The 2nd workshop of the European AF4EU Project in Greece, took place on Wednesday 24 January 2024 in Valaora, Municipality of Agrafa. The meeting was attended by a total of 44 participants, farmers and representatives of the local government of the wider region of Western Evrytania, as well as the neighboring Municipality of Amfilochia. The Laboratory of Agroforestry and Forest Soil Science of the Department, which implements the project, is working in the direction of strengthening the role of farmers and beekeepers of Evrytania, creating a network of partners – managers of its rich in landscape diversity pastures (wooded meadows, grazed forests, mountain olive groves, etc.).
The coordinator of the AF4EU project for Greece, Ms. Anastasia Pantera, Professor at the Department of Forestry & Forest Management, Karpenisi welcomed the participants and presented the general elements of the project.
The proceedings of the meeting started with the presentation of Mr. Konstantinos Mantzanas (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) focusing on Special studies on pasture improvement and management studies – Compilation of grazing management plans. Mr. Mantzanas stressed in particular the necessity of drafting grazing management plans at the level of municipalities, the great deficit created by their absence among the livestock farmers of the prefecture and the possibilities of providing multiple benefits to local farmers from the agroforestry utilization of the same land with parallel productive uses.
The IB of the AF4EU project in Evrytania, Mrs. Vasiliki Lappa, informed the participants about the programme, presented the results of the 1st Workshop held in Karpenisi (July 2023) and analysed the benefits and support structure for the farmers and beekeepers participating in the programme. The best ambassadors of the project have been the cooperating farmers who have so far built a collaborative relationship with the University Laboratory in Karpenisi. They had the opportunity to present their business activities themselves and answer any questions from the attending farmers and politicians.
This was followed by a presentation by Ms. Pantera who focused on the Services offered to AF4EU partners and invited them to contribute to the formulation of a Training and Advisory Program to suit their needs, by filling in a structured questionnaire of options, so that the work of the group corresponds to the reality they are called upon to manage in order to respond to the pressures and obstacles they face on a daily basis.
Knowing the particularities of the problems of the livestock farming world of Western Evrytania, Mr. George Bakogiorgos, PhD Candidate of the Department of Forestry & Forestry, analyzed the data in the presentation entitled Opportunities and problems of agroforestry value chains in mountainous Evritania. Apart from the high costs of their production and the low prices set by the market for their products, pressing issues analyzed were: the pressures from land use changes of pasture land use attempted by the energy sector of private investments in Valaora, the conflict arising from livestock losses due to the increasing wolf population in Evrytania, the need to improve the ELGA compensation regulation so that producers are compensated quickly and at 100%. Reference was also made to the efforts to promote and certify the high quality of the region’s products, with emphasis on chalafuti (local type of cheese), honey and small ruminants’ meat, as well as the opportunities that the cottage industry offers to young producers.
This was followed by a round table of working groups, exploring the interventions that the Department of Forestry and Natural Environment Management can support, in response to the priorities of both the municipal authorities and the farmers and beekeepers of Evrytania.
