Contact

Partner

Pilot Ambassador

Dragan Roganovic

Pilot Facilitator

Ivan Vilimonovic

Dragan Roganovi
rogandr@mts.rs

Sustainable mixed farming in rural Serbia

Explore the farm

The Association of Rudno Households

Southwest Serbia

The Association of Rudno Households brings together over a dozen private farms located in the Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve in southwest Serbia. The focus for this pilot is on two farms spanning a combined 24 hectares.
The Association of Rudno Households Agroclimatic zone Continental Rudno Serbia Farming system Crops Components Trees Animals
Managed by young farmers in collaboration with local associations, and with the input of AGROMIX and the Network for Rural Development of Serbia (NRDS), these plots lend themselves to mixed agricultural practices combining livestock, cereals, potatoes in a landscape of forests and meadows. One of the farms is also branching into tourism.
The pilot ambassador, Dragan Roganovic, tells us more:
“The project involves a group of farmers, they are organised in one association, there are 16 of them, the average size of farm is between 10-15 hectares. They are working with mixed agriculture, they are using producing agricultural products, and also they are using the forest for production.
The pilot project has several aims. Through innovative approaches to land management and agriculture, the farms in this picturesque corner of Serbia hope to reduce the negative impact that farming can have on the natural environment and climate.
“Usually in the production they used a lot of chemicals in in vegetable and fruit production. They also didn’t respect a lot all the limitations according to the protection of the area. Our idea is to analysize his (the farmer’s) system, and to propose a more nature-friendly system.
They are exploring how the diversification of economic activities can increase the sustainability of small mountain farms and bolster their market strength by leaning into the identity of the natural area while promoting the livelihood among young farmers in a depopulating area.

Where does AGROMIX come in?

To achieve these goals, the participants of the pilot projects are open to discussion on mixed agricultural approaches that benefit the farmer, techniques for managing mixed agricultural land in protected areas as well as market analysis and marketing strategies.

“First of all, they will reduce erosion of the arable land, and also we believe they will keep the quality of the land because last analysis showed we were losing the quality of the land because of the intensive production.”
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