Darko Jancheski

OPEN CALL for participation in an educational program through the Agro-Tech-Business Academy

The Green Growth Platform association announces a call for applications from young professionals who are engaged in or aspiring to build a career in the agricultural sector, with the aim of receiving professional education through the Agro-Tech-Business Academy.

This call is part of the project Green Growth for Young Professionals Through Digital Agriculture, implemented within the BOOST – Balkans for Optimizing Opportunities, Sustainability and Transformation of Civil Society program, supported by ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy and ALDA Balkans, through AFD – Agence Française de Développement.

The project aims to strengthen the knowledge of young professionals in the agricultural sector in the Republic of North Macedonia by equipping them with advanced skills in digital agriculture and entrepreneurship. The objective is to accelerate digital transformation, promote sustainability, and foster economic development in rural areas.

The call is intended for young professionals aged 20 to 29 who are engaged in or aspire to pursue a career in the agricultural sector, including undergraduate or postgraduate students, recent graduates, or early-stage entrepreneurs committed to starting or advancing a professional career or business in agriculture or the food industry.

The number of participants in the Academy is limited to 20.

Apply now — we look forward to receiving your applications.

All interested candidates are required to submit their CV to: info@greengrowth-platform.org

The call is open until 31 March 2026.

More information about the project is available at the following LINK.

The views, opinions, and content expressed in this announcement are those of the Green Growth Platform association and do not necessarily reflect the official position of ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy or AFD – Agence Française de Développement. ALDA and AFD are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained in this announcement.

Darko Jancheski

Project Bio Rural national multi-actor innovation workshop: Aquatic feedstock production

The series of national innovation workshops as part of the Bio Rural project was completed with the third workshop focused on aquatic feedstock production. Green Growth Platform held the workshop in the city of Ohrid located on the northern coast of the Ohrid Lake one of the oldest lakes in Europe with a vastly diverse aquatic eco-system.

Attendees of the workshop were relevant stakeholders from the academia, technology providers, governmental bodies, fishing associations, NGOs and policy makers engaged in the sector of aquaculture, fishery and environmental protection.

The Bio Rural project`s goals and progress were presented by the president of the Green Growth Platform – Natasha Ristovska PhD along with an overview of the local bioeconomy compared to the EU`s. This bioeconomy overview was derived from the results of a survey of actors from all bio-economy sectors that was part of previous working packages of the BioRural project.

Irina Manevska MSc, a representative from the Institute of Animal Science part of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje gave an excellent lecture on the circularity in aquaculture, good practices and technologies along with a presentation of an existing innovative bio-based solution for fish quality enhancement in farming by the utilization of probiotic bacterial cultures.

The workshop was concluded with a practical exercise targeted at the implementation of potential bio-based solutions in fish farming and lake fishig and provided grass-root level ideas and inventions for small scale bio-based solutions in the particular domain of the bioeconomy.

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Darko Jancheski

Project BioRural national multi-actor innovation workshop: Bio-based solutions in bio-materials and bio-based industries

Green Growth Platform organized it`s second national capacity building workshop as part of the BioRural project. The workshop was focused on biomaterials and bio based industries. It was held at the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce and was attended by various relevant stakeholders form the field such as representatives from academia, governmental bodies, industry, NGOs and students of technology.

The BioRural project`s goals and activities were presented by the president of the Green Growth Platform – Natasha Ristovska PhD along with an overview of the local bioeconomy compared to the EU`s. This bioeconomy overview was derived from the results of a survey of actors from all bio-economy sectors that was part of previous working packages of the BioRural project.

The theoretical part of the workshop included three very insightful lectures by esteemed professors from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy – Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje closely related to the theme of the workshop. Vesna Rafajlovska PhD presented the numerous possibilities emerging from bio-waste valorization and the bio-materials that can be produced from such technologies followed by a presentation of an existing project aimed at the reduction of plastic waste by producing green composite materials with valorization of lignin by Jadranka Blazevska Gilev PhD. Finally, Jana Klopchevska PhD gave a clear overview of the national-bio economy of biomaterials.

The workshop ended with a practical exercise targeted at the implementation of potential bio-based solutions in several different value chains such as forestry and wood industries and fertilizer production. The purpose of this activity was capturing grass-root level ideas and inventions for small scale bio-based solutions in the country`s rural areas.

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Darko Jancheski

Project BioRural national multi-actor innovation workshop: Bio-based solutions in the agri-food industry

Green Growth Platform as a consortium partner in the Horizon Europe`s project BioRural organized its first out of three national multi-actor innovation workshops. The theme of this workshop was inland raw material production (feedstock), with a focus on the implementation of small-scale bio-based solutions in the agri-food industry in North Macedonia`s rural areas.

