as a group. The second difficulty is to show the local people the values they have. They have a type of blindness for their wealth. It is also necessary to teach them to understand the needs of urban clients and the expectations tourists have while visiting the villages.

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ADPT

Success elements

The ADEPT project covers a total area of approx. 1,400 km2 including 42 Saxon Villages and a population of about 20,000. In a period of 5 years a complete system of different measures could be linked, that shows a very strong effect on the identity and the development of a small region. The main village Saschiz gives an example of how this bunch of tasks creates a high public awareness, interest and acknowledgement. These are preconditions for a sustainable development in all parts, commercialisation of food products, tourism, crafts and ecological environment. That will subsequently lead to a higher awareness of the cultural and natural heritage and its appreciation by the local population.

Farm description

Start point/Challange

Successful elements

Output/Effects

Direct outputs of the project are: IN EVIDENCE

- A tourist information centre in Saschiz PRODUCT PRESENTATION: - Indicators on forest tracks for tourists

- Route map for hikers and cyclists - Growing market for the local products in the region, in the capital and

international (slow food Italy) - KEEPING THE BRAND - ATTRACTIVE PACKAGES

- Creation of a local brand - NICE PRESENTATION - Hygiene courses for food processing and a leaflet for producers with the

national and the EU-regulations - DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCTS’

- a “food barn” for processing food under best hygiene conditions open to all producers from the village

CHARACTERISTICS

E X E R C I S E S - How can we motivate people to cooperate? - How can we motivate people to believe in their potential and in the

values they have? - How can we create public awareness? - How can we promote traditional food? - How can we introduce a local brand?

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CASE STUDY END…...an end is always

a new start...

ADPT

Output/Effects

Farm description

Start point/Challange

Successful elements

Output/Effects

- The result from years of hard work with farmers of different social classes can be seen by the standards of living the involved farmers have. - They managed to create a market for local traditional products. - The interest in their products is growing constantly all over the country (Ministries, news papers, television, clients, slow food, other NGO’s). - Cooperating with other associations or farms helped them as well to be known, and to improve the market of the traditional ecological products. - Last, but not least, the whole project achieved its targets by:

- Protecting biodiversity, landscape, natural and cultural heritage, traditional farming, traditional food.

- Improving the living standards of the farmers - Developing a market for the future

Discussion Questions/Remarks - Which are the benefits of working with different farmers? - How to start a farming project? - How to improve the products’ quality in order to fight the competition?

www.discovertarnavamare.ro www.fundatia-adept.org

Further investigations

K e y p o i n t s f o r t r a n s f e r a b i l i t y

Sustainable economic development Nature and landscape preservation Processing under best hygiene conditions Direct marketing Local traditional food Cooperation Clients’ awareness Local brand