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AGACA

AGACA (Asociación Galega de cooperativas Agroalimentarias) is an agri-food co-operative umbrella organisation. AGACA's core business is to provide vision, leadership and value to the agri-food co-operative industry in Galicia -the north-western region in Spain- using a collective voice to put the needs of the co-operative industry to the forefront, strengthening its member co-operatives' competitiveness. AGACA is a member of the central umbrella bodies of co-operatives at the national level (Spanish Agri-food Co-operatives) and European (COGECA -General Committee for Agricultural Co-operation, European Union). AGACA was established in 1988 as a non-profitable and non-governmental entity. It gathers 120 co-ops with over 34,000 individual members, directly employ 1,000+ people in Galicia, and has a combined turnover of approximately €2 billion.

Spain

Team Partner

Higinio Mougán

CEO

He holds a Business and Management Administration degree from the University of Santiago de Compostela, USC, Spain. Higinio has been the CEO of AGACA since its foundation. Therefore, he has solid and work-experienced knowledge in co-operatives management and significant experience as a trainer-towards. In the personal sphere, Higinio has actively participated in the boards of various clusters in Galicia, promoting actions to boost and revitalise the rural environment.

Rosa Vázquez

Area Manager

She graduated in Journalism from the University Pontificia of Salamanca, Spain. Also, Rosa holds a Master's degree in Marketing and digital marketing from the Galicia Business School. Rosa joined AGACA in 2005. She is currently responsible for the Press Department, which includes communication to the community and communication services towards the co-op's members, and she is also the coordinator of the magazine "Cooperación Galega" –"Galician Co-operation" ·.

Sara Alarcón

She graduated in Political Science and Administration from the USC. Sara also holds a master's degree in European Union Studies from the University of A Coruña, Spain. Sara has broad experience as a Training Project Manager in Spain and Colombia. Sara is currently the newest team member of Rural Development European Programmes.

Esperanza Otero

Esperanza graduated in Journalism and audiovisual communication from the University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain. She also holds a Master's in Communication and Creative Industries from the USC. Esperanza has been part of the Press team since 2014, supporting all department communication areas and managing AGACA's website and social networks.

Demetrio Bedriñana

Area Manager

Demetrio graduated in Food Industry Engineering from the State University San Cristóbal de Huamanga in Perú. In addition, he holds a Master's degree in Public Management and a Master's in Social management. He joined AGACA in 2018. Demetrio holds immense expertise as a VET trainer and agri-food co-operative adviser.

Ruth R. Ferreiros

Area Manager

She graduated from USC in Business and Management Administration and specialised in agri-food. Nowadays, she is a PhD student in "Regional Development and Economic Integration" at USC. Ruth has significant experience as a researcher and trainer in social and corporate governance, leadership, social skills, marketing, and social media. Besides, she is an Equal Gender Opportunities Officer, specialising in increasing women's participation in agri-food co-operatives' board of directors. She joined AGACA in 2002 and is currently head of the European Rural Development Programmes Department.

Almost There

Founded in 1998 by Tom Løyche and Per Myrén, Almost there (formerly Changemaker) was born as a consultancy agency aimed to stir things up and facilitate change management. More than twenty-five years and hundreds of scribbled notebooks later, things have evolved. The higher vocational educational schools Changemaker Educations and Futuregames have been built, run and sold. We bring with us the legacy of helping thousands of students enter and make a mark on the labour market. Several large European projects have been established to make a sustainable impact on local societies. We’ve worked with regional development in the North of Sweden and other remote locations around the world. Bought and reimagined a 17th century farm in Boden. And also brewed some beers and caught a few mosquitos along the way. Now, we are also creating the next level of educational programs for the cultural sector.

Sweden

Team Partner

Anne Franze-Jordanov

EU Project Coordinator

Combining experiences from international sustainable tourism development, Agroforestry and Permaculture to manage and implement projects and in farming and urban gardening, circular economy, community building and education for sustainable development. Chairwomen, community manager and project coordinator of a local forest garden.

Coordinator: ICOS

Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, representative Body for the Co-Operative Movement in Ireland. ICOS serves and promotes commercial co-operative businesses and enterprise, across multiple sections of the Irish economy. Collective voice and lobbying on behalf of the sector, promote continuous improvement and competitive change. Promote the principles of the co-operative movement to ensure stronger governance, education, and cooperation.

Ireland

Team Partner

TJ Flanagan

Chief Executive

TJ Flanagan has been the CEO of ICOS since 2016.

