Greener Agriculture for a Sustainable Sea
- GRASS Conference

2018 - ongoing

The aim of the initiative is to develop and promote organic and sustainable agriculture in the Baltic Sea Region, in collaboration with other NGOs and partners.

HISTORY OF THE PROJECT

CCB re-started the Greener Agriculture for a Bluer Baltic Sea (GABBS) under the new name – Greener Agriculture for a Sustainable Sea (GRASS). The renewed concept, as planned, consists of an Annual Conference and focused thematic workshops during the year. Usually, it gathers wide representation of national and international stakeholders from policy, research, civil society, industry and general public.

In connection to the GRASS Conference, we also supported the re-launch of the WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award (BSFYA) competition to cover the whole BSR (including 8 EU and 3 non-EU countries) – and within it, promoted and arranged the competition in Belarus and Ukraine through national member organizations.

This work consisted of updating and adapting (in coordination with WWF and local partners) the award criteria and categories to local conditions, promotion and communication for local farmers’ community.

>350

Participants

>40

Lecturers

7

Years

GRASS CONFERENCE IN A NUTSHELL

Why do we organize this event?

CCB strongly promotes organic farming principles and changes to industrial animal farming, as well as the use of nutrient balances and sustainable agricultural methods to curb inputs of nutrients in the Baltic waters.

How the event is implemented?

We will continue the arrangement of the GRASS Conference with regional partners, e.g. HELCOM, WWF BEP, CBSS and EUSBSR within years to come.

Following the model performed during 2020-2021, the renewed concept for 2022-2024 will consist of:

Annual conference;
Focused thematic workshops;
Educational component (it will target agricultural universities, student research clubs, agricultural schools with the following new proposed topics: crop rotation, crop diversification, sustainable animals + plant crops, catchment water management, nutrient management, old varieties of edible plants resistant to weather changes, shortening supply chains, direct contact with the consumer, the impact of intensive animal husbandry on the environment, the impact of monocultures on biodiversity.

What are the impacts?

The GRASS Conference will target wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, academia, decision-makers, general public and will contribute to the following action of the revised HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP):

improve knowledge exchange by establishing dialogue between farmers, authorities and decision makers;
enhance mutual learning among farmers on best practices and innovative technologies.