November 22, 2024
Austria and Donau Soja to extend strategic partnership for sustainable farming
The Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation, and Donau Soja, an organisation supporting sustainable European Non-GMO soybean production, have announced the extension of their strategic partnership until 2029.
Over the next five years, the partnership will allocate EUR 11 million (US$11.5 million) to support the private sector in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, and Ukraine. The initiative aims to promote the cultivation of sustainable, traceable, European, and GMO-free protein crops such as soy while advancing environmentally friendly agricultural practices and climate protection.
The extended partnership builds on the success of the first collaboration, which spanned from 2017 to 2024. Unlike the earlier phase, which concentrated on soy and soy products, the new initiative will expand its scope to include crops such as corn, wheat, and beans. The focus will be on increasing economic efficiency, advancing digital agriculture, preserving the environment, reducing poverty, and improving market opportunities for agricultural products from the four countries in Western Europe.
"Farmers in the project countries and food production in the EU will also benefit from the new partnership, thanks to the systemic approach of building sustainable value chains. Our strategic partnership thus makes a valuable contribution both to poverty reduction in the project countries and to climate and environmental protection," said Susanne Fromwald, secretary general of Donau Soja.
The first strategic partnership led to significant progress in sustainable and GMO-free soy cultivation in the region. It successfully expanded cultivation areas, increased yields, and developed soy products for the Western European market. The initiative resulted in 2.3 million tonnes of sustainably produced soybeans cultivated on over one million hectares of arable land. More than 14,000 farmers and 160 processing companies benefited from the programme, supported by investments totalling EUR 9 million.
The programme also gained support from European food chains, which fostered production and processing through various protein partnerships. Since 2017, soy cultivation areas have grown by 18% in Serbia, 40% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 34% in Ukraine.
"Donau Soja helped us farmers introduce higher standards and the same growing conditions as in the EU. Today, 20% of Ukrainian soy production meets the strict EU standards," said Sergiy Galashevskyy, general manager of the Ukrainian certification body Organic Standard.
Since 2017, ADA and Donau Soja have collaborated with ministries, universities, research institutes, inspection bodies, seed companies, farmers' associations, and food safety agencies to promote sustainable farming practices.
The upcoming phase of the partnership will prioritise climate, environmental, soil, and water protection, alongside biodiversity and poverty reduction in the target countries. The initiative will emphasise knowledge transfer in digital agriculture, improved access to financing, and the adoption of new EU legislation, such as the EU Deforestation Regulation and the reporting requirements of the Green Deal.
- AquaFeed
