Support to Producers of Herbs and Alternative Agricultural Products

This initiative builds and expands on the successful experience of the pilot JOBS in Herbs project financed by the Kingdom of Norway. It aims at making herb production and alternative crops a reliable source of income and provides farmers professional support for developing sustainable and competitive agribusinesses.

A network of eight support hubs at the JOBS Business Centers assists herb growers and producers of alternative agricultural products all the way from starting up their business to successfully selling their produce.

Who can receive support from this initiative?
In which communities operate the support centers?
What services do we offer?
Paving the way: JOBS in Herbs
The ultimate goal

Who can receive support from this initiative?
- Unemployed or landless people from the project communities wishing to cultivate herbs or alternative agricultural products
- Small-scale farmers wishing to improve quality, increase production capacity and tap wider markets
- Operating companies within the sector who are looking for partnerships with local producers supplying top-quality herbs (dry herbs, herbs for extraction of essential oils, etc.)

In which communities operate the support centers?
- Velingrad
- Polski Trambesh
- Dulovo
- Teteven
- Byala Slatina
- Elhovo
- Karlovo
- Parvomai

The hubs in Velingrad and Polski Trambesh launched the pilot JOBS in Herbs initiative at the end of 2002 and now have fully functioning facilities and nurseries for production of seedlings. The other six hubs were created with the expansion of activities in 2004 and are currently establishing their physical infrastructure. These new centers serve several other communities:
- Dulovo (Isperih and Kubrat)
- Byala Slatina (Montana and Berkovitsa)
- Elhovo (Malko Tarnovo)
- Karlovo (Kazanlak)
- Parvomai (Harmanli)

Each hub is staffed with an agronomist providing hands-on support and extension services to the farmers in addition to the full package of services available from the JOBS Project. Each support center will have nurseries for production of seeds and seedlings, trail plots, demonstration fields, driers and primary processing facilities as well as storage space.

What services do we offer?

Herb cultivation assistance
- Establishment of herb production plots
- Selection of appropriate herb varieties meeting market demand and suitable for the local soils and climate
- Provision of herb seedlings free of charge and creation of herb plantations
- Free agronomist extension services during cultivation and harvesting

Specialized training
- Theoretical training about herbs and crops to be cultivated
- Practical skills for herb growing and first-hand experience at the demonstration training fields in Velingrad and Polski Trambesh
- Good Agricultural Practices
- Organic farming

Sales assistance and marketing
- Quality assurance
- Processing, marketing and sale of the produced herbs
- Establishment of local producer groups
- Direct contacts with companies from the industry looking for high-quality herbs
- Participation in international fairs for the herb and organic industries

Support for organic farming
- Introduction of organic farming practices
- Preparation for organic certification

Paving the way: JOBS in Herbs

The JOBS in Herbs initiative was launched on 10 December 2002. This pilot project was financed by the Kingdom of Norway and created two specialized hubs supporting herb growers in Polski Trambesh and Velingrad.

In 2003 JOBS in Herbs assisted 40 families (10 Roma, 24 Turks and 20 Bulgarians) from the target communities in: Maysko, Konstantin, Ressen, Draguievo, Kopriven and Polski Trambesh (Veliko Tarnovo District, North Bulgaria); Pashovo, Draginovo, Dorkovo and Kostandovo (Pazardjik District, South Bulgaria).
Overall, 109 decares of herb plantations were created in North and South Bulgaria. The pilot centers in Polski Trambesh and Velingrad trained 150 people and contributed to the creation of 150 jobs in the herb sector, including for many disadvantaged people and members of minority communities.

Recognizing these achievements, at the end of 2003 the Norwegian Government granted additional funds to replicate the JOBS in Herbs model in two new communities. This coincided with the expansion of the JOBS in Herbs component initiated by the Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, which allocated funds for implementation of herb sector activities in four new municipalities. Thus in 2004 the JOBS Project is creating an expanded network of eight hubs supporting producers of herbs and alternative agricultural producers.

The ultimate goal

- Growth of sustainable agribusinesses providing income and employment through production of herbs and alternative agricultural crops
- Production of high quality products intended for domestic and international markets
- Application of Good Agricultural Practices, environmentally friendly cultivation techniques and market-oriented selection of products
- Development and certification of organic farming