The Greek SMARTCHAIN innovation & collaboration hub is located in Rethymno, Greece, and is affiliated with the Department of Sociology at the University of Crete (UoC). Its primary goals are to diffuse the merits of short food supply chains (SFSCs) in Greece, enhance the capacity of SFSC members to act, and activate social links between SFSCs and society at large. The Greek hub also seeks to raise awareness about SFSCs’ core premises, such as shortening the geographical and social distance between producers and consumers while ensuring a fair price for both.

The Greek hub managers work closely with the two local case studies, exchanging knowledge regularly and generating scientific input for SMARTCHAIN’s outputs (e.g., creating a repository of technological and social innovations, documenting best practices). Moreover, motivated by the philosophy and activities of the two case studies, the Greek hub members embrace and endorse the principles of organic production, healthy eating, social solidarity, and environmental protection.

So far, the Greek hub has organized and conducted several multi-actor training workshops in different locations (e.g., Athens, Corinth, Chania), a community of practice event devoted to social innovation in SFSCs, and field research activities (e.g., focus groups, in-depth interviews, surveys). The managers of the Greek hub also collaborate with other national hub managers in the project as well as with different stakeholders in the agro-food sector (e.g., social enterprises, producer-consumer co-operatives, the Agricultural Economics Research Institute, public officials who specialize in social economy issues).

Click here to read about the two case studies in Greece.

An Innovation and solution-based multi-actor workshop will take place online on 3 June at 13:00-19:00 CEST, organised by the Greek Hub.
Registration & Information: https://forms.gle/sVU3NqttCShbR9o7A