He first joined ICOS in 2000, having worked as an agronomist for Ireland's largest oat milling Company.

He worked in a number of roles in ICOS prior to becoming CEO, including Member Development and Training, Rural Development and Forestry, Livestock Markets, Animal Health and Welfare, and Dairy Policy.

TJ Flanagan has been the CEO of ICOS since 2016. He first joined ICOS in 2000, having worked as an agronomist for Ireland's largest oat milling Company. He worked in a number of roles in ICOS prior to becoming CEO, including Member Development and Training, Rural Development and Forestry, Livestock Markets, Animal Health and Welfare, and Dairy Policy. He is currently a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Ireland's National Milk Agency. He is a graduate of Agricultural Science, with a Professional Diploma in Corporate Governance from University College Dublin. In his spare time he likes to watch Rugby, spend time on his boat, and is a keen amateur cider maker.

Billy Goodburn

Head of Learning & Development

Billy is the Head of Learning & Development and has overall responsibility for the L&D function, with a specific responsibility for the talent development and industry Human Capital support agenda. He holds several Business and Learning and Development qualifications and is a Certified Professional Behavioural Analyst, a Certified Professional Motivators Analyst, Certified Professional Competencies Analyst and a Certified Professional Emotional Quotient Analyst. He has also been an integral player in the drive to raise the standards across industry through his involvement in the development of sector specific training initiatives and participation on the Expert Group for Future Skills Needs. Billy has chaired a number of groups and is a key figure in industry as a representative to various bodies including Educators, Social Partners, Industry Sectors, Regulators, Government Ministerial Offices, Trade Associations, Funding Agencies, and Standards Development at both a National and International Levels. He is involved in managing and participating in various European projects, aligned with the future skills agenda and workplace competencies for the agri-food sector. With over 15 years’ L&D experience in Industry he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise which ensures the highest level of quality in the services provided.

Confagri

CONFAGRI was founded in October 1985, as the umbrella organization of the Portuguese Agricultural Cooperative sector with the objective of representing the Agricultural Portuguese Cooperative sector in national and international forums. Today employs around 60 people, supporting the activities of the associated cooperatives. Has a permanent delegation in Brussels. It is member of COGECA (European Agri-Cooperatives) and Member of the Economic and Social Committee of the European Union. CONFAGRI’s main goal is the sustainable development of the agricultural sector, as a support for rural areas viability, in a close dialogue with cooperatives and farming organizations (rural areas’ SMEs), representing more than 50% of Portuguese farmers.

Portugal

Team Partner

Domingos Godinho

Main areas of work: . Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): CONFAGRI`s expert in COPA-COGECA working groups and European Commission civil dialogue groups; Technical support to cooperatives, agronomists and farmers; . Expert in Livestock. . Innovation projects.

António Baião

Main areas of work: . Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - technical support to cooperatives, agronomists and farmers; . Projects in Energy Efficiency; Precision Farming; Smart Farming. . Coordinator of the Farm Accountancy Information Network in CONFAGRI

Grifo Multimedia

Grifo is an SME that operates since 1997 in the field of digital education, with specific expertise on using gamification concepts and tools applied to a variety of fields, including learning and training for education and business, environmental sustainability, health and wellness, and business management.

Italy

LLKC

Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre (further – LRATC) is owned by the Ministry of Agriculture of Latvia (99%) and the Latvian Farmers’ Federation (1%). LRATC (established in 1991) is training and advisory institution for farmers, agribusiness and rural entrepreneurs, offering consultancy, agricultural extension and training services for whole Latvia in:

- Agriculture & processing of agricultural products (incl. crop production, animal husbandry etc.) and also in Forestry and Fisheries sectors

- Agricultural Engineering, incl. agricultural machinery services

- Farm Management and Financing

- Training and Further Education in Agriculture and Rural Development, Forestry and Fishery

- Training Methods for Agricultural Schools

- Farm Management and Financing

- Information and Documentation on agricultural production, management, marketing and policy

- Economy and Rural Development

- Institutional Capacity Building for public agencies in the agricultural and rural sectors

- Advice to the Government on broad of policy issues related to agriculture and rural development

