Ref nr[1]:

Project[2] title : The effects of accession to the EU, the future and the dynamics of the rural sector of Cyprus

Sector covered [3]:10 Rural development

Name of legal entity ¹³

Country

Overall project value in €

Value in € carried out by the candidate

Total man-days allocated to the project

Man-days provided

by the candidate

% of man-days provided by the

candidate

Name of client

Origin of funding

Dates start/end

dd/mm/yy

Name of consortium members, if any

VAKAKIS

& ASSOCIATES

CYPRUS

100,000

50

176

88

50

Ministry of Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources of Cyprus

EU and national funds

31/07/2009 – 31/01/2010

Vakakis International S.A.

Detailed description of project

Type of services provided by the legal entity

The purpose of the study is to review and assess the current situation in the rural sector of Cyprus, identify changes that have occurred since the accession of Cyprus to the EU, and contribute to the elaboration of local development strategies through the recommendation of prospects for growth and empowerment of the rural sector .

The study identifies sustainable agricultural products, methods of production or/and services which can be provided by the agricultural sector in the next fifteen years, with a view to advising Cypriot farmers which products and crops will adapt most successfully to the expected future climate changes in Cyprus.

The study includes three phases:

• the 1^st phase was the analysis of the current situation which included:

1. i)evaluation of results and impacts of rural development programs implemented to date,
2. ii)undertaking of targeted analysis of particular features of the Cypriot agricultural sector i.e. rural population, agricultural employment, farm income, agricultural structures, main agricultural products and their competitiveness, the environment and natural resources and the contribution of water in agriculture,
3. iii)investigation of the possible effects of climate change on agriculture in Cyprus,
4. iv)investigation of crops that can be used to increase the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Phase 1 was completed with the SWOT analysis for all major sectors of agricultural production;

• the 2nd phase based on the results of previous analysis, was carried out to identify sustainable agricultural products as well as to develop a draft vision for Cyprus Agri-food and Rural sector in 2020 which was finalized in consultation with the social partners;
• the 3rd phase is the preparation of a report that sets out the findings and conclusions of the above analysis and includes proposals for policy measures to support rural development in Cyprus.

Provision of a TA team comprising the following

• 1 x Team Leader
• 3 x Senior Agro-Economists & Economists

Services provided by the TA team included:

• Evaluation of Rural Development programmes.
• Analysis of agricultural sector, including data collection.
• Assessment of climate change impact.
• Identification of sustainable agricultural practices and products.
• Development of draft strategic documents for Agri-food and rural sector.
• Elaboration of strategic recommendations to support local development strategies and specifically, in the selection of future investments by Cypriot farmers
• Drafting of recommendations for institutional capacity building.