About project

Where are we?

The organic area in the BSR/CB region has expanded over the last decades, though unevenly across countries. However, the horticultural sector has not fully kept pace with other organic sectors, and in recent years, the number of organic horticultural farms in Estonia, Latvia, and Finland, has begun to decline, with too few new entrants. Farmers face limited knowledge of innovative practices, low business and marketing skills, fragmented value chains, and insufficient cooperation in value chain. As a reult, high-value organic produce is undersupplied to schools, kindergartens, and broader consumer groups, while raw materials can be exported for processing abroad.

What is our aim?

The objective of the project Scaling Organic is to address this decline by strengthening the capacity of ca 30 horticultural SMEs to scale up their businesses through sustainable practices, product innovation, and expanded market reach. The expected change is that at least 20 SMEs will demonstrate real business growth. Partners launch a scaling-up programme for young SME’s/producers focusing on the following scaling-up opportunities:

• transition from conventional to organic or regenerative farming · introduction of new crops · increasing production volumes using new technological solutions/practices · development of higher-value products (e.g. starting processing), reducing the dependence on raw material markets abroad · expansion of marketing and sales channels for reaching new client groups · increased turnover through improved production capacity and/or business model;
• strengthening marketing, branding and export competences;
• building networks along the value chain by linking farmers, processors and buyers more effectively.

The project will produce individual growth roadmaps for SMEs, a scaling-up programme incl. training, mentoring, and cross-border networking, impact assessment reports, and practical guidelines for scaling up.