South Adriatic Urban Food Strategy to support municipalities and favour inclusive, sustainable, and circular urban food policies and operational frameworks

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A IPA Italy Albania Montenegro (South Adriatic)

Date of latest update: 2025-11-19

Description

Description (EN):

The food sector plays a relevant role for the economy of both shores in the cooperation area. Notwithstanding, climate change, ageing, depopulation, and vulnerabilities, causing new poverties and unemployment, prevent the sector to compete globally and reduce the opportunities to contribute to a sustainable development. Cities are the places where food is consumed but their competences cover the last mile of the value chain, namely distribution, catering and public canteens, and waste collection. However, disconnections with rural areas, the lack of services and competition of international players prevent small producers to provide fresh, quality and local food and reduce their capacities to ensure ecosystem services and natural heritage protection. Cities can tackle these challenges if they are enabled to frame and implement consistent and integrated policies, innovate their regulatory frameworks and adopt innovative practices based on bottom-up decision making processes, which are already been practiced in the EU. Furthermore, cities can contribute to overcome vulnerabilities of their dwellers and the access to quality food is one of the main issues cities have to cover to ensure people’s well-being. With our project we want to increase the institutional capacities of medium and small sized cities in South Adriatic area to adopt a joint and participatory decision-making processes, based on civil society involvement, and favour the uptake of food system strategies and urban food policies. The civil society involvement will be ensured by the capitalization of the Living Lab (LL) approach adopted in two Horizon Europe projects,,where the local stakeholders namely the quadruple helix ones (businesses, academia, local authorities and citizen) worked together to adopt innovative solution to favour the food system transition. The project start date according to the partnership 's decision will be 01/02/2024

Expected Achievements (EN): The S.O. is to enhance the partners’ institutional capacities ( capacity building) , launching the participatory decision-making processes (LLs) and define a share strategy (joint methodology) for future urban food policy development

Project outputs: n. 1 South Adriatic joint strategy to develop future urban food policies through a participatory governance(EN)

Thematic information

Climate change and biodiversity

Priority specific objective: ISO6.2. Enhance efficient public administration by promoting legal and administrative cooperation and cooperation between citizens, civil society actors and institutions, in particular with a view to resolving legal and other obstacles in border regions (strands A, C, D and, where appropriate, strand B)

Type of intervention: 173 Enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders to implement territorial cooperation projects and initiatives in a cross-border, transnational, maritime and inter-regional context

Partners (5)

Lead Partner: Bashkia Tirane

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 938474419

Partner’s ID if not PIC: K11729002L | Genci.kojdheli@tirana.al (EN)

Department: European Integration and Foreign Projects Director

Address: Sheshi Skënderbej 2, 1001 TIRANA, Albania

Department address: Torre Drin, 1001 TIRANA, Albania

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.tirana.al

Total budget: EUR 42 472.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 36 101.20

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 85.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 6 370.80

COMUNE DI CAMPOBASSO

Name: COMUNE DI CAMPOBASSO

Department: Mayor office

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 00071560700 | comune.campobasso.protocollo@pec.it (EN)

Address: Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, 86100 CAMPOBASSO, Italy

Department address: Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, 86100 CAMPOBASSO, Italy

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: https://www.comune.campobasso.it/

Total budget: EUR 38 390.76

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 30 712.60

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 7 678.16

Opština Ulcinj

Name: Opština Ulcinj

Department: Secretariat for Agriculture, Rural Development and Ecology

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 892995290

Partner’s ID if not PIC: PIB 02006235 | kabinet@ul-gov.me (EN)

Address: Bulevar Skenderbega b.b., 85360 Ulcinj, Montenegro

Department address: Bulevar Skenderbega b.b., 85360 ULCINJ, Montenegro

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.ul-gov.me

Total budget: EUR 33 741.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 28 679.85

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 85.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 5 061.15

COMUNE DI CAPRARICA DI LECCE

Name: COMUNE DI CAPRARICA DI LECCE

Department: MAYOR DEPRTMENT

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 03355100755 | uff_protocollo.comune.caprarica.le@pec.rupar.puglia.it (EN)