The Centre’s services are used by over 20 000 farmers in whole Latvia. It is supporting set-up and development of new enterprises in the agricultural sector, supporting investments and development of the rural economy, providing advice on national and EU support schemes for agriculture and RD. It is also implementing rural development projects in Latvia and abroad, closely cooperating with the other European Rural Advisory Centres and is taking an active role in the European Network for Rural Development and Agricultural Extension. LRATC provides expertise in legislation recommendations and various requirements related to sustainable rural development and social and food industry challenges. LRATC has close links to the highest ranking political key actors of Latvia and strong working relations to EU decision makers of the farming sector as well as ongoing cooperation with numerous organizations from the most European countries in implementation of various EU program projects. Besides, LRATC is one of the institutions that initiated the establishment of the European Forum for Agricultural and Rural Advisory Services (EUFRAS) and since the year 2014 is one of the leading Member organizations in the society. LRATC is also an accredited provider of CECRA (Certificate for European Consultants in Rural Areas) trainings and runs both EUFRAS and EUFRAS-CECRA Offices in its premises. LRATC has about 400 employees and there are Rural development and advisory offices of the LRATC in each of the 26 regions. The main activities of LRATC are advisory services and training of farmers and rural entrepreneurs, farm demonstration programs, market surveys, information for farmers, etc. The main aims are:

- Improvement of the efficiency of agriculture in Latvia

- Development of market-orientated agriculture

- Assisting development of rural economy and welfare

Latvia

Team Partner

Andis Kursītis

Director of LRATC and Head of the Further Education Department.

20 years’ experience in adult education industry (both in public and private sector) and in human resource development in large company (more than 400 employs). 10 years’ experience in eLearning organization and development. Involved in local and international IT projects, more than 15 years’ experience in team leading and management. In addition, farmer in small family farm producing various fruits.

Jolanta Sūna

Deputy Head of the Further Education Department.

More than 20 years of experience in adult education for workers in the agricultural sector, including members of agricultural cooperatives. Co-ordinator of training activities co-financed by the Rural Development Programme in the field of cooperation, agriculture, forestry and food production. Trainer in the field of increasing job efficiency.

Elīna Ozola

Head of Rural Development Department.

10 years’ experience in team leading project management and implementation of several Rural Development activities in Rural Areas (guidelines, programmes, action plans, making disscussions, creating ideas for new Latvian Rural Network activities for developing Rural Areas). Departments’ main activities are work with rural youth (implementing programme for promotion of youth entrepreneurship in rural areas), new entrepreneurs and food producers (project Local Taste and e-catalogue www.novadagarsa.lv, also cooperation, trainings, conferences etc.). In additional, helps parents managed family farm engaged in poultry farming.

Sandra Eimane

Project manager of the Rural Development Department

Project manager of the Rural Development Department, who is in charge of food quality schemes in Latvia, working both with GLOBALG.A.P. and the food system of local producers. Everyday life is also related to educating and supporting rural youth. Young farmer and chairwoman of the board of the Latvian Young Farmers Club.

Medatlantia

MedAtlantia is a worker cooperative, integrated by a team of professionals specialized in the areas of Economy, Education and Training, Psychology and Social-labour Inclusion. It’s a Fourth Sector entity that offers technical consultancy services to public and private entities, especially social economy and non-profit organizations, in the following fields:

– Coordination and management of Public Administrations Training Plans.

– Coordination, organization and evaluation of VET activities for youth and adults.

– Implementation of VET training offer in Creation and Management of Cooperative Companies.

– Development and implementation of circular economy projects for entities of the social economy (worker coops, agri-food coops, social coops, associations of coops, public and private foundations) in the rural areas.

– Management and evaluation of projects, financed by public and EU funds, of several kinds and topics: social economy, circular economy, active learning, cooperative entrepreneurship, social innovation, inclusion and universal accessibility.

– Development of socio-labour insertion plans for groups at risk of social exclusion applying innovative methodologies, such as employment and self-employment with support.

– Innovative methodologies that facilitate universal accessibility by promoting equal opportunities.

Our main goals include social projects that produce improvement of employment, education and social opportunities for people with disabilities or special needs, promotion of their equal rights and prevention of exclusion. In addition, we have a network of experts in different areas, such as culture, heritage, architecture, environment, territorial development, health, research and technology, that support us with specialized technical knowledge when our projects require it.

Spain

Team Partner

Victoria Muiño Acuña

Consultant Partner

Degree in Psychology from the University of Santiago de Compostela. Postgraduate in Human Resources from the University of A Coruña. Postgraduate in CSR from the University of A Coruña. Consultant Partner of Medatlantia Consultoría Europea, with more than 5 years of experience in the processing, management and justification of projects financed by European Programmes and Funds. Responsible for the commercial area of the cooperative.

