San José was founded in 1857 as one of the first agricultural colonies in the country. The immigrants, mostly workers of the land, managed to supply the entire coast of the Uruguay River with a wide variety of quality foodstuffs. Tradition is a fundamental feature of our family agriculture; 62% of the producers have inherited the land, tools and knowledge that they use today (own elaboration survey, Dir. de Trabajo y Producción, San José, 2022).

160 years later, the family farming model is no longer profitable, mainly because the families do not make the necessary investments nor do they have the technical knowledge to grow their businesses, and poultry farming has become the main productive economic activity. This type of production has allowed families to settle in rural areas, but at the expense of sustainability.

Family farming workers promote production according to natural cycles with agroecological techniques, thus taking care of the land, which is their main resource and home. The disappearance of the sector puts local food security at risk and hinders the emergence of sustainable consumption that considers the efficient use of resources. Biodiversity is also at risk since the sector is a source of genetic diversity that uses varieties of seeds and fruit trees adapted to the environment. There is also a cultural risk: traditional agricultural techniques, passed down from generation to generation, could disappear. Finally, there is an untapped potential for generating real economic opportunities not only for the sector but also for the entire community, through the strengthening of value chains.

The family farming sector is affected by the lack of sources of financing, the lack of technical support for the development of its entrepreneurial and business profile, commercial shortcomings and consumer misinformation. According to an analysis based on the national agricultural censuses of 2002 and 2018 (INDEC), in Entre Ríos the disappearance of productive units amounts to approximately 36%, with a higher frequency in the scale ranging from 10 to 200 hectares, which surely are mainly family businesses. There is also a lack of entrepreneurial or business management tools to efficiently manage their production and ensure generational sustainability. According to 35 surveys and 5 interviews conducted by the Department to family farmers in various areas related to food production, 44% of those surveyed have not thought about who or how they will continue their production when they retire and 38% hope that someone in their family will be able to continue but do not have a defined plan. These numbers are even more alarming when we consider that 50% of the respondents are over 50 years old.

Objective: Commitment of local production stakeholders.

• Establishing an initial working group. The group will be made up of institutions, producer families and collaborators (in principle volunteers) to ensure the sustainability of the proposal and provide confidence to the sector affected by the problem.
• Draw up a work plan. Collect productive information, prepare a diagnosis and design a 5-year plan together with the working group.

Objective: Strengthening the entrepreneurial profile.

• To train local producers. Provide technical and entrepreneurial and business management training with emphasis on productive and generational sustainability to strengthen enterprises and improve production.

Objective: Consumption stimulation.

• Product labeling. Label products and add signage on shelves with QR technology and paper cards that include information about the family's entrepreneurial history, to encourage local consumption. It is necessary to collect information from each family and tell the story behind each product. These stories will be stored digitally and can be consulted.
• To incorporate exclusive gondolas. Designate special sectors where local fruit and vegetable products will be located in greengrocers and local stores.

Objective: Municipal promotion of family farming production (FFP)

• Present a bill for the adaptation of the current local legislation regarding agroecology and the food market.

Direct Results

• 1 working group formed.
• 3 volunteers involved
• 10 stakeholders involved (Producer, Consumer, Trader, SENASA, INTA, INAFCI, Educational Inst., State, Activist, etc).
• 1 diagnostic report and work plan
• 1 online database with the stories of each producer describing their productive memory.
• 216 hs of training for 60 producers in technical tools and entrepreneurial and business management.
• 1 design of paper cards that allow the consumer to interact without internet.
• 1 Design of labels and drawers for gondolas with QR.
• 1 best practices manual for Nearby Markets and Shops (not covered by the Gondola Law).
• Exclusive gondolas for local fruit and vegetable products in 10% of San José's grocery stores and stores.

Expected impact

• To increase by 20% the existence of productive units in 5 years.
• To achieve that local production covers at least 20% of the demand for fruits and vegetables in San José in 5 years.

• National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA): decentralized agency of the National State, with financial and operational autonomy, engaged in agro-technological research and development.
• NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR FAMILY, PEASANT AND INDIGENOUS AGRICULTURE (INAFCI): National State agency, decentralized and acting within the scope of the CHAIRMAN OF MINISTERS' OFFICE, with economic and financial autonomy, its own legal status and capacity to act in the field of public and private law, dedicated to promoting the development and strengthening of family, peasant and indigenous agriculture and artisanal fishing, encouraging their formalization, modernization, technification, complementation and diversification of the economy related to the productive sector, both in primary production and in associated transformation.
• Tec. Sup. in SME Management: a career dependent on the General Council of Education of the Province of Entre Rios with a professional profile "Entrepreneurs who can generate their own ventures or be inserted within a public or private organization in the areas of management, with a solid general and technological culture and ethical-social attitude".
• Tec. Sup. in Oenology and Fruit Growing: a career dependent on the General Council of Education of the Province of Entre Rios with a professional profile "Technician who will be able to work in different fruit and wine production situations and contexts, committed to local and regional development, environmental care, the use and preservation of natural resources under a concept of sustainability, as well as criteria of quality, productivity and safety of production".
• Regional and Solidarity Market of the City of San José: a marketing space for small producers and processors managed by the Municipality of San José that also provides technical assistance and support.
• Perucho Verne Environmental Assembly: self-organized organization of neighbors from the Perucho Vernas neighborhood in the city of San José with the objective of controlling the use of pesticides in local plantations.

After several additional meetings with key stakeholders who were part of the Change Network, it was decided to incorporate the following concepts into the initial planning:

- Include new actors from the family farming (FFP) sector in the region in the Change Network. A successful meeting was already held to establish the initial working group and develop a 5-year strategic plan. This will help achieve the objective of Commitment of the actors with local production.

- With one of the partners (INTA), a survey was conducted in greengrocers to calculate the percentage of local production consumed in the City.

- A graphic designer is working on improving the signage of the Regional and Solidarity Market. A collective design process is underway, involving the participation of 15 producers.

The work of the designer and the new signage for the market is financed through the 'Más Economía Social' program of the Ministry of Social Development of the Province of Entre Ríos.