http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/olq/documents/serbia/FAOpresBelgradevande.pdf; How GIs can contribute to sustainable rural development

2. Quality Linked to Geographical Origin and
Traditions:
How it can contribute to rural development
in South and Eastern Europe?
Objectives of the seminar
Emilie Vandecandelaere
Food Quality and Service
FAO Roma

3. Outline
• Background
• FAO programme on Quality
Linked to Geographical
Origin
• Quality linked to
geographical origin and
traditions in SEE
• Objectives of the seminar
and agenda

4. Background
• Many food specialties and traditional products as a local
inheritage, benefiting from reputation and consumers’
demand
• Their specific characteristics are linked to geographical
origin, related to natural or human resources and their
interaction, the so-called terroir
• Labels represent tools to promote these characteristics
and value on the market, in particular, geographical
indications (GIs) that can both promote and preserve this
specific quality
• Their development are quite recent internationally, and
implementation can require support

5. FAO programme on Quality Linked to
Geographical Origin

6. FAO programme on Quality Linked
to Geographical Origin
• Objective: to support implementation of specific quality
schemes contributing to sustainable rural development
• Activities:
– Regional seminars in Latin America and North Africa
– Case studies in Latin America, North Africa, South and Eastern
European countries
– Expert meeting
– Technical cooperation
• Development of support tools, provision of information
www.foodquality-origin.org

7. Labels such as GIs can be a tool to contribute to
food security and rural development:
– Adding value and market access, better income
– Chain value organization and reinforcement
– Scaling-up of quality product, international standards
and traceability
– Preservation of resources related to the specifications
(social, environmental, cultural) - constraints turned out as
assets (marginalized areas)
– Production system anchored in the territory and
potential for other rural activities (tourism)
– Consumer’s choice and food diversity
how?
FAO programme on Quality Linked
to Geographical Origin

8. FAO programme on Quality Linked
to Geographical Origin
The GIs’ implementation, a two level approach:
• Locally: voluntary, private and collective/participative
initiative… with external support:
– Putting in place: awareness, definition of specifications, delimitation of
the area, organization
– Management of the system after registration
• Legal and institutional framework:
– producers and consumers protection (intellectual property)
– general interest and local development policies (technical examination,
support for implementation, consumer awareness, tourism...)
Need for multilevel and plurisectorial
coordination

10. Quality Linked to Geographical
Origin in SEE
• Regional Conference for Europe (June 08, Innsbruck): “
Promotion of traditional regional agricultural products and
food: a further step for sustainable rural development”:
– Importance of traditionnal products: regional diets, new consumers
demand and local supply of food,
– GIs as tool to preserve traditional products as they are linked to
their local inheritage
• Case studies in collaboration with Agridea and
Seedev: Uzice ham, Tetovo bean, Livno cheese
http://www.foodquality-origin.org/EasternEuropean
Potential and importance of GIs in SEE:
• Strong cultural identities: dairy and meat products, pickles, spirits,
jams, candied fruits...
• Markets: urban and export
• But challenges...

11. Case studies (FAO, AGRIDEA, SEEDEV)
Cases Country State Territory Markets
Uzice
ham
(Zlatibor)
(smoked
beef
meat)
Serbia Appellation of
origin in 1995,
renewal
under new
law (2006)
Municipality of
Catejina (district
Zlatibor)
Medium size area (current:
647 km2, expected: 9157
km2
Neighboring export
(Croatia)
Tetovo
bean
Former
Yugoslavian
Republic of
Macedonia
Appellation of
origin in 2006
Sar Planina and
Bistra mountains
and plain, Polog
region, Albania and
Kosovo borders
Medium size area (920 Km2,
500MT, 5 municipalities)
National Reputation
Livno
cheese
(sheep
and now
with cow
milk)
Bosnia
Herzegovnia
CoP
formulated
and approved
by key
stakeholders
in January
2008
Cincar Mountain,
Polje, Livno and
Glamoc
Medium size area
(estimation 1000Km2,
41000 sheep and 13000
cows)
National reputation, export
to Croatia

12. Objectives and Agenda

13. Objectives of the seminar
1. To provide an overview of the range of
approaches to quality in the SEE region and to
highlight common points
2. To discuss lessons learned in view of making
recommendations for the SEE Region
Plenary sessions and working groups
3. To identify country needs and corresponding
concrete collaboration actions in the SEE
Region
Working groups and round table

14. 1. To provide an overview of the range of
approaches to quality in the SEE region and
highlighting common points
To exchange information on existing approaches relating to:
– The role of national and regional level government policies
– The legal and institutional framework, especially existing or
potential certification and monitoring systems
– Problems encountered at institutional level
Plenary Sessions of 3 December
– Organization of local actors
– The advantages and constraints of quality approaches
– The problems encountered and possible and/or actual solutions
at local level
Plenary Sessions on 4 December

15. 2. To discuss lessons learned in view of
making recommendations for the SEE
Region
In particular:
– what institutions, what rules, what legal forms in order to ensure
identification, protection, optimization, promotion, information,
evaluation etc.?
Plenary Sessions of 3 December and working group 2
– What form of area-level organization for the management of
origin-linked quality ?
Plenary Sessions on 4 December and working group 1
– How are relations between the two levels established?
Working groups 1,2,3

16. 3. To identify country needs and
corresponding concrete collaboration
actions in the SEE Region
• To identify actors’ needs in order to implement quality approaches,
with a view to formulating appropriate responses :
– government and policy-maker level
– local level
• To define the role of each actor in terms of project coordination,
networking, funding (support from countries with experience in this
sphere etc.)
• Proposals for development of activities and tools (handbook of
recommendations, awareness-raising, training of actors etc.)
Working group 3 and round table
Importance of a regional approach with multilevel
and multisectorial approaches

17. Agenda
First day:
Plenary sessions:
• Challenges for the South-eastern European Region
• The International Context for GIs
• Harmonisation of the legal framework among the South-
eastern European countries and with the EU regulations
• The institutional network for an efficient establishment,
control and protection of GIs

18. Agenda
Second day:
Plenary sessions:
• Definition and upgrading of product: problems and solutions
• The local organization around GIs
Working groups
– Topic 1: Main gaps and technical assistance needs at farmers
and processors level.
– Topic 2: Main gaps and technical assistance needs at
institutional
– Topic 3: Common regional problems: what possible regional
cooperation / synergies.
Round table: the way forward.
To identify country needs and corresponding concrete collaboration
actions in the SEE Region

19. Working groups
• Topic 1: Main gaps and technical assistance
needs at farmers and processors level
• Topic 2: Main gaps and technical assistance
needs at institutional level
• Topic 3: Common regional problems: what
possible regional cooperation / synergies

20. Thank you
Presentations and proceedings will be on line:
http://www.foodquality-origin.org/serbia