*This page is dedicated to the Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans – Our Shared European Future project and provides key information about the project and its results.

Project title	Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans – Our shared European future
Funded by	European Commission Support to Regional thematic networks of Civil Society Organizations EuropeAid/174154/DH/ACT/MultiLot 3: Green and Digital Transition
Project region	WB-6 Countries and Croatia
Lead organization	Albanian Network for Rural Development
Duration	16.01.2023 – 15.01.2027
Budget	1,442,183.16 Euro

The regional project ‘Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans – Our shared European future’ involves the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia. The Farm to Fork Academy Project – is jointly implemented by the family of National Rural Development Networks (NRDNs) in the six Western Balkan countries (WB-6) and Croatia and their regional cooperation platform Balkan Network for Rural Development (BRDN).

The project focuses on the implementation of the EU integration and approximation process in the WB countries in the agricultural and rural development sector by advancing the green and just transition in the region through the contribution of civil society actors.

It will do so by stimulating a better environment for CSOs and CSOs Networks and other rural stakeholders to proactively contribute in addressing societal challenges related to climate changes and biodiversity losses through building competencies able to assist farming and rural communities toward green and just transition across the region, whereas are able to sustain participatory and bottom-up consultation and constructive policy dialogue to accelerate the reforming process in approximating with EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP), in particular alignment with the EU Green Deal and F2F Strategy.

For more information, please read the fact sheet of the project Fact Sheet_Farm To Fork Academy project.

Building Capacities of CSOs in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development

Through the Farm to Fork (F2F) Academy, civil society organisations and rural stakeholders across the Western Balkans are gaining practical knowledge and skills in sustainable agriculture and rural development. Between February and September 2024, a series of regional Training of Trainers sessions and 24 national training courses reached nearly 400 participants across all six countries, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, with over half of them women and 40% young people aged 18-40. Topics ranged from organic farming and agroecology to circular economy and sustainable horticulture. Read the full report to learn more about the results and impact across the region.

Awareness campaign

The Farm to Fork Academy is committed to spreading the principles of sustainable, green, and resilient food systems beyond the training room. We have reached more than 300,000 persons until now, follow our dedicated social media pages on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news, stories and updates from across the region. You can also watch our project video, available in English all six languages of the Western Balkans, Albanian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Macedonian and Serbian, as well as in Croatian.

Farm to Fork Academy Fund

Open Call for Applications: Support to Civil Society Organizations through the Farm to Fork Academy Fund

The Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans project supports civil society actors in the Western Balkans and Croatia in advancing the green and just transition aligned with the EU Green Deal and the Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy. This fund aims to enhance civil society’s role in the EU integration process, particularly in sustainable agriculture and rural development.

Objectives:

Overall Goal: Strengthen civil society’s contribution to EU integration, focusing on sustainable food systems and climate change.
Specific Goal: Promote innovative, green, and inclusive solutions for sustainable livelihoods, addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.

Themes for Proposals

Sustainable farming and agriculture practices, rural development, and food production
Environmental protection and biodiversity conservation
Climate change mitigation and adaptation

Eligibility Criteria:

F2F Academy Fund Line 1: Local Action Groups (LAGs) registered as CSOs with at least six months of relevant experience.
F2F Academy Fund Line 2: Grassroots CSOs and membership-based organizations (e.g., farmers associations, cooperatives) with at least two years of relevant experience.

Grant Details:

Grant Amount: EUR 3,000 – EUR 5,000 (100% of eligible costs covered).
Fund Allocation: EUR 120,000 per fund line, with a budget of EUR 20,000 per country.Project Duration:
Minimum 6 months, maximum 9 months.

Place of Implementation:

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Submission Deadline:

Applications must be submitted by 25 April 2025, 23:59, to [email protected].

Required Documents:

Application Package
Supporting Documents

For more information, please refer to the full application package.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | FAQ

Following the competitive selection process, 48 subgrantees were chosen to implement activities supporting sustainable agriculture and rural development across the Western Balkans. Of these, 38 are civil society organisations (CSOs) and 10 are Local Action Groups (LAGs), representing a diverse mix of grassroots actors committed to driving change in their communities. Here you can find the list of the awarded subgrantees per each country.

FARM TO FORK ACADEMY AWARDS

Farm to Fork Academy Awards in National Level

As part of the Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans project, each of the six Western Balkans countries held a national awards process to recognise outstanding initiatives in sustainable agriculture and rural development. With 79 applications submitted across the region during 2024-2025, national juries evaluated each initiative against five key criteria: innovation, sustainability, transferability, networking, and youth engagement. The 18 strongest initiatives advanced to the regional level, representing the best of what rural communities across the Western Balkans have to offer. Here you can find the list of the winners per each country.

Regional Farm to Fork Academy Awards

The first Regional Farm to Fork Academy Awards ceremony took place at the 4th Balkan Rural Parliament in Bar, Montenegro, in April 2026. From the 18 national finalists, a dedicated regional jury selected three winners that stood out for their innovation, impact, and commitment to a sustainable and inclusive future:

Network of Young Agripreneurs – “Campaign: Youth in Agriculture” (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
GFT Brothers DOO Beograd -“MOBA” (Serbia)
Beekeeping Etniki (Kosovo)

These winning initiatives reflect the creativity and dedication of rural communities across the region in building greener, more resilient food systems. Read more here.