Address: largo San Marco, 73010 CAPRARICA DI LECCE, Italy

Department address: largo San Marco, 73010 CAPARICA DI LECCE, Italy

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.comune.caprarica.le.it

Total budget: EUR 38 390.76

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 30 712.60

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 7 678.16

ISTITUTO AGRONOMICO MEDITERRANEO BARI

Name: ISTITUTO AGRONOMICO MEDITERRANEO BARI

Department: Knowledge Unit Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystems

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 999870375

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 93047470724 | iambdir@pec.it (EN)

Address: Via Ceglie , 70010 VALENZANO , Italy

Department address: via Ceglie, 70010 VALENZANO , Italy

Legal status: public

Organisation type: International organisation, EEIG

Website: http://www.iamb.it

Total budget: EUR 42 641.41

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 34 113.12

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 8 528.29

Contractors:

Name: Copello Giovanni
VAT registration or tax identification number: 2021TC16IPCB008

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

MUNICIPALITY OF CAMPOBASSO

South Adriatic Urban Food Strategy to support municipalities and favour inclusive, sustainable, and circular urban food policies and operational frameworks

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Ulcinj

South Adriatic Urban Food Strategy to support municipalities and favour inclusive, sustainable, and circular urban food policies and operational frameworks

Partners and Projects info

MUNICIPALITY OF CAPRARICA

South Adriatic Urban Food Strategy to support municipalities and favour inclusive, sustainable, and circular urban food policies and operational frameworks

Partners and Projects info

MEDITERANNEAN AGRONOMIC INSTITUTE OF BARI

South Adriatic Urban Food Strategy to support municipalities and favour inclusive, sustainable, and circular urban food policies and operational frameworks

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Tirana

South Adriatic Urban Food Strategy to support municipalities and favour inclusive, sustainable, and circular urban food policies and operational frameworks

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): South Adriatic Urban Food Strategy to support municipalities and favour inclusive, sustainable, and circular urban food policies and operational frameworks

Project acronym: SUrF

Project ID: SA-0100114

Project start date: 2024-02-01

Project end date: 2025-07-31

Project status: closed

Relevant linked projects:

FoodTrails Horizon 2020 .It is a four-year, €12 million project, led by the City of Milan, with the aim of translating municipalities food policies into a shared vision and collective commitment to integrated urban food policies into measurable and long-term progress towards sustainable food systems. It promotes participatory innovation creating a link with food system actors to strengthen their capacity to co-design and co-deliver innovative solutions and their potential for supporting the development of policies that engender food system transformation. (EN) |
Municipality of Tirana is partner of FOOD TRAILS project The synergies between FoodTrails and SURF projects rely on the understanding that municipalities have to establish connections with the diverse actors connected with the sector (as producers or consumers) and pursue bottom-up approaches to identify shared solutions to re-think a new and efficient urban food system. The Food Trails learning process will be capitalized in the Surf project by sharing the Living Lab approach and its contribution to identify common challenges with the local stakeholders, support municipalities’ public officers to widen their decision-making processes as a leverage point for the development of urban food policies. More specifically, the synergies are also meant to share a qualitative and quantitative methodology to collect new data to better frame the existing initiatives and the value added they deliver in terms of sustainability, circularity and inclusion. Moreover, like the FoodShift2030 project, FoodTrails is part of the Food2030 project family where further 3 projects belong and are linked with other South Adriatic regions. The Municipality of Tirana will ensure the integration of these approach and results in the SURF project. (EN), FoodShift2030 Horizon 2020 project .It is a project about food system hubs innovating toward fast transition by 2030. Led by the University of Copenhagen and participated by 30 European partners, the project aims to create Food Accelerator Labs, (FAL), based on the Living Lab approach, to support citizen-driven organisations to mature, combine and upscale their solutions in the wider city-regions’ food systems. More specifically, 9 cities set up their own FALs, with tailored innovation focuses related to different food system challenges (from production, urban and peri-urban, to distribution, food access, food consumption, public canteens and waste recovery and reduction). An overall governance process to support city-regions is pursued and will provide the city-regions with toolkits to foster citizen engagement and integrated decision-making processes within their institutional organizations. (EN) | Ciheam Bari is the FAL leader based in the Metropolitan City of Bari. Ciheam Bari managed managed a bottom-up process with citizen-driven innovators and involved them in a participatory process, within the FAL living Lab, to share challenges, needs and ambitions to achieve a sustainable and inclusive food system. Within the FAL Living Lab, Ciheam Bari supported the Metropolitan City of Bari to identify solutions and foresee the institutional paths to fulfil them.
A Manifesto with 9 principles, co-designed with the support of Ciheam and the FAL's members, was then approaved by the Metropolitan City of Bari and allowed to present an action plan for the food policy developmentThe synergies will rely on the approach followed, the Living Lab, the scouting of food system innovators, which would also implemented in the SURF project, the methodology to assess needs and challenges and how innovators and the civil society can cooperate with policy makers to transform their food system and mainstream its benefits to other policy domains
(EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 195 635.93

