Value chain driven development of rural areas in Eastern Europe

During the International Green Week 2015 in Berlin, IAMO and the agricultural economics working group of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations will hold an expert panel discussion at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) that is to take place on 15 January 2015.

High ranking representatives from politics, business and science will participate in this event entitled “Value chain driven development of rural areas in Eastern Europe – perspectives for food, fuel and fibre”. Based from a value chain perspective for food, fuel and fibre speakers of the expert panel will discuss the opportunities and obstacles for the development of rural areas in Eastern Europe by participating in the growing global demand for food, energy and raw material.

Due to the high agricultural production potential of eastern European countries that is still not realized to its full possibilities, international experts underline the role of this region to cope with the growing demands for food, energy production and renewable resources.

These expectations meet a multifarious picture of agricultural development in Eastern Europe. Southern Russian regions as well as central Ukrainian regions with high fertile soils and easy access to export harbours are already successful realizing opportunities in cereals and oilseeds production by using modern production technology.

The investment support of the state program for development of agriculture enabled some Russian regions like Belgorod and Voronesh to establish new value chains for animal production and substitute partially former imported products. Other value chains with high potential value added like production and processing of milk, fruits and vegetables are still missing sufficient growth dynamics.

But even state support was not able to stop the decline of farming activities and breakdown of rural infrastructure in more remote regions with less favourable conditions for agriculture. Demographic change and ongoing migration of young people to the cities is to be expected to even accelerate structural change in rural areas.

The expert panel discussion will be held on 15 January 2015, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, in Hall M2/M3 of the CityCube Berlin. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in German, English and Russian. Admission will be free of charge. Interested media representatives are invited to register at presse@iamo.de until 9 January 2015.

On 17 January 2015, from 9 am to 3 pm, IAMO will also be present at GFFA’s cooperation market of the CityCube Berlin. Come to the IAMO booth to talk to researchers and to get information on the institute’s research activities. Bookings can be made until 9 January 2015 under: www.gffa-berlin.de/en

About IAMO

The Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) analyzes economic, social and political processes of change in the agricultural and food sector, and in rural areas. The geographic focus covers the enlarging EU, transition regions of Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe, as well as Central and Eastern Asia. IAMO works to enhance the understanding of institutional, structural and technological changes. Moreover, IAMO studies the resulting impacts on the agricultural and food sector as well as the living conditions of rural populations. The outcomes of our work are used to derive and analyze strategies and options for enterprises, agricultural markets and politics. Since its founding in 1994, IAMO has been part of the Leibniz Association, a German community of independent research institutes.

Media Contact

Daniela Schimming
Public Relations
Tel.: +49 345 2928-330
Fax: +49 345 2928-499
presse@iamo.de
www.iamo.de/en

About Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations and the German Agribusiness Alliance

The Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations (OA) is a joint organization of the leading associations representing German business and acts as a central point of contact for German companies with interests in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Central Asia, South Caucasus and South-eastern Europe. The OA supports economic policy developments in bilateral relations with those countries and promotes trade, investments and service transfers by German companies in this region. The German Agribusiness Alliance joined the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations and coordinates the international commitment of the German agricultural and food industry since 2001. The OA is co-founder of the GFFA Berlin e.V.

Media Contact

Andreas Metz
Press and Communication
Tel.:+49 30 206167-120
Fax: +49 30 2028-2441
a.metz@bdi.eu
www.ost-ausschuss.de