Problem
Water quality in Kelmes area, Tytuvenai regional park lakes is several times higher than in the other districts of Lithuania. Due to the developping intensive farming the water gets more and more poluted. Kelmes and espescially neighbouring Raseiniai districts are famous for their large organic farming areas. By implementing the mini factory of organic food processing the number of organic farmers will increase and that would contribute to the water pollution decrease.
Kelmes district belongs to the most problematic areas of Lithuania in terms of high unemployment rate and other social/economic problems. Particularly in Budraiciai village there are a lot of unemployed men and women, that search for the employment possibilities in the district.

Objective
The project aims to contribute to the developpement of the organic food industry in the district by implementing food processing factory in Budraiciai village.
The project aims to develop the organic industry branches

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cooperation in the district (producing, processing, promotion and selling), which will help to solve the women unemployment problems in Budraiciu village and contribute to water pollution decrease.

Activities and results
During the project period it is planned to establish and to equipe mini factory of organic food processing in Budraiciai village. 16 women from the village will get the theorical and practical training that will permit to five of them to work in the factory. The factory will start producing in the middle of the project periode. That will let to observe the begininning of producing periode and its effectiveness. The other educational activities are previewed as well: visit to the Moletai district organic farmers cooperative ?Padegsnys?; common meetings of mini factories suppliers (local farmers) and consumers (organic food shops) in order to develop a local network of organic food industry. The information campaigne is planned as well: the booklet on the project experience; leaflets; GEF SGP stand in front of the factory; articles and radio advertisements. It is also previewed to develop cooperation with Belorussia?s farmers: the mutual visites and the translation of book on organic farming backgrounds into russian are planned.

Impact
It is expected that the number of organic farmers will increase in the area (in the Budraiciai village area it will increase from 4 to 8). 7 habitants of the village will be employed in the factory (5 women ? workers; 1 accoutant; 1 manager). The other women, who participated in the training, will have the possibility to get employed if there is a demande. The organic food industry infrastructure will get developped in the district and neighbouring areas: it is expected that in the future there will be created organic food shops in the district centers (Siauliai, Kelme, Raseiniai).

Partnership
Project is based mostly on the partnership with the local authorities (Kelmes municipality, Tytuvenai seniunija), Kelmes district Small business support fund, organic farmers cooperative ?Ekokrastas?.

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