Support action for the rural development of Vamvakou, Lakonia and Mount Parnon through the program New Agriculture for a New Generation in collaboration with Vamvakou Revival, with the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation
A new initiative for the support of the agrifood activity has started in the wider area of the the village of Vamvakou at Lakonia and Mount Parnon through the program New Agriculture for a New Generation in collaboration with the team of Vamvakou Revival, as part of the initiative to revive the village and enhance the wider area. The two organizations – supported by Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) on a regular basis – are entering into a fruitful collaboration aiming at the generation of job opportunities through the activation of the agrifood sector, as well as at the return of inhabitants, professionals and potential entrepreneurs to the area, who are interested in working with land.
The support action will run for a year and its vision is to enhance entrepreneurship and boost regional development, through activities supporting primary production and the link of its products with opportunities in the market. This annual program of scientific and business support will be realized in collaboration with the Agricultural University of Athens and a consulting company specializing in the growth of agrifood entrepreneurship, Sweet Ideas, with Tasos Lambrou in charge.
It includes targeted activities of consulting and sustainable development, focusing on the sectors of sheep-and-goat farming and aromatic and pharmaceutical plants – two sectors of particular interest and with opportunities for growth, as the area has the necessary production volume and the appropriate human resources. In fact, the first group of farmers and entrepreneurs interested in this initiative has been formed and, thus, possibilities and prospects of sustainable development will be explored through synergies in these two sectors. We hope that this hub will attract young people and will be just the beginning for a new era in the agrifood sector in the area.
Within this framework, the Agricultural University of Athens will undertake the task of drawing up studies on the two sectors, aiming at the optimization of the technical characteristics of the production units and of their financial sustainability. It will offer training, consulting and guidance services and include in-situ visits of the scientists of the University to the beneficiaries in the area. Moreover, the consulting team specializing in agribusiness will realize business plans for particular business activities and products, as well as feasibility and sustainability studies for potential processing and standardization infrastructure.
Effie Lazaridou, CEO of the program New Agriculture for a New Generation, noted: “By making the most of the extensive array of our partners and collaborators, we bring scientific knowledge and market know-how together in the interest of sustainable development in the wider area of Parnon. With Vamvakou as the focal point and sheep-and-goat farming and aromatic and pharmaceutical plants as the starting point, we intend to make the most of human resources, and especially young people, by highlighting the competitive advantages of the area. Our goal is to create the appropriate conditions for sustainable development locally and we are expecting the first tangible results within the following 12 months.”
Anargyros Verdilos, one of the co-founders of Vamvakou Revival and Administrative and Financial Manager of the organization, stated: “Through collaborative action and synergies, we are trying to boost growth, entrepreneurship and collaboration in the wider area of Parnon with the village of Vamvakou as the focal point, as well as to create a new sustainable economy or restart existing ones, by developing activities in various sectors. The philosophy behind our endeavour is the balanced and rational development of the primary, secondary and tertiary sector, while our intention is for Vamvakou to become an example of agricultural – and not only – innovation in Greece and abroad.”
For more information or expression of interest, you can contact the team of Vamvakou Revival at info@vamvakourevival.org or +30 27310 76233.
This initiative is the result of extensive consultation among the members of the program New Agriculture for a New Generation, the team of Vamvakou Revival, the Agricultural University of Athens and the farmers and agrifood entrepreneurs in the area, realized with the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
