BOOST Balkans project sub-grant
Under the National call: Supporting Local Impact of the Civil Society Initiatives in the Western Balkans
Project title: “Green Growth for Young Professionals through Digital Agriculture”
Project Overview
Main Lot: 2- Rural development and environmental protection
Secondary Lot: 1-Youth and entrepreneurship
Project Coordinator: Green Growth Platform
Project Contributors: AgFutura Technologies and Faculty of Agriculture – Goce Delchev University of Shtip
Project starting date: 1 November 2025
Project end date: 31 October 2026
Project duration: 12 months
Funding: BOOST Balkans Grant, BOOST – Balkans for Optimising Opportunities, Sustainability and Transformation of Civil Society 3-year project implemented by ALDA- European Association for Local Democracy and supported by AFD – Agence Française de Développement.
Main Objective
To develop and implement the curriculum of Green Growth for Young Professionals through Digital Agriculture, empowering young agricultural professionals with advanced competencies in digital agriculture and agribusiness management. By equipping them with cutting-edge skills, the initiative aims to accelerate digital transformation in agriculture, promote environmental sustainability, and stimulate economic development in rural areas.
Target Groups
Direct beneficiaries – 20 young professionals (aged 20–29) engaged in or pursuing careers in the agricultural sector. Preference will be given to applicants from rural areas, with particular attention to young women, those from marginalized socio-economic backgrounds, and underrepresented communities.
Indirect recipients – local farming communities and SMEs (benefit from the spillover of digital skills and best practices applied by trained participants on the ground) and educational institutions and civil society organizations (will gain access to newly developed training materials and knowledge resources).
Specific objectives
SO1 Establish a multidisciplinary pool of experts spanning agricultural, environmental, and economic sciences, responsible for curriculum development and training provision.
SO2 Develop and implement an innovative blended-format educational program including theoretical (webinars for each module) and practical education (training sessions which consist of field demonstration and practical exercises with expert assistance).
SO3 Strengthen capacity and encourage youth engagement through empowering young professionals and students in agriculture by providing knowledge, mentorship, fostering career transitions, and counteracting brain-drain by creating attractive professional pathways in agriculture.
SO4 Facilitate structured and impactful interactions between educational institutions and the business/advisory sectors to support rural development and strengthen economic and social connections.
SO5 Improve agricultural sustainability and resilience by promoting advanced digital technologies in agriculture to address local agricultural challenges, such as climate change, soil degradation, and water scarcity.
Project Activities
Activity 1: Expert team foundation and curriculum development
This Expert Team will develop a detailed curriculum featuring eight modules: seven focusing on digital agriculture fundamentals (soil management, seeding, irrigation, crop protection, crop nutrition, harvest) and one on business development, entrepreneurship and soft skills.
Activity 2: Launching the Agri-Tech-Business Academy
– Phase 1: Participant Selection – An open call will invite 20 young professionals from the agricultural sector.
– Phase 2: Program implementation – Blended learning experience comprised of 8 Webinars and 10 Practical Training Sessions.
Activity 3: Hackathon Preparation and Execution
One-day hackathon where participants apply their new skills to address real-world agricultural challenges. Divided into five teams of four, guided by mentors, the participants will develop digital solutions for a specific crop and will pitch their ideas to a jury of experts from academia, local government, and the agribusiness sector.
Activity 4: Dissemination and Communication
Strategic outreach campaign implemented through promotional activities, communication activities and event organization.
Social media: https://www.facebook.com/boost.balkans, https://www.facebook.com/ALDA.Europe, https://www.facebook.com/aldabalkans, https://www.facebook.com/AFDOfficiel