The first conference in Serbia on biodistricts was held at the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade
The first conference in Serbia on biodistricts “Biodistricts as a model for encouraging organic production and local economic development” was held on December 7. 2023 in the packed Ceremonial Hall of the Faculty of Agriculture in Zemun, Belgrade.
Serbia will be the first country in Southeast Europe to have its own biodistrict, it was said at the conference on biodistricts.
Biodistrict represents an area where local producers, consumers, public institutions, associations, tourist organizations, restaurateurs and other subjects cooperate and connect with each other in order to sustainably manage local resources with a focus on the most efficient use of the potential of that specific area.
The conference was organized by Serbia Organica in cooperation with the German Organization for International Cooperation and the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade.
Vladan Bogdanović, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Belgrade, pointed out that the relatively new concept of the biodistrict has attracted significant attention from the international and domestic professional public, stressing that knowledge and innovation are the two key words for sustainable development in the agro-industry.
“Biodistrict as a concept of sustainable development can be extremely important for Serbia, because our country has natural conditions for using local resources in an optimal, efficient and sustainable way with the use of local knowledge, domestic varieties and indigenous breeds of domestic animals”, said Bogdanović.
Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia, Vedrana Ilić, said that in the last year in Serbia there has been talk about biodistricts thanks to the efforts of the association Serbia Organica to apply this concept developed in the countries of the European Union and around the world to our climate where, as she said, naturally it belongs.
“We have a long common road ahead of us, but with huge prospects for success because we rely on domestic strength and energy that we draw from brave visionaries such as our organic producers,” Ilićeva said.
She pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture will continue to stimulate organic producers with record investments and the highest budgets for this economic branch.
The manager of the German Development Cooperation project – Development of the private sector in Serbia, which is implemented by GIZ, Tomislav Knežević, said that agriculture has been the focus of German Development Cooperation’s support for Serbia since the beginning, while in recent years a lot has been done to ensure and guarantee the quality of organic products, as well as to they present on foreign markets.
“Organic agriculture is the forerunner of what is today the central theme of development cooperation not only of the German government, but also of the European Union and other donor organizations, which is the green agenda,” said Knežević.
He announced the new Green Economy project, which from 2024 will support the domestic economy to meet EU standards in the sphere of green transformation, but will also connect traditional industry with scientific research and digital startup communities, with the aim of creating and developing new products. and processes that will potentially solve global economic challenges.
At the expert panel within the conference, the activities undertaken and the results achieved in the formation of the first biodistrict in Serbia, in the Kolubara district, were presented in more detail, with the exchange of experiences of local farmers: Pavle Đorđević, Dragan Sretenović, Nikola Jovanović, Ivana Simić, Serbia Organica, which initiated the establishment of the biodistrict in Serbia, international expert Dr. Huan Pablo Sciurano, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Jelena Milić and representatives of the private sector.
