Sustainable Food Societies (SFS)

The comprehensive competence present in the BERAS Implementation project, together with what is to be developed during the project period, will be available in BERAS Implementation Centres. Based on ecological recycling agriculture they will constitute fully integrated, full scale examples of Sustainable Food Societies.  Such centres are being established in all 9 participating countries and Russia. Presently (February 2012) we have the following Sustainable Food Societies under establishment:

Denmark (1), Germany (3), Poland (5), Belarus (1), Russia (1), Latvia (1), Lithuania (1) plus Mobile Unit, Estonia (1), Finland (1) and Sweden (3).

By developing local food clusters - Sustainable Food Societies – the goal is to establish new relationships between different actors in the food chain. In the schematic figure of a Sustainable Food Society, visible below, farms and gardens that practice ecological recycling agriculture (ERA) are at the centre. We want to focus on our local primary producers by creating networks that makes practicing agriculture an economically and socially viable and attractive way of living. We who rely on buying our food benefit by getting access to food that we know is good for us, good for the environment, and has been produced under good social conditions. In this way we make agriculture a more natural part of our daily life.

Furthermore connecting farms and farmers to processing, distribution and consumers may strengthen the local society, create new jobs and promote sustainable rural development. In order to secure the involvement of society as a whole we build our Sustainable Food Societies on three legs: local authorities, the private sector (NGO’s and business) and research centres/universities, what is also termed Triple Helix.

For questions and more information please contact:

Polish Ecological Club in Krakow - city of Gliwice chapter

Maria Staniszewska
biuro(at)pkegliwice.pl


A mobile unit fully equipped with interactive exhibitions, materials, posters, and software package, is continuously travelling in the countries of the Baltic Sea region as an exhibition and learning centre.

For questions and more information please contact:

Baltic Foundation HPI

Jolanta Paulaitiene
jolanta(at)heifer.lt

Cross-Cultural Analysis for Learning (CCAL) is a method for structured and in-depth learning from local development practices. During the project period CCAL will be adapted to BERAS Implementation/Sustainable Food Societies to facilitate mutual exchange of knowledge within and between the learning centres.

The CCAL Handbook can be downloaded here 

Sustainable Food Societies in partner countries

 More detailed information on Sustainable Food Societies in each country can be found in presentations below: