Together with the Association for the Protection of the Origin of Livno Cheese and the authorities of Canton 10, we held a working seminar as part of the project “High Nature Value Terroirs in the Western Balkans ” (*) The discussions focused on the sustainability challenges faced by small and medium-sized dairy farms supplying the dairies of Canton 10, which produce the PGI-certified Livno Cheese. Although these farms are less productive than more intensive systems, they are essential for maintaining the distinctive quality of Livno Cheese.

The recognition of Livno Cheese by the European Union as a product with specific quality attributes is an encouraging step toward enhancing its value in export markets, particularly in Croatia and across the EU. A robust GI control system, inclusive governance involving all segments of Livno Cheese production, and a strong territorial valorization strategy around the protected name are promising avenues to ensure the sustainability of these dairy production systems. These approaches contribute to positive social and environmental impacts for the region.

*This project has received funding from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs under grant agreement N°FEF-R Avril 2024-64/0209-DPO-24-0046. Coordinated by CIRAD, the project involves five partner NGOs : MENA, KsIPP, AIDA, RASP and Link the quality to origin as well as five producer groups engaged in establishing Geographical Indications for 5 products : Sharr Cheese (Kosovo); Livno Cheese (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Has Goat Meat (Albania) ; Maslesh Cheese (Montenegro) ; Sjenica Cheese (Serbia)

Photo (banner) : Sheep grazing on the banks of Lake Busko (Bosnia & Herzegovina), 2024 / François Lerin.

Agroecology Territories for Climate Action in Western Balkan Candidates Countries.

Climate change (CC) and biodiversity loss (BD) are bundled issues and one of the major problem of the environmental global challenge is to deal with both at the same time. This only can be done at the level of specific territories, that includes management of natural resources and agrifood systems, generally within common institutional framework. The objective of this action was, in the six candidate Western Balkan Countries, to identify and network actors in a position to carry agri-environmental alternatives strategies, dealing the CC/BD nexus both analytically and situationally. The six national cases were investigated through a collective discussion toward a common vision with a regional Balkan scope and in the framework of the processes of accession to the European Union. It was therefore a question of building a space for discussion and coordination to define for the Balkan region an integration path adapted to the European Green Deal and in particular its “Farm to Fork” and “Biodiversity” dimensions.