The workshop took place at the Faculty of Agriculture part of the “University of Goce Delcev” in Shtip and was attended by relevant stakeholders from the academia, technology, governmental bodies, and policy makers engaged in the agri-food sector as well as students of agriculture.

The BioRural project`s goals and activities were presented by the president of the Green Growth Platform – Natasha Ristovska PhD along with an overview of the local bioeconomy compared to the EU`s. This bioeconomy overview was derived from the results of a survey of actors from all bio-economy sectors that was part of previous working packages of the BioRural project.

A representative from Eco Solar – Zoran Trajkov presented the company’s profile and activities. Their specialty being production of solar air-dryers to be utilized in the food processing industry is an excellent example of applying the principles of circular bioeconomy in this particular value chain.

The workshop ended with a practical exercise targeted at the implementation of potential bio-based solutions in several different value chains such as primary agricultural production, viticulture and wine production and livestock and meat production. The purpose of this activity was catching grass-root level ideas and inventions for small scale bio-based solutions in the country`s rural areas.

Darko Jancheski

Digital Technologies in Sustainable Food Systems

 

The Regional Food System Dialogue Event Digital Technologies in Sustainable Food Systems was held at Hotel Holiday Inn, Skopje, North Macedonia on the 14-15 November 2023. This event was organized by Green Growth Platform and AgFutura Technologies, supported by Cities2030 project and funded by EU Horizon 2020.

The objective of the event was to identify and understand how farmers, policymakers, academia, advisors and tech providers perceive the digital transition and its impact on sustainability in the food systems.

The discussions were organized in 2 round tables and multiple tech sessions.

The idea of the Round table 1: Readiness of the agri-food sector in the Balkan region to support technological (digital) transition for sustainability, was to understand the current state of the agro food sector and its capacity to comprehend, accept and implement new technologies that will contribute for compliance to the EU agriculture and improve the business results of the sector. In this round table different stakeholders’ representatives participated: government, tech providers, donors, research and academia. The main outcomes and findings of the discussion suggest that it is very important to understand the real situation in the eco system of the agro food sector in order to develop a reform or a measure to be successful. The solution for technological transition needs to be consistent to the real needs and the technological readiness of those that drive the sector and those that create the enabling environment for the sector.

The idea of the Round table 2: Transforming the Agri-Food Systems – EU vs Balkan (Multi stakeholder perception and approach) was to present the state and the perception of key stakeholders on the operational level of the agro food system. The main representatives from farmers, academia, tech providers, and policy makers as key operational actors in the digital transition participated in the discussion. Through the experience of progressive farmers that use digital technologies in agriculture combined with examples in regional countries such as Slovenia and Croatia, an insight of the level of awareness and the perceptions for the opportunities and challenges of those that are directly involved in the agro food system was generated. The gap between the actual users of modern technologies in agriculture and those that support this process has been definitely present since the transition in the region. Understanding those that implement or support implementation of modern technologies in agriculture, their specific socio economic and behavioral needs is essential for success in digital transition.

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The specific tech sessions were dedicated to Digital technologies for achieving sustainability principles. Relevant experts from Switzerland, England, Hungary, Greece, Serbia and North Macedonia presented their technological solutions. Digital technologies play a crucial role in achieving sustainability principles by enabling organizations and individuals to monitor, manage, and mitigate their environmental impact, increase resource efficiency, and make informed decisions. Through the implementation of monitoring (remote sensing technologies), decision support (variable-rate technologies (VRT), yield monitoring, DSS, GPS tractor navigation, cloud computing), and communication technologies it’s possible to achieve the cross-cutting agricultural sustainability principles: biomass production; climate change mitigation and adaptation; biodiversity conservation; soil protection and human health.

Additionally, exhibition and synergy was organized for presentation of specific technology, equipment, innovations and EU projects. It was an excellent opportunity for networking, exchange of knowledge and experiences for all interested parties.

Darko Jancheski

The Green Growth Platform organized the regional event “Digital Technologies in Sustainable Food Systems”

GGP and AGFT have jointly organized the regional event “Digital Technologies in Sustainable Food Systems” in Skopje, North Macedonia. This outreach event presented an excellent way to gather relevant representatives from different stakeholders’ groups: policy makers, public institutions, academia-universities, faculties and institutes, technology providers, food companies, consultants, farmers, NGOs, donors, and EU projects, and to discuss important aspects of sustainability and circularity in agriculture and food industry as well as to highlight the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation and use of smart technologies in these areas.

Carbonica project representatives, Prof. George Zalidis, i-Bec from Greece, Prof. Verica Ilieva, UGD and Blagoja Mukanov, AGFT from North Macedonia participated in the Round table 1: Readiness of the agri-food sector in the Balkan region to support technological (digital) transition for sustainability, moderated by Prof. Biljana Balabamova, UGD from North Macedonia. The Round table 2: Transforming the Agri-Food Systems – EU vs Balkan (Multi stakeholder perception and approach) was moderated by Prof. Emilija Arsov, Dean at the Faculty of Agriculture, UGD from North Macedonia where guest speakers were experts from Croatia, Slovenia and North Macedonia. Carbonica was also presented in the Synergy hour dedicated to EU projects.