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 160 319.37

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 81.95%

Co-financing sources:

IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, EUR 160 319.37. Co-financing rate, 81.95%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

cross border seminar's minutes
communication toolkit
1 Training course package
1st workshop in Caprarica (Italy): needs assessment and solutions toward the local strategy
Communication toolkit for Caprarica Municipality
2nd workshop in Caprarica (Italy): Prioritization of the solutions
1st workshop in Campobasso (Italy): needs assessment and solutions toward the local strategy
1 communication toolkit for Campobasso Municipality
2nd workshop in Campobasso (Italy): Prioritization of the solutions
1st workshop in Ulcinj (Montenegro): needs assessment and solutions toward the local strategy
n.1 communication toolkit for the Municipality of Ulcinj
2nd workshop in Ulcinj (Montenegro): Prioritization of the solutions
1st workshop in Tirana (Albania): Prioritization of the solutions
Analysis and scenarios of the local food system in Tirana
Analysis and scenarios of the local food system in Ulcinj
Analysis and scenarios of the local food system in Caprarica and Campobasso
draft of the strategy to develop the future food policy of the Municipality of Tirana
draft of the strategy to develop the future food policy of the Municipality of Ulcinj
draft of the strategy to develop the future food policy of Caprarica and Campobasso
Test of the strategy for Municipality of Tirana
Test of the strategy for Municipality of Ulcinj
Test of the strategy for Municipality of Caprarica and Campobasso
Strategy for the future urban food policy in Tirana
Strategy for the future urban food policy in Ulcinj
Strategy for the future urban food policy in Caprarica and Campobasso
n. 1 South Adriatic joint strategy to support urban food policies design.
Bari final conference report
Communication toolkit Ciheam Bari

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EUStrategyAdriaticIonianRegion Our project invests on the improvement of the subsidiarity capacities of cities (considering those in pre-accession) and thus maximizes the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) strategy at European level (horizontal pillar increase capacity of public administration). Furthermore, SUrF project also contributes to the wider EUSAIR strategy interfacing its blue growth, the environmental quality and sustainable tourism pillars which are domains that need to be covered in urban food policies development.
At European level, the strategies met by SUrF project refer to the European Green Deal for the ecological transition of food systems where the role of cities is deemed pivotal to promote the food transition. The Farm to Fork strategy, which contributes to the implementation of the European Green Deal, calls for a collective and multi-actor approach involving public authorities at all levels of governance (including cities, rural and coastal communities), private sector actors operating along the food value chain, non-governmental organisations, social partners, academia and citizens. These actors are invited to participate in the formulation of a sustainable food policy also in national, regional and local assemblies and contribute to the transformation of food systems.
The Territorial Agenda 2030, discussed in 2020, calls for the integration of environmental aspects (which are of outmost relevance in food) in cities so that they are climate-neutral and resilient communities as well as raising awareness and empowering local and regional communities to protect, rehabilitate, use and reuse their (built) environments, landscapes, tangible and intangible cultural heritage and other unique values through the instruments of cohesion policy, rural development policy, spatial planning or any other instrument promoting integrated or local territorial development, among others.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 083 - Strategies and action plans jointly developed, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 079 - Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations, Measurement unit:

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSAIR

EUSAIR Priority (Policy) area / Horizontal action:

EUSAIR Degree of compliance:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A IPA Italy Albania Montenegro (South Adriatic)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-11-19

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

51 / 51 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

230 / 230 (100%)

Notes on the data

Languages

Contact Form

South Adriatic Urban Food Strategy to support municipalities and favour inclusive, sustainable, and circular urban food policies and operational frameworks

Description

Thematic information

Partners (5)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Disclaimer