Vegetable production plays a significant role for small farmers in the protected area of the "Golija" Nature Park, primarily in the production of potatoes. Bearing in mind the above, as well as the fact that the Network for Rural Development of Serbia, on the basis of a developed methodology, chose the value chain of vegetable growing as one of the two chains for which a consultative process will be carried out with the aim of assessing the state and prospects for its development.

The Network for Rural Development of Serbia, in the continuation of the consultative process with actors in the value chain of the wine sector, continued to assess the situation in the value chain with small wine producers and other actors.

The second consultative meeting was held on November 23, 2024. in Paraćin. The participants, together with the representatives of the Network, conducted a value chain analysis, a SWOT analysis, along with the definition of possible solutions and recommendations.

Vegetable production in certain regions of Serbia plays a significant role for small farmers, so the Network for Rural Development of Serbia, based on a developed methodology, chose this value chain as one of the two chains for which a consultative process will be carried out with the aim of assessing the state and prospects for its development . The target group are small producers who are engaged in the primary production of vegetables, and a smaller part in their processing into traditional products, such as ajvar.

Based on the developed methodology, the Network for Rural Development of Serbia has chosen the value chain of the wine sector as one of the two chains for which the consultative process will be carried out, with the aim of assessing the state and prospects for the development of this value chain. Small wine producers were defined as the target group, and the wine sector was assessed as one of the sectors that has the potential to attract young farmers to engage in it.

Within the framework of the regional project “Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans – Our shared European future”, funded by European Commission, the Farm to Fork Academy is being launched (Fact sheet of the project:

The Network for Rural Development of Serbia realized a two-day national training on agroecology from 24 - 26.7.2024 in Crni vrh on Stara planinina. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the following topics:

Within the framework of the regional project “Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans – Our shared European future”, funded by European Commission, the Farm to Fork Academy is being launched (Fact sheet of the project: https://www.ruralsrbija.rs/index.php/srl/vest/projekat-akademija-od-polja-do-stola-za-zeleni-zapadni-balkan-nasa-zajednicka-evr

The project "Academy "From the field to the table" for the Green Western Balkans - Our common European future" is implemented in the region of the Western Balkans, namely: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia. The project is jointly implemented by six national networks for rural development (NRDN) from the Western Balkans (ZB-6) and Croatia.

The Network for Rural Development of Serbia, in cooperation with 6 other networks for rural development in the Balkans, has started the implementation of the project "Academy from field to table for a green Western Balkans - our common European future" funded by the European Union.

The project has the following objectives:

•    Strengthen the capacities of CSOs in the sustainable food and livelihood system through the regional "From Field to Table Academy".

The three main difficulties encountered by scientists and policy-makers to grasp the diversity of situations are the lack of consensus in conceptualising and defining “rural”, the lack of relevant data at the appropriate granulometry, and the lack of practical tools to help align territorial diagnosis with place-based policies. The European project GRANULAR – which stands for “Giving Rural Actors Novel Data and Re-Usable Tools to Lead Public Action in Rural Areas” – will contribute to bridge this gap.