Investing in a Sustainable Flower Agriculture
ISFAT is the acronym of "Investing in a Sustainable Flower Agriculture and Trade”: the project, financed by the EUROPEAN COMMISSION in the framework of the Asia-Invest Programme 2006-2007 aims to provide technical assistance and business skills development to SMEs operating in the flower sector, in Asian target countries, enabling them to improve the development of the best agricultural practices and the respect of worker’s rights, achieving international certifications, and to improve European market access, facilitating direct business cooperation between Europe and Asia and integration into Information Society.
The project also aims to create a link among the Europe and the Asian target countries, in order to transfer the information, know how and the best-techniques which are necessary to promote and increase the foreign trade through the development of the cut-flower sector. The action will provide the Asian Countries with: technologies, know-how, skills and the contacts needed to the establishment of an innovative system for the production, wholesale trade and nursery-gardening products diffusion through the far-ranging import-export channels, helped by an efficient and effective network on the technological and functional points of view and by an efficient Management System.
Connected to these aspects will be the creation of a network between partners of the project, that include Chambers of Commerce and trade Associations, that will operate though action carried on at local level for a common business strategy definition and for the drawing up of lasting trade agreements. Knowledge and technologies exchange also will be reached through e-learning, by using a multimedia platform and a dedicated web site.
The same platform will be used as an instrument for knowledge and information diffusion towards business intermediaries organizations and SMEs (through e-learning too); it will host a database to use as an instrument for communication, promotion and development of new business opportunities.
The platform will support an help-desk creation, managed by the participants to the projects that, operating at the end of project fulfilment too, it will continue to work as an instrument of support and of exchange of information for the foreign firms and for business intermediary organisation that will want to entertain trade exchanges or to set up bilateral relations Asia-Europe.
Main implementing partners of the project are: Weldo - Women Empowerment Literacy & Development Organization (Pakistan), Asephi Bali - Association of Exporters and Producers of Indonesian Handicraft (Indonesia), Kalkota Chamber of Commerce (India), Vidin Chamber of Commerce (Bulgaria), WABT (NGO of UNESCO), SCSB - Society of Craft Studies (Bangladesh), Chambre De Commerce du Brabant Wallone (Belgium). With them, UCFLOR – Unione Cooperativa Floricoltori della Riviera (Italy), the applicant for the project, has relationships for the information exchange since this year.
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