Agrofood Clusters & Regional Development

A vital economical sector for Greek Greek industry is one of the composed of 23 sectors and the most important of them is the food and drink sector The largest manufacturing sector in Greece, representing about 21% of Greek manufacturing industry includes more than 1,300 enterprises an creates 70,000 jobs. The agro-food industry is thus central to the wider, economic development of Europe as it develops over the next decades The Greek Agrofood industry

Agriculture in the Greece Contribution of food industry and food sectors to total Greek Economy

Agriculture in the Greece Contribution of each food sector in the Greek food industry

Agriculture in the Greece Imports of Greek Agriculture Industry Exports of Greek Agriculture Industry

… a sector under pressure New emerging economies, are seeing export growth Over the last decade, Greece's share of the global food market has declined from 24% to 20%. Since Greece is increasingly unable to compete on cost alone, effective and rapid innovation will be needed to reverse this decline The Greek Agrofood industry A different production model based on sustainability and competitiveness

Sustainable agriculture is a productive, competitive and efficient way to produce safe agricultural products, while at the same time protecting and improving the natural environment and social/economic conditions of local communities

Challenges for Sustainable agriculture o Abundant food insecurity (FAO, 2006) o Demand for food will increase (Evans, 2009, and others) o Unsustainable use of natural production factors such as soil, biological diversity and water (Pimentel et al., 1995; FAO, 2003) o 60 % of ecosystem services are degraded (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005) o Intensive agriculture is depends on high energy but could be energy self-reliant and could mitigate GHG emission considerably (Smith et al., 2007) o Agriculture is insufficiently prepared to cope with unpredictability and adaptation to climate change (Lobell et al., 2008) Challenges for sustainable agriculture

Depletion of resources Cropland area Water Energy  ~ 70% of the Earth’s surface is water  ~3% of the Earth’s water is fresh water  ~70% of fresh water consumption is for agriculture  By 2025, half the population may face water shortages… The era of ‘easy’ (and cheap) energy is over… Instead, we now live in the era of Extreme Energy

Projected impacts from climate change in different EU regions

The way forward: ”increased productivity of agri- culture in a sustainable manner” From focus on increased productivity alone To holistic integration of Natural Ressource Management with food and nutritional security

Smart Agriculture Production Water, soil, Energy Labour, know how Healthy and safe food Traditional functional Climate change Water shortage Pest & Diseases Heat & CAP Directives Prices Global GAP Legislation & Market Nature Resources Consumer choices

Regional Innovation Agro-Food clusters What is a cluster: a cluster includes firms and other knowledge-producing agents in a geographically concentrated area with inter-linkages among them. An Agro-Food cluster : A group of farms and/or allied food and agricultural enterprises, individuals, organizations, and agencies who work together on shared interests and toward a common goal. Consumers Organizations ProducersFarmers Input Manufacturers Input Suppliers Retailers Distributors

Agriculture in the Region of Lower Saxony Agro-Food Cluster as Regional Economic Dynamic Agro Food Cluster embeds:  Resources  Capabilities  Competencies

The Competitiveness of industry depends on innovation and knowledge transfer What the end users want What is viable in the marketplace What is possible with technology INNOVATION

The Agro4Growth project aims to develop a regional innovation agro food cluster in the Region of Thessaly, Greece The cluster will focus on the Food & Beverage sector, one of the most dynamic and rapid growing sectors in Thessaly manufacturing The Agro4Growth participants will join their forces and utilise clustering and networking principles for the development and marketing of Thessaly Innovative and Functional Foods with a particular emphasis on Olive oil, Vegetables, Dairy Products & Wines. The cluster will be developed around cross-cutting enabling technologies (e.g. ICTs, biotechnology, robotics) and emerging industries in the agro food sector and it will be mainly based in a practice-based innovation model A case study: Innovation Regional Agro-Food Cluster in Thessaly for Growth and Rural Development - Agro4Growth

Contact us: Centre for Research and Technology– Hellas (CERTH) Institute for Research and Technology-Thessaly (IRETETH) Web site: address: