Fruits Route
Following the campaign "Forbidden fruits are the Sweetest", in the spring of 2016, Madein.md project decided to launch another initiative to promote the consumption of local agricultural products named "Fruits Route.".
The campaign consisted of a series of visits to farmers and agricultural associations in the country in order to inform consumers about the leading fruits producers in Moldova, providing a wide range of information materials related to successful business development in agriculture.
The main goals of this campaign
The campaign "Fruits Route" started on May 19, 2016 and it was set by our project in order to accomplish the following objectives: to support and showcase the local fruits producers and farmers from different regions of the country, to highlight the fruit producers who have eco-certificates and those who use natural growing methods. Our aim was also to familiarize consumers with a variety of Moldovan fruits and to promote actively the daily consumption of local agricultural products.
In order to plan these trips, there was developed a unique agricultural calendar, which contained information about the period of maturation of different fruits and berries in Moldova..
The visits to the local farmers
One of the most important initiatives of this campaign was the fact that consumers were offered the opportunity to taste the fruits directly in the gardens or plantations, by taking part in the harvesting process. Interested persons had the opportunity to buy fresh fruits or berries, directly from the manufacturers at a more affordable price than in the capital markets or stores.
Manufacturers were also happy to take the opportunity to sell at least a small portion of their products without having to travel anywhere.
Information and
Promotional Materials
Throughout the campaign, Madein.md drafted and prepared photo and video reports, we interviewed farmers, wrote various articles to inform readers of the site of a variety of fruits grown in Moldova and on the main challenges faced by local farmers.
We were often accompanied in these visits by representatives of other local news agencies, bloggers and broadcasters, who also wrote reports about our campaign.
In the rubric "Fruits Route" on Madein.md website, we dedicated several materials to each individual fruit, offering readers useful materials on the varieties, useful properties and the use of various fruits in the domestic food industry.
In addition, we decided to develop a series of t-shirts, postcards and magnets depicting various fruits and containing a number of eloquent appeals to support the consumption of local agricultural products.
Conclusions and plans
for the future
When we started this campaign, we wanted to popularize the practice of harvesting and purchasing products directly from the orchards and plantations of Moldovan farmers. To our delight, all those who took part to these trips were supported our campaign. Over time, our team was growing and the number of those who would like to accompany us, was increasing.
During our interactions with Moldovan farmers, we learned about the most pressing issues they face: the search of new markets, the lack of marketing strategy, the problems with subsidizing of the agro-industrial complex, etc. All these nuances, we tried to emphasize in our reports..
In 2017, we plan to continue our campaign Fruits Route and organize more trips, not only to producers of fruit and berries, but of vegetables as well. We emphasize once again the importance of the consumption of Moldovan agricultural products and try to convince consumers to support local farmers and thus create a bridge of communication between them, which would be beneficial to both parties.