The Conclusions of the awareness-raising seminar “Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production: Opportunities for Agrarian Sector”

On April 2, 2015 Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre conducted the awareness-raising seminar “Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production: Opportunities for Agrarian Sector” in Kyiv with participation of International Financial Corporation (IFC) and German-Ukrainian Fund. The seminar participants (farmers, agri-business companies’ managers, representatives of expert institutions and organizations) discussed the perspectives of resource efficient and cleaner production development in agrarian sector and intercrossing industries.

Discussion topics:

- RECP Centre experience in introduction of resource efficient and cleaner production and potential for agrarian companies;

- perspectives of introduction of resource efficient and cleaner production methodology for private farmers, agri-business companies, organic producers;

- IFC program "Creation of incentives for investments in resource efficiency", financial mechanisms, cooperation with the UNIDO projects;

- problems and challenges of introduction of RECP mechanisms in agri-business companies: high cost of credits, the lack of trust to financial institutions and innovations, low level of awareness of RECP and the lack of access to information.

The seminar resulted in the following decisions:

1. More active informing the population in the regions and raising awareness of experts on how to introduce resource-efficient and cleaner production in the agricultural sector.
2. Creation of a discussion space for enhancing communication between agribusiness and financial sector for the parties to agree on their positions and establish cooperation as regards energy and resource efficiency.
3. Creation of a working group to raise awareness and promote RECP approaches for agribusiness (at the basis of the Centre and with support of the Agrarian Union of Ukraine).
4. Registration of a thematic group in social networks to disseminate information about the opportunities RECP model provides for agribusiness companies.
5. Initiation of a thematic television program aimed at increasing interest of banks in working with small agricultural producers in introduction of resource-efficient technologies and increasing awareness on the UNIDO model, opportunities for implementation of RECP options and attraction of external funding.
6. Creation of demonstration plots – agribusiness companies, which have successfully applied options proposed by RECPC with the purpose of encouraging other agricultural producers and increasing confidence in the UNIDO methodology proposed by the Centre.