Category Archives: Actions and programs

Actions and programs, Activités

Bosnia & Herzegovina | Fieldwork Presentations and Discussions on the Future of Food Farming and Landscapes in the Dinaric Karst Area in Canton 10

Research Findings by Anouck Fraisse, Emmanuel Artus (MS RESAD, SupAgro), and Amila Slijepčević (University of Sarajevo) focus on “Livanjsko Polje Area and Mountainous Surroundings: Animal Production Systems as a Major Driver of the Territory. Current and Future Developments

This work was conducted as part of the Projet GingKo (ANR-22-CE55-0011) Geographical Indications as Global Knowledge cOmmons. Reassessing current models of regulation and collective action in the context of agroecological transitions. The results of this research are available in a downloadable report [Agrarian system and landscape dynamics in the production area of Livanjski sir, Bosnia and Herzegovina].

The results of this research were presented and discussed on two occasions:

  • Seminar in Sarajevo (22/11/2024)
    Held under the patronage of the French Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, this event focused on “Strategies and Tools for Agroecology Territories.”
    It brought together researchers, policymakers, international organizations, and local authorities for a dialogue on agroecological strategies.
  • Workshop in Livno (20/11/2024)
    “Food, Farming, and Landscapes: Challenges for the Dinaric Karst Area in Canton 10.”
    This session facilitated discussions between researchers, local authorities (municipalities, canton representatives, forestry services, universities), and producers on the challenges and opportunities for sustainable agricultural development in the region.

Photo (banner) : Tomislvgrad (Bosnia & Herzegovina), 2024 / François Lerin.

Actions and programs

Bosnia & Herzegovina | Workshop on the Geographical Indication “Livno Cheese” – The First Balkan GI Registered with the European Union

Together with the Association for the Protection of the Origin of Livno Cheese and the authorities of Canton 10, we held a working seminar as part of the project “High Nature Value Terroirs in the Western Balkans ” (*) The discussions focused on the sustainability challenges faced by small and medium-sized dairy farms supplying the dairies of Canton 10, which produce the PGI-certified Livno Cheese. Although these farms are less productive than more intensive systems, they are essential for maintaining the distinctive quality of Livno Cheese.

The recognition of Livno Cheese by the European Union as a product with specific quality attributes is an encouraging step toward enhancing its value in export markets, particularly in Croatia and across the EU. A robust GI control system, inclusive governance involving all segments of Livno Cheese production, and a strong territorial valorization strategy around the protected name are promising avenues to ensure the sustainability of these dairy production systems. These approaches contribute to positive social and environmental impacts for the region.

*This project has received funding from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs under grant agreement N°FEF-R Avril 2024-64/0209-DPO-24-0046. Coordinated by CIRAD, the project involves five partner NGOs : MENA, KsIPP, AIDA, RASP and Link the quality to origin as well as five producer groups engaged in establishing Geographical Indications for 5 products : Sharr Cheese (Kosovo); Livno Cheese (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Has Goat Meat (Albania) ; Maslesh Cheese (Montenegro) ; Sjenica Cheese (Serbia)

Photo (banner) : Sheep grazing on the banks of Lake Busko (Bosnia & Herzegovina), 2024 / François Lerin.

Actions and programs

ABC – Balkans | It’s going on with Agro-Ecological Territories for Climate Action


Following the “Agro-Ecological – Biodiversity – Climate – Balkans” project and the encounters of Skopje, we started this summer the Agro-Ecological Territories for Climate Action. This action is carrying out with Climate Awareness Association (CAA) in Kosovo and Zeleno Doba (Center for Sustainable Growth and Development Green Age) in Serbia.

Our objectives are (i) to animate the ABC – Balkans plateform, the Regional network, by continuing the virtual seminar, (ii) to build and test a climate/biodiversity awareness training for “territorial mediators” relevant for each territory, (iii) to run the climate/ biodiversity awareness training for Agroecology territories in the 6 Western Balkan countries.

CAA will manage the training in Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia, and Zeleno Doba in Serbia, Bosnia-and-Herzegovina and Montenegro. This climate/biodiversity tool will be in open access, and the aim is for territorial mediators to appropriate it and could spread it widely in the agro-ecological territories of the Balkans.

Actions and programs

Balkan countries | ABC-B: AgriFood, Biodiversity & Climate


Agroecology Territories for Climate Action in Western Balkan Candidates Countries.

Climate change (CC) and biodiversity loss (BD) are bundled issues and one of the major problem of the environmental global challenge is to deal with both at the same time. This only can be done at the level of specific territories, that includes management of natural resources and agrifood systems, generally within common institutional framework. The objective of this action was, in the six candidate Western Balkan Countries, to identify and network actors in a position to carry agri-environmental alternatives strategies, dealing the CC/BD nexus both analytically and situationally. The six national cases were investigated through a collective discussion toward a common vision with a regional Balkan scope and in the framework of the processes of accession to the European Union. It was therefore a question of building a space for discussion and coordination to define for the Balkan region an integration path adapted to the European Green Deal and in particular its “Farm to Fork” and “Biodiversity” dimensions.

ABC Balkans