AGRI-ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME FOR CROATIA
The project was implemented from April 2012 until December 2016 by a Consortium composed of three organisations: AVALON from the Netherlands, ÖKL from Austria and Ecologica from Croatia. The Associate Partners in the project were two UK-based organisations: the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism (EFNCP). The Client was the Ministry of Environment and Energy in the Republic of Croatia, and the project was financed by a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The budget of the project was EUR 1,009,320.00
The goal of the project was to prepare measures for nature conservation, and corresponding payments, to be incorporated into Measure 10: Agri-environment-climate of the Croatian Rural Development Programme for the period 2014-2020. The project was expected to increase the capacity of relevant stakeholders to access and utilise EU nature conservation/rural development funds, and to raise awareness about the significance of agri-environment schemes for nature conservation. The project addressed four major target groups: (i) farmers; (ii) nature protection and agricultural administrations; (iii) employees from Park and County institutions for nature protection; and (iv) agricultural extension officers.
The project consisted of six interrelated activities which were divided into sub-activities:
A proposal of agri-environment measures for nature conservation and a calculation of payments for nature conservation measures under the agri-environment scheme were preprared. The proposed nature conservation agri-environment scheme consisted of 11 measures: 4 measures for grasslands, 2 measures for arable land, 2 measures for permanent crops, 2 measures for the preservation of landscape features (hedges and dry-stone walls) and 1 measure for the development of nature conservation plans to be carried out on farms. Out of the 11 measures for nature conservation originally proposed by the project, no fewer than 9 were built into the Croatian Rural Development Programme 2014–2020. The ratio of 5:1 in favour of nature conservation measures versus those for the environmental protection (of soil and water) is unique within the EU (with most programmes this ratio is in favour of environmental protection, not nature conservation). Furthermore, due to the project, the payments per hectare for nature conservation measures under Croatian Rural Development Programme are among the highest in the EU. The project also prepared an administrative model of payments for agri-environment nature conservation measures, as well as a system for monitoring agri-environmental indicators for nature conservation.
In the course of the project 1,005 farmers were surveyed: 956 via the training needs assessment survey and 49 via a survey for the demonstration programme. About 1,150 persons participated at workshops, mostly farmers: 25 at the training session for nature protection inspectors, 78 in focus groups, 152 at workshops on collaboration between farmers and public authorities, about 200 at the annual workshops and 712 at the regional workshops. More than 100 Farm Advisory Service employees and >100 public authority employees participated in the project activities. Avalon and its team visited 40 farms, sent about 2,000 emails, traveled >23,000 km by car and produced about 1,400 pages of text.
The goal of the project was to prepare measures for nature conservation, and corresponding payments, to be incorporated into Measure 10: Agri-environment-climate of the Croatian Rural Development Programme for the period 2014-2020. The project was expected to increase the capacity of relevant stakeholders to access and utilise EU nature conservation/rural development funds, and to raise awareness about the significance of agri-environment schemes for nature conservation. The project addressed four major target groups: (i) farmers; (ii) nature protection and agricultural administrations; (iii) employees from Park and County institutions for nature protection; and (iv) agricultural extension officers.
The project consisted of six interrelated activities which were divided into sub-activities:
- Activity 1: Assessment of cross-compliance conditions
- Activity 2: Preparation of nature conservation measures under the agri-environment scheme
- Activity 3: Awareness-raising and training
- Activity 4: Supporting nature conservation policy by preparing studies and analytical reports on agricultural and nature
- Activity 5: An agri-environment demonstration programme
- Activity 6: Project management.
A proposal of agri-environment measures for nature conservation and a calculation of payments for nature conservation measures under the agri-environment scheme were preprared. The proposed nature conservation agri-environment scheme consisted of 11 measures: 4 measures for grasslands, 2 measures for arable land, 2 measures for permanent crops, 2 measures for the preservation of landscape features (hedges and dry-stone walls) and 1 measure for the development of nature conservation plans to be carried out on farms. Out of the 11 measures for nature conservation originally proposed by the project, no fewer than 9 were built into the Croatian Rural Development Programme 2014–2020. The ratio of 5:1 in favour of nature conservation measures versus those for the environmental protection (of soil and water) is unique within the EU (with most programmes this ratio is in favour of environmental protection, not nature conservation). Furthermore, due to the project, the payments per hectare for nature conservation measures under Croatian Rural Development Programme are among the highest in the EU. The project also prepared an administrative model of payments for agri-environment nature conservation measures, as well as a system for monitoring agri-environmental indicators for nature conservation.
In the course of the project 1,005 farmers were surveyed: 956 via the training needs assessment survey and 49 via a survey for the demonstration programme. About 1,150 persons participated at workshops, mostly farmers: 25 at the training session for nature protection inspectors, 78 in focus groups, 152 at workshops on collaboration between farmers and public authorities, about 200 at the annual workshops and 712 at the regional workshops. More than 100 Farm Advisory Service employees and >100 public authority employees participated in the project activities. Avalon and its team visited 40 farms, sent about 2,000 emails, traveled >23,000 km by car and produced about 1,400 pages of text.