PROJECT SUMMARY
Climate-smart solutions can reduce production risks and boost trade and investment. An EBRD and FAO project explores sustainable fruit and vegetable production in Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
CONTEXT
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated an already growing consumer trend toward fresh fruits and vegetables that are locally sourced and produced and distributed sustainably. To meet this demand, this EBRD and FAO project in Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Uzbekistan is assessing how climate-smart technologies and renewables can boost production and trade, transforming the sector to be greener, more resilient and more efficient. This in turn could attract investors who are currently deterred due to the high-risk nature of the sector, which includes product perishability and high losses along the value chain, price fluctuations, and seasonal labour shortages.
The EBRD/FAO study is considering both high-tech innovations such as horticultural drones that can diagnose pests and diseases and precisely regulate and minimize pesticide use, vertical farming and robotic fruit pickers, and low-tech renewables including foldable, stackable, reusable crates that can protect produce in transit.
Activities
Promotion of climate-smart technologies:
Assess at least five digital agricultural production technologies that contribute to greening agrifood value chains;
Carry out a feasibility study and introduce at least four green technologies across horticultural value chains;
Raise awareness about investment opportunities in climate-resilient horticultural production and resource-efficient post-harvest handling practices through training, conferences and publications, including multimedia products hosted on the EastFruit Platform;
Prepare draft guidelines to screen investments in horticulture in terms of water, energy and land use impacts; and
Pilot green logistics solutions, in particular, pilot a foldable crate pooling system, supported with capacity-building activities to better understand associated business opportunities and communicate lessons learned.
Market transparency and retail efficiency:
Conduct fresh produce department audits of retail chains in project countries and provide targeted recommendations for existing and potential EBRD clients to improve fresh produce supply and management of fresh produce departments;
Ensure market transparency to lower market risks via market information systems such as the EastFruit Trade Platform; and
Analyse and report on commercialization possibilities to sustain the EastFruit platform beyond the project.
Achievements
The project is still in its early stages and its implementation is challenging due to the war in Ukraine which is making it difficult to find available consultants – Ukraine is a leader in horticultural technologies in the region and provides around 70% of services and advice to farmers in Uzbekistan, Georgia, Moldova, and other regions.
Nonetheless, progress so far includes:
- seminars in each project country and several online events to help market participants understand how these technologies could soon transform horticulture;
- two online conferences – Horticultural Drones (Hortidrones) and Vertical Farms – attracted a large audience and sparked a lot of interest; and
- a technical review on ways to reduce risks and stimulate investment including through digital technologies (e.g. vertical farms, automation, robotization, sub-surface irrigation, and automated pesticide applications).