Women's Cooperatives and their Contribution to the Local Development of the North Aegean Region, Greece

In the last twenty years Greece has witnessed the emergence and establishment of women’s cooperatives, a form of productive agricultural cooperatives. This paper explores their importance and their contribution to local development. Evidence is presented for an island region, the North Aegean. Personal interviews, using structured questionnaires, were conducted with the chairwomen of all the region’s cooperatives in order to obtain an insight into their structure and dynamics. According to the findings of this study, women’s cooperatives are characterized by substantial potential on the one hand and by serious drawbacks on the other. The economic performance of the cooperatives is satisfactory, while the use of local resources and ‘know how’ contribute to the development of the region. Interpersonal problems, the inability of the cooperatives’ members to fully understand their new role as businesswomen and the small participation of rural women are the cooperatives’ major problems. The future of the women’s cooperatives is still unclear despite their 20 years of existence.women’s cooperatives, North Aegean, local development, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Specific agro-food products and sustainable development of less favoured areas: the case of insular space

The turn to ‘quality’ which characterizes the agro-food sector and the countryside is supposedly a solution for the development of agriculturally marginalized areas which were unable to follow the intensive agriculture model. This PhD thesis examines the contribution of specific agri-food products to the sustainable development of Less Favoured Areas by focusing on insular space.Η στροφή προς την ‘ποιότητα’ η οποία χαρακτηρίζει τον αγρο-διατροφικό κλάδο και την ύπαιθρο θεωρείται πως μπορεί να αποτελέσει μία αναπτυξιακή λύση για περιθωριοποιημένες γεωργικά περιοχές οι οποίες δεν μπόρεσαν να ακολουθήσουν το μοντέλο της εντατικής γεωργίας. Η Διατριβή αυτή εξετάζει την συνεισφορά των ιδιότυπων αγρο-διατροφικών προϊόντων στην βιώσιμη ανάπτυξη των Λιγότερο Ευνοημένων Περιοχών εστιάζοντας στο νησιωτικό χώρο

What is the extent of short food supply chains in Greece? Evidence from the cheese supply chains in the North Aegean Region

Rural development strategies recognise that in the contemporary competitive and globalised context of food trade, specific character products can contribute to the differentiation of agro-food products and to an increasing proportion of added value captured by the primary producers. Theory suggests that specific character products contribute to the appearance of the so-called alternative food networks (AFNs) and short food supply chains (SFSCs). Yet, evidence to support the contribution of these products to rural development is thin and fragmented. Moreover, the concurrence of specific character products with AFNs and SFSCs is over simplistic. This paper deals with specific character cheese products in the North Aegean Region, Greece and particularly with their supply chains, their distribution networks and added value. To portray these in detail we use primary and secondary data. Personal interviews with key informers were conducted while analytical data were selected for most cheese-making units in the region with the use of structured questionnaires. Results demonstrate that the existent conceptualisation of SFSCs is inadequate to describe the empirical realities in Greece.short food supply chains, SFSCs, specific character products, rural development, North Aegean Region, Greece, cheese supply chains, supply chain management, SCM, alternative food networks, distribution networks, added value,

Valorisation of a local asset: The case of olive oil on Lesvos Island, Greece

Agri-food products are more and more considered and treated as valuable local assets. The valorisation of such local assets is an issue of great importance, especially in disadvantaged areas. In this paper, the case of the olive oil of Lesvos Island in Greece is presented. We seek to analyse the supply chain and examine the benefits that are distributed to its various actors by comparing three different olive oil products: PGI, organic and conventional olive oil with the use of two dimensions: size of production and success of the producers. The data come from quantitative and qualitative research to different actors across the supply chain and from published and unpublished local and national sources. The findings indicate that olive farmers are "cut-off" from the benefits of the products to a great extent. Small bottlers are the ones that receive the most benefits, as they can ignore big retailers. Overall, the absence of consensus and common management between the different actors, along with a complex and very competitive international market create uneven impacts.Valorisation Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Organic product Olive oil Greece

Linking protection of geographical indications to the environment: Evidence from the European Union olive-oil sector

The link between food and the environment constitutes a core issue from the consumer's point of view and in the political debate. Geographical indication products, due to their association with specific territories and links to specific local resources, can improve economic, social and environmental sustainability. The present paper investigates the relationship between the legal protection of geographical indications and the environment, analyzing the Product Specifications of the 107 olive-oil geographical indications registered in the European Union. We performed the analysis using a set of indicators related to six thematic areas of potential environmental impact, including tree varieties, intensity of production, phytosanitary and fertilization methods, soil and water management, harvesting and post-harvesting techniques, and environmental awareness.Results indicate that environmental concerns are not considered to a great extent in the Product Specifications; indeed, they result more from the need to attain specific product qualities than from any direct interest in the environment. In any case, some relevant differences do exist between all six thematic areas (rules on the use of specific rare varieties and on maximum production limits are the most widespread ones in this sense) and between European Union countries (France and Italy are characterized by the highest levels of environmental care).We identified some cases in which producers recognize that territorial specificities are highly important in shaping the quality of the product, and they consequently pay specific attention to positive environmental effects. Moreover, the data analysis shows a 'greening' of Product Specifications over time, which evidences a trend towards a more comprehensive conception of typical products and GIs, related not only to organoleptic and hedonistic characteristics, but also to environmental and social ones.In conclusion, although protection of geographical indications cannot be considered to constitute an environmental tool per se, it can potentially play a positive role in environmental conservation, acting as a barrier to the increasing intensification of the olive-oil sector and thus preserving traditional farming systems. Indeed, geographical indications provide the opportunity for territorialisation of environmental-friendly production rules, taking into account local specificities. The paper also argues that public policies can play a significant role in supporting the producers' initiatives towards >greener> geographical indications

Women's Cooperatives and their Contribution to the Local Development of the North Aegean Region, Greece

In the last twenty years Greece has witnessed the emergence and establishment of women’s cooperatives, a form of productive agricultural cooperatives. This paper explores their importance and their contribution to local development. Evidence is presented for an island region, the North Aegean. Personal interviews, using structured questionnaires, were conducted with the chairwomen of all the region’s cooperatives in order to obtain an insight into their structure and dynamics. According to the findings of this study, women’s cooperatives are characterized by substantial potential on the one hand and by serious drawbacks on the other. The economic performance of the cooperatives is satisfactory, while the use of local resources and ‘know how’ contribute to the development of the region. Interpersonal problems, the inability of the cooperatives’ members to fully understand their new role as businesswomen and the small participation of rural women are the cooperatives’ major problems. The future of the women’s cooperatives is still unclear despite their 20 years of existence