Final Conference for the Implementation of the IDEAS Project

The final conference of the IDEAS project was held in a wonderful setting and drew great interest. The project focused on smart agriculture and the production of high-quality, safe food. Planned activities included trainings combining theory and hands-on exercises on smart-agriculture tools, trainings on EU food health and safety regulations, procurement and installation of smart-agriculture equipment based on LoRaWAN technology, as well as monitoring and technical support for the selected business ideas.

In addition to the presentation of project activities, recipients of technical and digital support—who had applied to the call for innovative business ideas in the agri-food sector—also had the opportunity to present.
Representative Gjorgji Bekarov, from the Bekarovi beekeeping farm, presented his online shop for the Bekarovi farm, “Baleski Organic,” and showcased results from introducing digitalization in a conditioning chamber and in producing value-added products. He was followed by Bruno Alchinov from the Apitherapy Center “Risto Alchinov,” who spoke about refining the apitherapy approach to improve traceability. Kristijan Alchinov of the association “Apitoxin” presented digitalization of beekeeping production with publicly available information, and finally the “Gevgelija Tochak Club” (Bicycle Club) presented a project to create conditions for attracting cycle tourists by promoting local hospitality and accommodation facilities in the Southeast region.

The project “Innovations, Development and Employment in the Agricultural Sector” (IDEAS) is implemented within the Interreg IPA–CBC Greece–North Macedonia cross-border cooperation programme for the 2014–2020 period. It is carried out by the Foundation for Local Development of Information Technologies (FLORIT) – Gevgelija, in partnership with the American Farm School of Thessaloniki, Greece, and the Rural Development Network of North Macedonia in Skopje.