Within the project “Strengthening Disaster Resilience in Agriculture”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia, the establishment of demonstration plots for the practical application of climate-smart practices and adaptation measures to climate change was planned. Through the project, six demo centers have already been established in ten municipalities, including around 150 demo plots. Four more demo centers are planned to be established through further project implementation.
Demo centers and demo fields are established to showcase practical examples and practices of more resilient and climate-smart agriculture. Through planned educational activities within the demo centers, agricultural producers will have direct access to new knowledge, technologies, and practices that can help in adaptation and adjustment to climate change.
Demo centers are established through collaboration with local partners who receive support throughout the entire process of establishing and implementing demonstration plots. Local partners for the six established demo centers include the PSSS Šabac (Šabac and Vladimirci), "Dr. Đorđe Radić" High School of Chemistry and Agriculture (Kraljevo), Agricultural Cooperative Svrljižanka (Svrljig), PSSS (Valjevo, Osečina, and Mionica), Association SN-AGRAR (Paraćin), and PSSS Požarevac (Požarevac and Žabari).
Based on analyzed needs and conditions on the ground, partner organizations will receive equipment needed for interventions and demonstrations of technologies and practices in demo fields. The first round of equipment delivery has been completed, while the beginning of the next round of delivery is expected in the upcoming period.
So far, 25 tractor attachments have been delivered to the six newly established demo centers, including lime broadcasters (6), subsoilers (11), one body ploughs (2), trenchers (2), and subsoilers for irrigation laying (4). Local partners will use these attachments for interventions planned on demo plots, which are mainly located on farmers' properties. This way, farmers will be able to adopt new knowledge while working on their fields.
As part of the equipment delivery to the demo center at the "Dr. Đorđe Radić" High School of Chemistry and Agriculture in Kraljevo, a demonstration of equipment usage was organized. The delivered equipment includes a lime broadcaster, subsoiler, and subsoiler for irrigation laying. Interested students also had an opportunity to learn more about the significance and purpose of the equipment from the professor at the Faculty of Agriculture in Kruševac and project consultant, Dragan Terzić.
More information about the demo centers and their importance for the project “Strengthening Disaster Resilience in Agriculture” can be found in the interview with Dragan Terzić.
Photos: FAO/Emilija Marić & FAO/Ljiljana Isić