Ana Isabel Rodríguez Martínez

Consultant Partner

Graduate in Business Studies from the University of A Coruña, with 5 years of experience as an expert in Business Management and Administration in various entities and companies. Consultant Partner of Medatlantia Consultoría Europea, with more than 5 years of experience in the processing, management and justification of projects financed by European Programmes and Funds. Marketing Manager of the cooperative.

Roxana Topciov

Consultant for development initiatives and European projects

Consultant for development initiatives and European projects. Economist, she holds a master’s degree in European Studies. She received professional training in institutions such as the European Commission (Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development), the Galician Government (Galicia Europa Foundation) and the Provincial Council of A Coruña (Department of Planning, Territorial Development and EU – Europe Direct). She worked as a consultant for European projects (2009-2013), and then she created the company Inda Iniciativas, of which she is managing director.

SNRSS

Association for Social Cooperatives (ASC) was established in 2003 in Poznań as an umbrella organization for social enterprises, social cooperatives, and NGOs. The Association has vast experience in the management of the social economy projects co-financed by the European Social Fund and Erasmus+. ASC engages almost 35 experts and specialists. Among them, there are experts in the field of project management, social economy, education, marketing, accounting, evaluation, etc. The headquarters office of ASC is in Poznań (Wielkopolska) but we operate throughout the entire country. ASC’s CEO is Przemysław Piechocki.

ASC’s main goal is to create a sustainable and efficient ecosystem for growth and development for social cooperatives and social enterprises in Poland. To achieve that goal ASC is continuously creating multi-sectoral partnerships, coalitions, cooperation, and other collective initiatives. It gives us an opportunity to implement socially and environmentally responsible solutions in the area of social policy, public procurement and support people at risk of social exclusion due to their social background, age, gender, or disability. The Association’s activity is a response to the disadvantages that we see in the social policy system.

ASC is a certified Social Economy Support Centre for local communities and social enterprises. ASC is also a support centre for SMEs in the field of their workforce education and development, providing support services to more than 1000 SMEs yearly. We provide help in setting up social enterprises and social economy entities, complying with the law formalities as well as creating adequate conditions for running the business. It offers financial support as well as counselling and information assistance to its co-operators in their current activities.

After almost twenty years of operation, Association is a well-known and respected organization in the Polish social economy sector (we founded nearly 300 social enterprises and nearly 500 got our support). It has strong cooperation with a wide range of local authorities that are acting in the social affairs and employment areas. The Association creates good conditions for social cooperatives to share experiences, and exchange information with one another and other economic entities. Over the years we have participated and organised lots of different debates, seminars, conferences, dissemination campaigns. We present also the experience of existing organizations at conferences, in publications, and through traditional and electronic media to both the interested parties in establishing social cooperatives and to general public opinion.

In our work, we follow the principle that new challenges require new solutions. That is why within a few last years we have been involved in actions related to the Territorial Just Transition Plans in Eastern Wielkopolska which is a leader in just transition in Poland. We are also a member of two international consortiums acting for the implementation of circular economy in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and social economy entities.

Poland

Team Partner

Anna Dranikowska

Project manager and PR specialist

Project manager and PR specialist in the Association for Social Cooperatives in Poznan, also responsible for educational activities and international cooperation. Coordinator of the Association's projects implemented under the Erasmus + program. Trainer and advisor, specialization: promotion of social enterprises and social economy entities. Editor-in-Chief of the SOC magazine promoting social entrepreneurship. The author of the textbook: Innovative models of social cooperatives: a model of a social cooperative that revitalized the communes resources. Book lover.

Zbyszek Prałat

Project manager and legal policy specialist.

Project manager and legal policy specialist. 10 years of experience in supporting the process of reintegration of the company and professional within design of the Association. Coach and advisor in the field of legal aspects of setting up and running social cooperatives. Coordinator of Greater Poland Social Economy Support Centre. Co-author: Collection of scenarios for teachers and professional advisors working with youth and many other publications related to social economy and cooperative sector in Poland.

Malwina Pokrywka

Trainer, coach, social economy expert.

Trainer, coach, social economy expert. Experience in realizing innovative and international projects, in the area of professional integration, in the field of social research. Coach, adviser and trainer in the field of social economy. Authoress of publication Manual for the implementation of the innovative social cooperative model at Occupational Workshop Therapy, co-author: Young people in the system vocational education. Models of support paths.