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Locally Grown Food Exchange

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The Exchange was developed to raise awareness in tourism industry on the importance of serving local food and drinks even in urban destinations (Ljubljana). The project objective is to positively affect the living standard of local farmers whereby quality and quantity of local food in hotels and restaurants will increase. With this project, Ljubljana has successfully and uniquely linked tourism sector and local agriculture to bolster sustainable economic growth and create new opportunities.

Innovation Summary

Innovation Overview

The mission of the project is in line with the Ljubljana's mission: the main intention of the project is to positively affect the living standard of local farmers and create conditions for their long-term operations whereby quality (and quantity) of (local) food in hotels and restaurants will increase. The project will result in an increased satisfaction of visitors and eventually bring them back to the city or turn them into destination's advocates.

Modern tourists are increasingly searching for green and responsible destinations with real and authentic experiences, which is the reason why sustainable forms of tourism are becoming a necessary direction of development. Since cuisine is an indispensable part of the tourist offer, it is only right we build our competitive advantage on locally grown food.

The objective of the project is to increase the % of locally grown food and drinks in the hotels and restaurants in Ljubljana and its surroundings.

Following steps were taken to achieve the objective:
1. Identification of project partners.
2. Study of best practices and potential solutions.
3. Development of a model of cooperation between public body as main partner and financer, private cooperative as main executioner, businesses as consumers and farmers as suppliers.
4. Organising the Locally Grown Food Exchange.
5. Implementation – start of active sales and delivery.
6. Promotional activities.

We designed the Exchange as a wide area, since we invited local producers, the representatives of restaurants and hotels, as well as schools and day-care centres; and in the area of organisation, we are collaborating with the Department for Environmental Protection of the City of Ljubljana, the Regional Development Agency of Ljubljana Urban Region (RRA LUR), the Agricultural and Forestry Regional Institute and the Ekometer Institute. The Exchange of local products represents an important business opportunity to the hoteliers and restaurant owners, where in one place, they can meet the producers of local products in person and even taste some of the products.

The Locally Grown Food Exchange has managed to raise awareness among tourism businesses about the importance of serving local food and drinks even in urban destinations, such as Ljubljana. The project is used by the Slovenia Green Consortium as best case to follow in other destinations that have set the same goal of increasing the % of locally grown goods.

The project has also contributed in some of the key areas of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development:
- Inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
- Social inclusion, employment and poverty reduction.
- Resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change.

Innovation Description

What Makes Your Project Innovative?

Modern tourists are increasingly searching for green and responsible destinations with real and authentic experiences, which is the reason why sustainable forms of tourism are becoming a necessary direction of development. Since cuisine is an indispensable part of the tourist offer, it is only right we build our competitive advantage on locally grown food in our kitchens. These are the foundations on which we began the Exchange of local products projects, with the objective to encourage the Ljubljana's hoteliers and restaurant owners, as well as schools and day-care centres, to use 100 % locally grown food in their kitchens.

What is the current status of your innovation?

The first Locally Grown Food Exchange was successfully concluded in February 2018. There were 39 local producers, as well as 19 representatives of Ljubljana schools and day-care centres, and 9 restaurant owners and hoteliers present there. In the area of organisation, we collaborated with the Department for Environmental Protection of the City of Ljubljana, the Regional Development Agency of Ljubljana Urban Region (RRA LUR), the Agricultural and Forestry Regional Institute and the Ekometer Institute. The Exchange of local products represents an important business opportunity to the hoteliers and restaurant owners, where in one place, they can meet the producers of local products in person and even taste some of the products.

The Ljubljana Tourism later implemented a professional analysis of project value and set direction for the future. In the following month, we are planning the second Exchange of local products, which is to be more extensive and elaborate in content.

Innovation Development

Collaborations & Partnerships

Project went public via several channels; the population’s knowledge on sustainability and self-supply positively affects the development.
The awareness the tourists are looking for responsible destinations affects hoteliers’ activities pursuant to the sustainability policy and the local products offer.
Farmers contribute by introducing their offer to the final user.
The organisation partners assist with coordination with their channels and by recruiting local farmers for this project.

Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries

Using local ingredients in hotels and restaurants introduces an advantage for the guests, the local community and others.
Buyers (hoteliers and restaurant owners) become personally acquainted with the producers of local food and taste their products.
Farmers directly receive information which product is in demand; useful for their annual planting calendar.
It has a positive financial effect; it encourages the population towards self-supply and supports the local economy and preserves agriculture

Innovation Reflections

Results, Outcomes & Impacts

The Locally Grown Food Exchange is an example of good business practice and a result of good collaboration between various institutions or organisations, which are striving for encouraging local self-supply in the City of Ljubljana. The purchase and use of local ingredients in Ljubljana’s hotels and restaurants benefits both the guests and the local community – by purchasing local ingredients, we can reduce the pressure we put on the environment; the shorter transport path lowers the carbon footprint and exhaust of the greenhouse gases; we support the Slovenian farmers, local producers and the agriculture itself and make path for local self-supply; we contribute to the development of the local environment, preserve genetic diversity and the countryside; we maintain a harmonious regional development and assist in creating new employments positions.

Challenges and Failures

Until now, farmers, hoteliers and restaurant owners were not involved in the organised partner network, which would stimulate important business opportunity. In a collaboration with with the Department for Environmental Protection of the City of Ljubljana, the Regional Development Agency of Ljubljana Urban Region (RRA LUR), the Agricultural and Forestry Regional Institute and the Ekometer Institute we successfully overcame this barrier. Now hoteliers and restaurant owners, can meet the producers of local products in person at the Locally Grown Food exchange. With successful coordination between the project developer and the shareholders we encouraged the system of local self-supply, because shorter supply chains show positive effects on several perspectives of the sustainable development of the city and the wider region, as well as on the field of economy, the environment and social relationships.

Conditions for Success

The key element of the project implementation is the successful coordination between the project developer and the shareholders in the largest number. The important aspects of the project implementation are financial means, constant monitoring and the motivation of all involved in the project. We also established an appropriate connecting infrastructure for communicating with the shareholders, who form the basic core of the human resources, believe in the project and continue to upgrade it. The project implementation itself is also important from the perspective of implementing various strategies.

Replication

The Locally Grown Food Exchange is an excellent model for application even in other sectors, and mostly it is an example of good practice for introducing same activities in other destinations, locally and abroad. The example of good practice has been presented on various presentations of the Ljubljana Tourism in the past year, and we learned many other destinations are interested in the implementation of the Locally Grown Food Exchange.

Lessons Learned

The project shareholders are impressed by the Locally Grown Food Exchange, as it is an example of good business practice and a result of good collaboration between various institutions or organisations, which are striving for encouraging local self-supply in the City of Ljubljana.
After the Exchange of local produce, we forwarded all the participants the catalogues via e-mail. The shareholders recognised the business potential of the Exchange; some have already concluded collaboration agreements, which can only mean they welcome the implementation of similar projects also in the future.

Anything Else?

The Ljubljana Tourism believes the Locally Grown Food Exchange project has connected the shareholders in a unique and innovative way within this project. It is of key importance that the involved shareholders are satisfied with the wholesome experience and wish to upgrade it.

The locally grown food is incredibly important for the quality of life of the residents and the sustainable development of the destination. Satisfied visitors and citizens are an indicator of the fact the project of Exchange of local products is being successfully developed in the right direction.

Status:

  • Implementation - making the innovation happen

Innovation provided by:

Media:

Date Published:

5 November 2018

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