Newsletter No.

3, September 2012

CeProSARD
International Visitors to the CeProSARD Pilot Farms The members of the CeProSARD team continued their promotion of the activities being undertaken under the SIDA funded Ago Energy project by taking two representatives of the USAID team, Joseph Lessard and Matthew Hutcherson, as well as John Barker from the EU Delegation, to visit two of the Pilot Farms. Read more About us Dear readers, in front of you, you have the third CeProSARD enewsletter. In this edition I would like to inform you that in order to link our activities, with promotion and education in our area of expertise, we have selected the location for our Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency Training Demonstration Center. The Training Demonstration Center will be located within the premises of the Agroenergy Project, financed by the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden. It will be used for training business sector representatives, farmers, students, pupils, public administration employees, media and other entities interested in topics related to use of Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency, as well as in other topics related to local development, environmental protection and sustainable agricultural practices. The existing facility, located at Orce Nikolov Street No. 172, will be reconstructed in accordance with Energy Efficiency principles, thus improving the thermal performance of its premises and additionally establishing a room for training 30 persons. In order practically to experience the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Energy Efficiency (EE) practices, the training center will have RES using equipment. After the reconstruction is finished, the facility will have greater energy efficiency, while participants at the trainings will have an opportunity to see how the building was insulated. By using the new premises of the Demonstration Training Center we expect to achieve the following: - To promote the idea for using RES and EE and energy efficient construction practices. - To implement practical trainings on topics related to use of RES and EE, demonstrating the use of available RES and energy efficient practices on the spot. - To familiarize the broader public with RES and EE utilization practices that could be easily implemented in their households. - To identify new business ideas for existing and new entrepreneurs, thus creating new, so called green jobs in future. By accepting environmentally friendly solutions as the only roadmap towards the future, let us remind ourselves of the proverb: We do not inherit the world from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. We are hoping you will attend the trainings which will be organized in our new Demonstration Training Center. Please contact us at info@ceprosard.org.mk. Svetlana Petrovska MSc, Executive Director CeProSARD Usage of Renewable Energy Sources in rural areas Workshop for Macedonian journalists In June, CeProSARD organized a workshop entitled Usage of Renewable Energy Sources in rural areas for Macedonian journalists with the objective to develop their knowledge and for them to become familiar with the newest EU technologies in this area. The workshop included contributions from guest speakers, Mr. Par Fornling, a journalist from Sweden, and Mr. John Barker from the EU Delegation in Skopje who shared their knowledge and current information related to the renewable energy sector. The Swedish journalist shared with Macedonian journalists his experience from the use of renewable energy sources and media presentation of the issue in Sweden and Mr. Barker presented future EU policies on alternative energy sources. During the workshop the Macedonian journalists were informed about the work and positive results to date from the current project AgroEnergy Project by Gabriela Micevska the project manager. Read more

Drafting the Rulebook and Methodology for determining the energy performance of buildings

The latest meeting of the Working Group on drafting the Rulebook and Methodology for determining the energy performance of buildings was held on 28.06.2012 at the CeProSARD premises. The Energy Agency of Republic of Macedonia submitted its comments regarding the Methodology for determining the energy performance of buildings to the working group's members who drafted the relevant Rulebook and methodology for determining the energy performance of buildings, with CeProSARD support. The meeting reviewed and adopted the comments and guidelines that contribute to improving these documents to ensure their proper implementation. This meeting reviewed a draft version of the Rules on energy performance of buildings that had been developed by the responsible working group, established at the initiative of the Energy Agency, and coordinated by CeProSARD. This is an important bylaw that will contribute to gradually reducing energy costs in buildings, identifying energy factors to take into consideration when renovating and building new facilities, also the introduction of green certificates, and will certainly help in achieving the energy efficiency goals of the country in this field.

