Development of the Agricultural Cooperative “Lunca Someșului Mic”

The first part of the year marked the completion of a project with a longer history and significant implications: the Development of the Agricultural Cooperative “Lunca Someșului Mic.” The project involved maturing the initiative that began in the fall of 2012.

Through this project, we brought together a large portion of the farmers from the Lunca Someșului Mic Horticultural Basin, giving them the opportunity to access a new market—supermarkets. We believe that by developing this project, we contributed to the increase in cohesion and prosperity in the involved communities of Apahida and Jucu.

During the 3 years of the project’s implementation, our actions focused on maturing and developing the initiative. Together with the farmers in the cooperative, we created a business plan, identified locations, and established the logistics framework for implementation. We focused both on the economic component, reinforcing and implementing the business plan, as well as on the community aspect, increasing group cohesion and the cooperative’s presence in the community (participation in various Local Action Groups – LAGs).

The end of the project meant finalizing the branding elements (visual identity and public communication methods): launching the website, developing promotional materials (labels, flyers, posters, folders), while also addressing legal aspects. In this sense, we initiated steps for statutory modifications, which included our exit and the entry of new members into the Cooperative.

The results of this project were visible from the start. In 2013, the turnover was 53,000€, and by 2016, this figure had increased fourfold, reaching a turnover of 210,000€.

Partners:
Civil Society Development Foundation, Mediation and Community Security Center, Pact Foundation, Romanian Center for European Policy