Six trade unions, all present in the CNEL (National Council for Economics and Labour), are associated with the BioDistretto: they are Copagri, CIA, and AGCI (founding members) plus Confagricoltura, ConfCooperative, and LegaCoop. There is a strong relationship between the BioDistretto and the agricultural trade unions for a common goal, which is to convert as many farms as possible to organic farming.
Trade association
The Association
AGCI operates in political institutional representation and carries out promotional activities for the establishment of new cooperatives, assistance in all the different phases of starting and consolidating social and economic activities, professional and technical training for cooperative members and employees, assistance, and dissemination of incentive tools and access to credit and tax benefits.
Mission
AGCI SARDEGNA promotes the overall development of the Sardinian economy through the promotion of direct work management with cooperative enterprises, the enhancement of workers, solidarity among members, and the free circulation of ideas, people, and goods.
Future objectives
Increase the territorial membership base
Strengthen the Association’s presence in the area by expanding the number of member cooperatives in various production sectors.
Develop engagement and support actions for emerging cooperative realities.
Increase participation in funded development projects
Facilitate cooperatives’ access to European, ministerial, regional, and local funds.
Enhance the Association’s project capacity to seize growth and innovation opportunities for member cooperatives.
Promote the establishment of community cooperatives
Encourage the creation of cooperative models aimed at enhancing local resources and the social and economic growth of communities.
Support the creation of proximity services, with particular attention to internal and less served areas.
Support sustainable management of agri-food resources, coastal and inland water fishing
Encourage innovative and environmentally friendly production practices.
Encourage the adoption of strategies for the enhancement and protection of natural resources.
Promote generational renewal
Encourage the entry of young people into cooperatives through training, mentoring, and entrepreneurship support tools.
Create mentoring paths between new and old generations to ensure the continuity of cooperative activities.
Contribution to the BioDistretto
Promotion of access to funding and project design
Assist cooperatives in accessing European, national, and regional funds for ecological transition and innovation in the agri-food sector.
Facilitate participation in research and experimentation projects for organic development.
Support for the governance of the BioDistretto
Collaborate in defining integrated territorial development strategies.
Strengthen dialogue between cooperatives, public bodies, businesses, and associations to create effective synergies.
Trade association
The Association
Confcooperative is a representative association of the cooperative movement committed to promoting and developing cooperative enterprises operating in the agri-food, welfare, cultural, tourism, manufacturing, logistics and transport, business services, public administration, housing, consumer, and user sectors.
The fundamental role of Confcooperative Sardegna is to represent and protect the political and trade union interests of member cooperatives in all sectors, developing dialogue with institutions, trade unions, and other stakeholders.
Mission
To best represent member cooperatives, Confcooperative Sardegna, through dialogue with institutions and the enterprises themselves, is committed to defining economic programming proposals, new laws and regulations, analyzing the relationships between enterprises and public administration, as well as designing and defining development projects for enterprises and local communities where the enterprises operate.
Future objectives
Confcooperative Sardegna is building development projects to promote the growth of member cooperatives.
The Association aims to support the enhancement of the three fundamental capacities of every enterprise, namely financial capacity, innovation capacity, and managerial capacity.
Contribution to the BioDistretto
Confcooperative Sardegna operates in all sectors and is therefore organized into Regional Federations, including FedAgriPesca, which boasts significant representation especially in the wine sector with the membership of the vast majority of social wineries operating in Sardinia, but also in the fruit and vegetable, dairy, livestock, forestry, and fishing sectors. The quality of our social reality in the agri-food sector can certainly provide an important contribution to the development and growth of the BioDistretto Sud Sardegna and Arcipelago del Sulcis.
Trade association
The Association
Confagricoltura Sardegna is committed to the development of Sardinian farms and the primary sector in general, for the benefit of the community, the economy, the environment, and the territory of Sardinia. It promotes access to innovation for businesses, the sustainability of agricultural practices, and the competitiveness of companies in domestic and international markets. The territorial organization includes a regional coordination, four provincial units, and several local offices ensuring widespread presence in the territory.
Mission
For safeguarding farmers’ income; for overcoming the structural gaps of Sardinian enterprises; for protecting the territory and the environment; for animal welfare; for improving the living conditions of citizens.
Future objectives
Improve the conditions of agricultural enterprises and Sardinian citizens.
Contribution to the BioDistretto
Promoting sustainable agriculture and the biodiversity of the territory through the contribution of member companies.
Trade association
Brief activity description:
Protection and representation of agricultural companies
Promotion of agricultural policies in favor of producers
Provision of agricultural and fiscal services for member agricultural companies
Mission:
Cia-Italian Farmers is one of the largest category organizations in Italy, Europe, and Sardinia.
It works for the protection and enhancement of the primary sector and for the protection of businesses and farmers.
Among the organization’s priorities: safeguarding farmers’ income, affirming the primary sector in the Italian and global economic system, the competitiveness of businesses in markets, revitalizing rural areas, and the rights of agricultural work exercised as a business. Cia works every day for increasingly sustainable agriculture, attentive to quality, safety, biodiversity, food education, and environmental and soil protection.
Cia-Italian Farmers has its national headquarters in Rome and is present in about 5,000 Italian municipalities, with regional, provincial, and local offices, as well as having representation in Brussels. It is among the members of COPA (Committee of Professional Agricultural Organizations of the European Union) and OMA (World Farmers Organization).
The Confederation’s commitment is to guarantee the rights and safeguard the 650,000 members and the 170,000 associated agricultural enterprises nationwide.
Cia also gives voice to about 350,000 retirees (Anp), supports about 37,000 young people (Agia), and supports 10,000 women entrepreneurs (Women in the Field).
Among the multifunctional sectors stand out about 4,500 agritourisms (Green Tourism), 9,500 organic companies (Anabio), and 5,000 short supply chain enterprises (the Shopping in the Countryside). More recently, born in 2020, is PescAgri, the Association for the protection, development, and enhancement of fishing and aquaculture in all its professional and territorial aspects.
Cia also relies on the Agriculture is Life Association, which deals with training, research, and dissemination, and can boast a reference non-profit organization (ASeS – Farmers Solidarity and Development). Finally, the Confederation also promotes Esco Agroenergetica and Aiel, the Italian Association of Agroforestry Energies.
Every year Cia assists 1 million people, farmers, and citizens, through the Inac patronage and the Caf and Caa assistance centers.
Planned objectives:
Enhancement of organic agriculture – protection of organic farmers’ income and relaunch and development of the primary sector in the territory
Contribution to the BioDistretto:
Promotion of the membership of associated agricultural companies to the BioDistretto.
Research and development activities of innovative organic cultivation techniques in synergy with entities and agencies
Technical specialization courses for new and old organic operators.
Trade association
Brief activity description:
Cooperative employer association, operates in the regional territory in all production sectors.
Mission:
Growth and development of the cooperative movement
Planned objectives:
Improve the Sardinian cooperative system and grow cooperatives economically and structurally.
Contribution to the BioDistretto:
Support the BioDistretto in promoting sustainable agricultural systems and renewing the rural world.
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