Agro Business Academy is Co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and by national funds of the countries participating in the Cooperation Programme Interreg VA “Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020. The budget is 503,838.25 euro.
The “Agro-business academy” project has been launched, through which a new business niche will be developed in the cross-border region of Greece and Bulgaria.
Aimed at common challenges, the project develops an innovative approach based on international achievements and business trends to provide a support system for SMEs. The Agritourism Business Academy will develop and provide professional lessons and video training for entrepreneurs and employees; two experimental fields will provide planting material to farmers; a mobile application for alternative tourism, as a new solution, will map target entrepreneurs, expand the possibility of market realization of regional products and services and stimulate alternative tourism visits; The web portal will provide digitized materials and scientific know-how to facilitate the business administration efforts of SMEs.
The planned initiatives contribute positively to increasing the competitiveness of the local and international markets by presenting exceptional products – organic wines from local varieties, bio-agro-wine tourism products and others. The special varieties that will be examined during events and trainings have their own history and terroir. It is these varieties that offer exclusivity of flavors and aromas that attract the attention of consumers of premium goods. In this way, through the development of a niche market in the cross-border territory, unique biological products will be presented, part of the bio-agro tourism sector. Choosing a niche and unique product leads to extremely good business development.
Project participants will have the opportunity to get to know and enter new markets, expand their production and increase production capacity.
The project has a positive impact on the agricultural sector and related businesses, especially in the viticulture sector, as well as related agritourism. Moreover, through its implementation, an innovative approach is developed based on international achievements and business trends to provide a support system for SMEs. The Agritourism Business Academy will develop and provide professional lessons and video training for entrepreneurs and employees; two experimental fields will provide seedlings to farmers; the mobile application, as a new solution, will map target entrepreneurs, expand the possibility of market realization of regional products and services and strengthen alternative tourist visits; The web portal will provide digitized materials and scientific know-how to facilitate the business administration efforts of SMEs. The Academy will continue to provide consultancy and training after the end of the project.
The project uses the latest technology -VR (virtual reality) in terms of application development and the web portal, thereby increasing the maximum efficiency of the services described.
Some of the business benefits will be:
• Increasing the competitiveness of the local and international market by presenting exceptional products from exceptional varieties that have their own history and terroir.
• Diversification of entrepreneurs’ products and services, which will strengthen their competitiveness
• Adding additional economic value in terms of acquiring know-how, knowledge and new practices in wine production and wine tourism.
• Adding additional economic value to the land and increasing its price.
• Possibilities for bio-wine tourism.
• Development of a new business niche – bio and agro-tourism, bio wine tourism.
• Increased skills and knowledge of human capital in HORECA and tourism business
Target group of the project: winegrowers and wine producers; farmers, owners and staff of the HORECA sector, tourism sector, etc. on both sides of the trans-border region.
The project will prioritize young entrepreneurs and/or women entrepreneurs from the TGS region when forming the target groups.
Special attention will be paid to geographical areas with a lack of business support structures and minority populations in the eligible area of Bulgaria and Greece.
The project Agro Business Academy is Co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and by national funds of the countries participating in the Cooperation Programme Interreg VA “Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020”. The contents of this material are sole responsibility of the Eurointegra Association and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union, the participating countries the Managing Authority and the Joint Secretariat.