CeProSARD supported the celebration of the International Day of Co-operatives in Oteshevo The International Co-operative Alliance has a long tradition of celebrating the International Day of Cooperatives, since 1923, and this was celebrated for the first time in the Republic of Macedonia on 7th of July this year in Oteshevo Resen under the slogan Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World. This event was organized by the Macedonian Association of Agricultural Cooperatives MAAC, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of the Republic of Macedonia and the Center for Promotion of Sustainable Agricultural practices and Rural Development CeProSARD. The conference was opened by the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Mr Ljupco Dimovski, who noted that farmers in the Republic of Macedonia are increasingly faced with additional pressures from competition, both domestic and regional markets and the EU. Therefore the priority objective of the Government in the area of agriculture is to increase of the competitiveness of Macedonian Agriculture. The Minister encouraged Agricultural Cooperatives to spread positive experiences with other farmers, because the future of Macedonian agriculture is in the association of farmers. It means reducing costs, increasing profits, application of modern agro-technical measures, and increasing bargaining power when it comes to selling agricultural products. Read more

CeProSARD
Training Activities within the AgroEnergy Project The Macedonia Green Growth and Climate Change Analytic and Advisory Support Program The Macedonia Green Growth and Climate Change Analytic and Advisory Support Program is an 'umbrella' program of analytic work and nonlending technical assistance led by the World Bank in collaboration with the Government of Macedonia. The Program's objective is to support the Government of Macedonia in: assessing the economic costs and benefits of a shift to greener growth taking into account projected climate change, and prioritizing actions identified in the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSSD) supplemented by the Program's recommendations. Read more The purpose of the Training of Trainers (ToT) activity is to enable National Extension Agency (NEA) representatives to be able to transfer technical knowledge and guidance to farmers within the scope of their work concerning the introduction and use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Energy Efficiency (EE) in agriculture. This will also prepare them to be able to support farmers in their future activities related to IPARD applications and additional measures that will integrate RES and EE. The first round of training included ToT for wind, solar energy, biomass and biogas utilization in agriculture. This consisted of training and providing specific materials adjusted to the target group. The pilot unit farmers also participated in the training. The two-day training included lectures by professors working on renewable energy sources. The training was followed by a series of visits to the pilot units in order to provide a practical insight into the technologies of renewable energy use in agriculture All participants received materials for trainers that can be used to advise farmers on the future use of renewable energy in agriculture. Three sessions were held in Bitola, Skopje and Kocani and following the ToT training, 44 men and 24 women are now trained to be Trainers on RES and EE including NEA staff, pilot unit holders and CeProSARD staff. Future training activities Our upcoming activities are orientated on defining the scope for adjustment of the school children training packages, organization of trainings for farmers, organizing sessions for people other than farmers who are interested in RES and EE, after circulation of the possibility in Moja Zemja, social networks, emails, etc, and also organizing training and information sessions and workshops for representatives of Local Government. Delivery of these training sessions will start from the second half of September. The establishment of the Training Demonstration Center will be realized through the adaptation of the current CeProSARD office, following reconstruction and the installation of RES and EE equipment.

The first meeting of the Policy and Strategy Liaison Group related to the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency for institutions The Policy and Strategy Liaison Group is created in order to strengthen the capacities of the institutions and to be used as a platform for exchange of experiences among the institutions and project experts in the field of utilization of renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency. The group is consisted of members from the following institutions: Ministry of economy, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy; Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, Energy Agency and National Extension Agency. Read more

Workshops implemented by CeProSARD as part of the USAID financed AgBiz programme CeProSARD, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of Republic of Macedonia and the Center for Institutional Development - CIRa, organized between April and August a series of workshops with the purpose to develop local capacity for advocacy and lobbying. In April, the first workshop was held in Strumica to support preparation of the Annual Work Programme of Subsector groups for fruits and vegetables. The workshop was organized as part of the component Strengthen public-private dialogue through effective representation of the value chain for fresh fruits and vegetables and processed vegetables, within the AgBiz program funded by USAID. The subsector groups involved representatives of farmers, processors and traders of agriculture products in an organized form of dialogue that includes joint discussions to resolve issues related to regulation of markets and increasing competitiveness. Read more Children's contest in Konce Central School The project Make a Difference With the generous donation of a newly married young couple (Macedonian/Austrian) who donated the value of the presents they received at their wedding, and supported by the implementation of the hard working team of CeProSARD, solar collectors for hot water in 5 schools in the municipality Konce have been installed.The donors came from Vienna to visit the schools and to see the result of their contribution, and also to be part of the jury for the contest that was organised in the schools in Konce. Because their investment goal is not only to help the schools and their pupils to benefit from the hot water provided from the solar collector but also to encourage the children and professors to improve and protect the environment, the donors came up with the idea to organise a contest called Make a Difference. Read more

CENTER FOR PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT st.Orce Nikolov 172, 1000 Skopje, phone/fax: +389 2 3061 391 e-mail: info@ceprosard.org.mk, web page: www.ceprosard.org.mk