A so-called Bio-Regio model region brings together actors from the fields of agriculture and food industry as well as regional development in order to implement individual concepts for regional value creation in their regions, preferably also with organic food, and to consolidate regional value chains for the benefit of all.

Within the framework of the 1st call for Bio-Regio model regions, suitable associations can apply with their individual concept. The best concepts will be selected by an expert committee under the leadership of the Saxon State Ministry for the Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture (SMEKUL). The selected Bio-Regio model regions have the opportunity to apply for funding for their project through the AbsLE/2019 guideline (in German).

More information on the call can be found HERE (in German)

Der Ideenwettbewerb "Modellbetriebe Bioökonomie" sucht nach innovativen und nachhaltigen Ideen für eine biobasierte Land- und Forstwirtschaft: von der Erzeugung, über die Verarbeitung zum Vertrieb von Nahrungsmitteln, nachwachsenden Rohstoffen und biogenen Reststoffen. Unser Ziel ist es, Wertschöpfungsketten in den Mittelgebirgsregionen zu stärken und den Menschen, die hier leben und wirtschaften, neue Perspektiven zu geben.

Mitmachen können einzelne land- und forstwirtschaftliche Betriebe aber auch Zusammenschlüssen mehrerer Betriebe oder Betriebe mit Handwerk, Gewerbe, Industrie und Wissenschaft sind zugelassen, solange mindestens ein land- oder forstwirtschaftlicher Partner beteiligt ist. Es winken Preisgelder in Höhe von insgesamt 15.000 €! Bewerbungen sind bis 31. August 2021 möglich. 

Mehr Informationen

"Present your farm and your products effectively, let consumers participate in your daily work. (...) Regional organic farms are an indispensable part of our long-term goal of making regional products relevant to the system," says Wolfram Günther, Saxon Minister of the Environment and Agriculture, motivating people to take part.

Interested farms are asked to register by 30.06.2021 at bio-regio@smul.sachsen.de (keyword: Eco Action Weeks).

Information events for farmers on conversion to organic farming are also planned as part of the Organic Action Weeks.

To the press release from 28.03.2021 (in German)

Do you sometimes also ask yourself how value chains could function more regionally and fairly? In the OLGA project, we are investigating the extent to which local financing and participation concepts (regional currencies, cooperatives, digital investment platforms) as spatially limited valid means of payment and/or investment can promote sustainable regional development. If you would like to support us in our search for concepts and solutions, please apply for the advertised position at the Umweltzentrum Dresden. Fluently speaking German is assumed.

Mitarbeiter*in lokale Finanzierungs- und Beteiligungskonzepte (m/w/d)

Wintery hustle and bustle on an afternoon at the end of January: The OLGA project partners from Module 1: "Sustainable use of energy wood along watercourses and on agricultural land" met in Colmnitz to visit the 0.8 ha agricultural wood plantation on the Colmnitzbach, which was planted in 2007. The area is managed by the Colmnitz agricultural cooperative. 

During the inspection, the members of the chairs of hydraulic engineering, forest botany and biodiversity and nature conservation at the TU Dresden discussed the suitability of the plantation as a experimental area, especially for modelling the effects of agricultural wood along watercourses on flood retention, aquatic habitats and on vegetation composition and phytodiversity. The agricultural wood plantation in Colmnitz would be the third experimental plot in the OLGA project.

The Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture has launched the added value initiative "Sustainably out of the crisis". A total of 26.5 Mio € in funding is available for innovative projects for sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries, regional value creation, climate impact management and pioneering energy supply. Project applications can be submitted via an online portal until 31 March 2021.

More information (German)

Saxony presents a feasibility study on strengthening regional value creation and organic farming. The study concludes that there is a need for more networking between actors and less bureaucracy in terms of funding and start-up financing. A separate regional agency is to take care of these tasks in the future. It will serve as an instrument to improve value creation from production to processing to marketing and to increase sales. 

We in the OLGA project are working towards the same goals in the Dresden region and have recognised that it is precisely this networking of actors and the development of joint cooperation structures that is needed so that small farms can continue to exist. Offering regionally sustainable products in the Dresden region and in Saxony should be a matter of course. 

Press release (in German)

After an introductory speed-dating on project-relevant issues, the project partners reported on their work in the individual fields of action. A trial area was acquired in Peickwitz near Senftenberg to investigate the ecosystem services of agrowood plantations. Another trial area will be visited in January 2021 in the Tharandt Forest. At the "Mortelbach" trial site near Waldheim in Central Saxony, further 3D laser scans will be implemented at the beginning of the year to analyse the structure of the wooden structures near the river banks.

In spring 2021, plant physiological studies will be carried out on the agrowood plantation trial area in southern Brandenburg. Potential analyses for sustainable agriculture and energy wood cultivation in the Dresden region are going on. The results will be published here soon. The partners are preparing a public discussion event in Dresden on regional financing instruments and cooperation structures for mid-2021 with the hope of meeting there in an analogue format and thinking about sustainable city-regional solutions in the field of food in person. Networking with stakeholders and regional initiatives are currently in process. 

The next OLGA network meeting will take place at the beginning of March 2021.