The project brings together the COTHN, a CONSULT, a FNOP and INIAV in the coordination core, to which 10 are added SMEs which represent a large part of the country’s regions and the main sectors of the horticultural and fruit and vegetable industry. The main objective is to promote demonstration initiatives, sharing and debate aimed at producer organizations, companies, technicians and farmers, fostering organizational innovation and the training of those involved.
Training and technical visits
To identify the main training needs, a listening process was carried out with the producer organizations. In January 2025, The first training action of the project took place in ISEG, with the theme “GThey are and analysis of information”. The event was attended by 22 representatives and technicians from the 14 partner organizations.
In parallel, since April 2024, The partners have promoted technical visits to the producer organizations involved in the project. These visits allow highlighting the best practices of each organization, fostering the exchange of experiences and supporting the continuous improvement of organizational processes.
So far, six producer organizations have been visited. 2025, These technical visits will be open to other interested organizations that are not part of the consortium, allowing for the expansion of the Demonstration network and the extended sharing of knowledge and methodologies.
Technical visit to Belgium
In the European context, the partners promoted, in May 2024, A technical visit to Belgium, with 27 participants, including members of the coordination core and representatives of producer organizations.
- Participation in the conference “Producers oOrganization: We work better together”, na European Commission, where the reality of production organization in Europe and its impact on value creation were discussed
- Visit to the research center PCFRUIT, dedicated to fruit cultivation and close collaboration with technicians and farmers
- Visit to BelOrta, the largest fruit and vegetable cooperative in Belgium and one of the largest in Europe
Results presented to the sector
Throughout 2024, The project and some of its outputs were presented at various events, including the International Conference of Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organizations (ICOP), where the study “Organization from production in Portugal: barriers and opportunities”. The project also had a presence in Tomato Campaign Balance Sheet, no Campaign balance of the Pomoidea and at various industry trade shows.