 

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Darko Jancheski

CARBONICA at “Days for young researchers from the faculty of agriculture” – University of Goce Delchev Shtip

Green Growth Platform attended the CARBONICA project workshop organized by the University of Goce Delchev Shtip titled “Science and practice: current state of the real conditions”. This workshop was part of the “Days for young researchers from the faculty of agriculture” event which includes a student conference, workshops and several networking events targeted at young students and scientists from the field of agriculture.

The workshop presented the main goals of the project along with the main tasks and activities encompassed in the working packages and the consortium of organizations responsible for the project implementation. Furthermore, there was a session dedicated to the basic principles and application of carbon farming and carbon farming technologies.

Finally, a tech session held by AgFutura technologies, the local consortium coordinator, explained the piloting and experiment related field activities and future steps in the project realization.

Darko Jancheski

2nd BioRural project meeting took place in Rome!

Biorural 2nd meeting

2nd BioRural project meeting took place in Rome!

Partners discussed progress and periodic achievements in the process of developing a transition framework towards a sustainable, regenerative, inclusive and just circular Bioeconomy across all Europe at local and regional scale.

BioRural team is dedicated in supporting innovators to scale-up inclusive and small-scale bio-based solutions in rural areas.

Follow us to learn more about our activities!

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Darko Jancheski

Project Ploutos – Semiannual Newsletter No 5

Project PLOUTOS semiannual Newsletter No. 5 is now available.
Stay up to date with all the news regarding this EU project.

The agri-food system is facing a major turning point. New data sharing technologies developed within PLOUTOS could revolutionize the way we produce and consume food, leading to a more sustainable future.

  • The End is just the Start of a New Chapter

This is the final PLOUTOS Newsletter.
Here you’ll find all the latest progress and updates of the project.

PLOUTOS aimed to create opportunities to rebalance the agri-food value chains, leading to a more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable systems.

The progress achieved demonstrates the commitment and dedication of the PLOUTOS consortium towards creating a more sustainable agri-food system. We are very happy to be part of this project that had a real impact on agri-food value chains!

  • New Data Sharing Architecture for Agri-food System

The agri-food system is facing a major turning point. New data sharing technologies developed within PLOUTOS could revolutionize the way we produce and consume food, leading to a more sustainable future.

  • With the finish line in sight

The pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together! Experts from different disciplines and actors within the agri-food supply chain, reconvened to exchange knowledge, experiences and best practices and create the final set of Policy Recommendations for the modern agri-food value chains.

Learn more by clicking HERE.

  • Refinement of the Sustainable Innovation Framework

The PLOUTOS Sustainable Innovation Framework (SIF) is a process that helps organizations to identify, develop, and implement sustainable innovations. The SIF is a cyclical framework, meaning that the organization can return to any of the stages at any time. This flexibility allows the organization to adapt the framework to its specific needs. The framework consists of five phases (two new stages have been added recently) which are presented and briefly explained below.

  • Updates from our Sister Projects #H2020FoodSis

               – LOWINFOOD is having an impact
               – FOODRUS e-learning course
               – FAIRCHAIN online course

  • The work doesn’t stop here

One of the most important challenges we face is the lack of access to data. Data is essential for developing accurate and actionable information that can help farmers make better decisions.

That’s why we need the next generation of innovators to step up and use their skills to collect and analyze data. With access to data, we can create digital solutions that are truly transformative for agriculture.

Access the complete newsletter through the following LINK.

Darko Jancheski

Green Growth Platform and UGD – Stip, organized a workshop dedicated to the Application of digital technologies for sustainable food systems and sustainable agriculture

 

On the 13 th of June 2023, Green Growth Platform in collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture, University Goce Delchev – Stip, organized a workshop dedicated to the Application of digital technologies for sustainable food systems and sustainable agriculture.

The event was also supported by AGFutura Technologies.

During the sessions, the current status of food loss and food waste in EU and North Macedonia was presented and the need of systematic institutional approach and legal regulation of these important issues was highlighted.

The digital solution for supporting the redistribution of surplus food from producers, retailers and farmers to the potential food recipient developed within Ploutos project in Serbia and North Macedonia was promoted.

Proactive discussion and valuable ideas were generated from different key stakeholders, researchers, policy makers, primary agricultural production and industry representatives related to technological aspects of the platform and the food donation process.

This workshop presented a great opportunity to communicate the Ploutos ideology, exchange experiences, ideas and build networks around significant topics in sustainable food production and sustainable agri-food value chains.