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Description
The project "The Other Side of the Medal" addresses the problem of non-implementation of the Nitrates Directive, ie: lack of motivation, lack of information and lack of mechanisms for its implementation. The target groups of this project are family farms, high school students and representatives of local government. Family farms do not see excessive financial profitability in organic production and due to the lack of an appropriate mechanism they are not sufficiently motivated to switch. High school students in agricultural schools are poorly informed about the problems of the Nitrates Directive and organic production. Nitrate re-examination, analysis of family farms, development of the Program, round table and conference will increase the awareness and information of local governments about the Nitrates Directive. The creation of the Document of possible co-financing proposals and the promotional campaign will increase the information and awareness of all representatives of the LGU VSŽ and Zadar County. With the promotional campaign, we expect a change in the consciousness of the population of Ilok and Lovas, as well as the entire Vukovar-Srijem and Zadar County. In addition to financial savings, the promotional campaign will increase the motivation, information, and awareness of family farms about the Nitrates Directive and eco-production. The thematic eco-school and promo campaign will increase the awareness, information, and future motivation of high school students to decide on eco-production and networking of high school students at the county level. The multiplier effect is that the City of Ilok and the Municipality of Lovas will become the first municipalities in the Croatia to co-finance the Nitrates Directive Implementation Plan, which will be an example of good practice that can be transferred to other municipalities.
Summary of project results
The project "Other Side of the Medal" addresses the issue of lack of implementation of the Nitrate Directive in the Town of Ilok and the Municipality of Lovas, Croatia, affecting 17,212 hectares of mainly arable land. With 517 family farms, only a fraction use measures for organic farming due to high costs and insufficient support. This leads to increased nitrates in drinking water, causing health issues like methemoglobinemia. The project identified three key challenges: reluctance to transition to organic farming, lack of information about available solutions and their financial viability, and absence of local mechanisms for Nitrate Directive implementation. By collaborating with local stakeholders, the project aimed to promote organic practices, improve water quality, and enhance community well-being.
The activities included creation of a document outlining possible measures for implementing the Nitrate Directive. For that purpose, testing of the soil and water at the local family farms was conducted in Ilok and Lovas, with the support and the assistance of the local authorities. A working group, formed for that purpose, created the final version of the document proposing measures for Nitrate Directive implementation. The document was presented at the Final Conference and Eco-School. During the process, a database of family farms with owner contacts was created for future activities and cooperation.
A three-day Eco-School involving students and teachers from Ilok and Vinkovci was organized, educating them about environmental issues, protection and the Nitrate Directive. In addition, two Eco Talks on environmental topics were conducted to enhance environmental awareness among the youth.
Advocacy and promotional campaigns on the Nitrate Directive were carried out, with a campaign plan developed by both project partners. The advocacy campaign merged with a promotional one, focusing on creation and dissemination of the informative content. Roundtable discussions were organized to discuss the environmental issues and present the Nitrate directive.
Within the organizational capacity building activities, a digital marketing training was organized for project staff and members of the implementing organizations.
Through the implementation of the project, the awareness about the importance of implementing the Nitrate Directive was raised among youth, local farms, local authorities and the public. Awareness of the environmental issues among high school students and family farms was increased as they were introduced to the content of the document proposing measures for Nitrate Directive implementation. During the Eco-school and final conference events, 24 high school students had the opportunity to learn more about ecological production, environmental protection, and ecology. Family farms also engaged during the conference, expressing interest in using the document for their future project ideas.
Collaboration with the Ilok High School, especially through the involvement of teachers in the document creation process, facilitated direct communication and increased youth involvement in project activities. The city administration provided significant support throughout, continuously disseminating the results of the activities, and in that process communication and connections between the local authorities and project beneficiaries was established and strengthened.
The Final Conference of the project served as a networking platform for young people, high school students, family farms, city representatives, and citizens, resulting in numerous ideas, discussions, and new connections.
The project promotor, the Youth Association Ilok "Volja", benefitted from the activities focused on organizational capacities strengthening. The first-ever Operational Team "Volja" was developed as well as the organizational Social Media Presence Strategy. The project partner, Association "Prizma", also capacitated its members through organizational development workshops and developed its Communication Plan. Under Prizma''s guidance, "Volja" conducted its first advocacy and promotional campaigns and strengthened the capacities of its young members for future campaigns.