The project fosters the growth of small and medium enterprises in the Ukrainian organic food sector by developing organic and regional food supply chains. It focuses on both national and international markets following a demand driven approach.
The project aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the country’s organic sector by:
The project develops two different organic value chains: arable crops and dairy products, both of which have a strong market potential. The certified organic arable crop value chain (component 1) targets the export market, while the certified organic dairy value chain (component 2) is aimed at the domestic market. The development of these value chains will be accompanied by measures to increase the availability and quality of consulting services (component 4) and shape a conducive business environment (component 5) for the organic sector through policy dialogue at provincial (oblast) and national levels. In addition the project seeks to promote the economic development of the Ukrainian Carpathians, an area with strong tourist potential, by establishing a Trademark for regional food products (component 3). (For details on project components see http://www.ukraine.fibl.org/ua-project-components0.html ).
The methodologies used are the "Leader Approach" and the "Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA)". The "Leader Approach" involves a direct collaboration with powerful actors within the value chain; "leaders" who have the economic means to drive the innovation process (using their own investments) and to play a pioneering role in developing new markets. The leaders also act as knowledge hubs and models for the other stakeholders within the value chain. The "PMCA" (applied to the third component of the project: the Carpathian trademark) builds trust and facilitates cooperation along the value chain, thus helping to develop and exploit new market opportunities.
