Who are we?
We are a professional not-for profit non governmental organization that reconnects local people with local food, provide people with information, inspiration and energy for their own activity. We use expert knowlege and we are creating examples of different lifestyle.
What do we do?
We are developing local food systems based on the caring approach to the landscape, just relationships between farmers and consuemrs. We are educating kids, teenagers and adults in an informal way about the importance of local food systems, sustainable farming and community involvement in the transformation of our food system. We are growing new farmer. We are assisting people from manginalized regions and with low-income to get to the local food more easily. We want people to enjoy the food.
Why do we do it?
As we want to see the dominating food system transformed and together with this we want the society to transform in direction of sustainable local (food) systems based on the close personal relationspihs, solidarity and mutual understanding.
How do we do it?
Based on domestic and abroad examples and experience we strive to inspire and connect, offer opportunities, advisory and support. We want to work positively and creatively with our own expertise and experience together with the others who feel the same.
Vision
Our vision is to support close relation of people to the landscape of there living through the development of local food systems in the Czeh republic. We want to umbrella establishment and operation of local food systems in CZ (Community supported agriculture in particular). We share the vision of sharing, sustainability, openneess to new approaches. Environmental protection and sustainable development are important for us.
Publicly benefitial services we provide
- Advisory service for farmers and consumers focused mainly on the development of environmentally and socially responsible local food systems and their interconnection.
- Environmentally responsible education, training and promotion ranging from programmes for kids, pupils and adult learners. We are developing new training approaches in out-of-school and informal learning for children and adults alike.
- Science and research in the field of sustainable farming and food systems focused on improving the state of environment and quality of human life.
Main fields of action
- Network of Community Supported Agriculture – we´re coordinators of the network of CSAs, farmers and consumers that are forming communities to make local food more accesisible for everyone
- Environmental education and edutainment for kids and teens – annualy around 3000 kids or teenagers enroll to our programmes, summer camps and educational theatres where they experince traditions and presence of our food and farming systems, folclore in a playful, colourful and hands-on way.
- FarmSchool – farmtraining programme for new generation of farmers. Three years course for new entrants to organic or regenerative farming. The FarmSchool is noe accredited by the Ministry of education as an guaranteed programme of organic farming education
- Forrest kindergarten – on the community garden in the heart of the city of Prague we are providing daily experience of soil and compassion with natural garden to the group of 15 pre-school kids.
International cooperation
- We are closely bound to the European CSA network united under the umbrella of URGENCI – international CSA network. We contribute to the development of the European CSA network with its regular European-wide meetings evry two years and we are members of the European group to formulate the European Declaration on Community Supported Agriculuture.
- We are active members of European Food Sovereignty Movementy Nyeleni and signatories of the European Declaration of Food Sovereignty.
- We are closely partnering with german Netzwerk Biodynamische bildung on establishment of farm training programmes focusing on organic and biodynamic farming in the Central and Eastern European region.
- Together with partners from many countries we have participated in numerous international projects (Horizon 2020, Erasmus+) focused on the development of local food systems (CSA in particular) and informal adult education.
Ongoing and past international projects
- FarmTRAIN – international project focused on establishment of the farm-training programme in three partner countries (Czech, Germany and Romania). Project was funded by the European Union´s Erasmus+ programme. www.farmtrain.eu
- BOND (H2020-RUR-2016-2017/H2020-RUR-2017-1) 2018-2021 – Bringing Organisations and Network Development to higher levels in the farming sector in Europe – Horizon 2020 project coordinated by Coventry University is focused on networking of local sustainable food systems in Europe and research options for its promotion and support. Project webpage is here.
- Learning Platform for Farmers’ Access to Land (2018-1-FR01-KA204-047852), 2018-21 Erasmus+ funded project for years that brings a focus on practical tools and skills crucial for access to land organisations. Learning Platform will Create, centralise, and structure resources focused on practical tools and skills crucial for access to land initiatives. Build up the professional skills and knowledge of our organisations’ staff and volunteers who train, advise and support farmers and prospective farmers. The partners: Agroecopolis Hellas (Greece), AMPI (Czech Republic), De Landgenoten (Belgium), Eco Ruralis (Romania), Regionalwert AG (Germany), Rurbans (Spain), Soil Association (UK), and Terre de Liens (France) the lead. More here.
- Learning towards Access to Land (2016 -1-CZ01-KA204-024020) – 2016-2018 Erasmus+ project on education of employees, volunteers and co-workers of our organization about the Access to Land issue. Projekt is realized in consortium of 5 organizations from Germany, France, Greece, Scotland and the Czech Repbulic
- SolidBase – Financial Sustainability Education for Solidarity-Based Food System (2017-1-HU01-KA204-036011), 2017 – 2019 – Erasmus+ project focusing on the development of training programme on financial sustainability for local food systems. Project partners are from Hungary (TVE), Germany (SOLAWI a Die Agronauten), France (URGENCI) and AMPI. More here.
- Voices for CSA (2018-1-FR01-KA204-048211 ), 2018-2019 Erasmus+ project which is focused on building a collective advocacy strategy for Community Supported Agriculture in Europe. More here.
- Sprouting S.O.Y. ( 2017-1-IT03-KA105-010619 ) 2017 – Erasmus+ funded project focused on experience sharing in the field of Food Sovereignty for youth, within the project 3 Czech young people attended week-long training in Italy with the lead partner Comunità Impegno Servizio Volontariato
Contact person
Jan Valeška, honza@asociaceampi.cz, phone no. +420 774 683 833