It was more than challenging for PANGEA Societa Cooperativa Consortile (ITA) (Leader) and its partners[1] to implement the EU 1,8 Million € project in Turkey: Covid-19 imposed a reschedule and reprogrammed activities, the initial 24 months duration was extended to 30 months. However, thanks to this project, PANGEA acquired a specific robust reference in FADN.
Despite the necessity to cope with unexpected externalities, PANGEA achieved the 5 expected results:
- Perception of FADN at both central and provincial levels improved, involving the production of communication and visibility material, including Radio and TV spot, the publication of the first “FADN Annual Report”, the execution of activities for the involvement of provincial staff, and the study visits in two EU Member States.
- The capacity of provinces for the implementation of FADN matured and the usage of FADN has increased through training, involving both the Data Collectors from provincial directorates and the farmers.
- Data quality accelerated through on-the-spot checks at selected farms. The importance of data quality was emphasized during the project activities.
- MoAF’s decision support mechanism progressed through the use of FADN data. A “simulation model” was developed to plan agricultural policies and assess their impact. MoAF staff have been trained in the use of the software.
- Data collection methodology was analyzed/elaborated and a draft legal infrastructure was developed. A new data collection methodology was implemented to ensure a more efficient and effective data collection process. The regulatory impact assessment and the draft of the new legal infrastructure created a new potential framework in accordance with the EU approach for the data collection process.
In addition to that, two study visits were implemented in Italy and Czech Republic. During the visits, MoAF central staff met and exchanged experiences with FADN Liaison Agencies from two EU member states, a fruitful opportunity to increase awareness and technical capacity. Sustainability-economic, social, and environmental-was a key focus of project activities. The impact on the activities of the quality of data collected in previous years was not fully assessed at the project design stage. A lengthy and complex data-cleaning activity was required. Exchanges with other institutions, such as Turkstat, were difficult or nonexistent.
What is FADN? EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is based on strategic objectives for the agricultural sector. The entire process of generating and approving strategic objectives, the adoption of measures, and the rationale of allocating the resources available to farms are based on reliable and shared data. These are the data provided by FADN. FADN is a complex system, that involves stakeholders at different stages and with different responsibilities. Farmers must keep records and provide quality data. Data Collectors collect data according to a common standardized methodology and input them into the system.
Are you curious about FADN? Do not hesitate to contact enrico.pietrantonio@pangeasc.com
[1] IZI spa, (ITA), Agamemnon (TR), Institute of Agricultural Resources & Economics of Latvia, Agricultural Research Center of Estonia
