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PARTNERSHIPS FOR ENHANCED ENGAGEMENT IN RESEARCH (PEER)
COVID-19 (2022 Deadline)


Mitigating effects of COVID-19 on small-scale dairy farmhouse producers through education and training initiatives to improve food safety and their access to online distribution platforms

PI: Nada Smigic (nadasmigic@agrif.bg.ac.rs), University of Belgrade
U.S. Partner: Jovana Kovacevic, Oregon State University
Project Dates: November 2022 - April 2024

Project Overview:
 
Small-scale dairy producers (SSDPs) in Serbia have been disproportionately affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the lockdowns and inability to sell their products through typical distribution channels, such as open markets and restaurants, these communities have struggled to make sales and stay in business. During the pandemic, Serbia has witnessed the emergence of new online food distribution channels, increasingly accepted by consumers, mainly due to their convenience. While larger and well established businesses have pivoted to new markets, SSDPs face significant challenges in adapting and meeting the standards required for online sales. The goal of this project is to support Serbian SSDPs’ longevity and resilience by helping them produce foods of high quality and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as enabling them to expand their distribution channels to online platforms. The project will be conducted in two phases, focused on research and training. During the research phase, the PI and her colleagues will first conduct a needs assessment survey to identify challenges faced by SSDPs throughout the production and distribution stages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, they will investigate the quality and safety of dairy products produced by SSDPs through microbiological and physico-chemical analyses to assess their suitability for online sales. The research phase will be followed by the training phase, aimed at improving SSDP’s knowledge and compliance readiness. Region-specific, customized, in-person and e-learning trainings, tailored to SSDPs, will be developed, delivered, and evaluated. The training will include basic quality and food safety preventive controls and key requirements for online product sales.

This project will directly support SSDPs in sustaining their businesses by strengthening their position and competitiveness in the food production sector. Their ability to thrive and succeed is paramount in keeping their rural households and traditional values. This is especially important in the current COVID-19 induced situation, considering the uncertainty regarding the duration and long-term consequences of the pandemic. SSDPs in Serbia are considered a particularly vulnerable subgroup of dairy producers, as they are comprised of mainly females from rural households. This project aims to understand the extent of challenges faced by SSDPs in order to help them respond to and mitigate effects of COVID-19 or similar future crises. In addition, SSDPs are often overlooked in surveillance and research studies. To the best of the research team’s knowledge, there have been no studies or published data on the knowledge and understanding of food safety and quality principles among Serbian SSDPs. By engaging this important subgroup of the dairy sector in research activities as part of the proposed project, the researchers hope to shed the light on this marginalized and underserved audience.

Summary of Recent Activities:

The main output from the second quarter of 2023 was the drafting of a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) manuscript. In addition to the main body of the text, one appendix is a codebook with results of the qualitative part of the research, including the themes and codes developed by the team, as well as quotes from the online platform representatives. The second appendix is a table with the sum and percentages of positive answers given in the questionnaire by four clusters of small-scale dairy producers (SSDPs) involved in the quantitative part of the research. The main manuscript body analyzes the results from both parts and delves into the discussion, with particular emphasis on addressing the identified knowledge gaps and exploring the potential for SSDPs to integrate with e-commerce distribution channels. As of the end of July 2023, the drafted manuscript was ready for revision by the coauthors. Meanwhile, the PI Dr. Smigic and her team also collected 100 dairy products from the open market and analyzed them microbiologically and physicochemically. They plan to combine the data obtained from these 100 samples with data from the 200 previously analyzed samples. The combined data set will be used to perform a comprehensive analysis and to write a scientific paper on the subject.

On the outreach side of the project, the team organized an informational meeting with stakeholders at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Beograd, on May 31, 2023. The goal of the meeting was to bring together various key actors, including representatives from the USAID Mission in Serbia, the Ministry of Agriculture, national and regional chambers of commerce, women’s associations, online platform companies, etc. The project team presented the results of the research phase, highlighted the most important aspects related to SSDPs, and presented the content of the brochure developed specifically for SSDPs. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss strategies for improving the position of SSDPs and to explore possibilities for future cooperation.

U.S. partner Dr. Jovana Kovačević visited the research team in Serbia from June 12 to June 16. During this visit, the Serbian PEER team discussed with her the results of the training needs assessment and presented their data on microbiological analysis of dairy samples collected from the Serbian market. Dr. Kovačević recognized the significance of the findings and suggested that the cultures of isolated pathogens be sent to her laboratory in America for whole genome sequencing, which might provide valuable insight and enhance the ability to publish these findings. The possibility of sending bacterial cultures will be investigated in the following months. To gain a better understanding of the current state of production among SSDPs, two visits to eastern Serbia were organized. This allowed her to observe production processes and interact with producers. This experience provided valuable background information and insight into the challenges faced by SSDPs. The U.S. partner, who possesses extensive experience in providing training to small-scale producers in the United States, carefully reviewed the training curriculum, provided valuable comments, and offered practical advice for enhancing its content. As part of her visit, Dr Kovačević also gave a lecture to faculty and students at the Faculty of Agriculture titled: “Listeria monocytogenes research into environmental monitoring, strain typing, and cross-resistance between sanitizers and antibiotics.”

Dr. Smigic and her team have also used the findings from their TNA and feedback from the meeting with stakeholders to create a brochure that addresses the identified knowledge gaps and provides practical information to SSDPs. The brochure covers a range of topics, including facility registration and approval, hygiene and infrastructure requirements, food labeling, cheese production, quality control, online customer requirements, food transportation and distribution, and online platforms. The team has designed their training curriculum to include a mixture of lectures, case studies, and practical examples, as well as a demonstration of different rapid tests for hygiene and quality assessment of dairy products. The project team incorporated the feedback received from the U.S. partner and refined the training curriculum accordingly. The first in-person training session was delivered on July 4 at the Faculty of Agriculture to 14 participants, who also had the opportunity to visit the dairy pilot plant at the faculty. To evaluate the effectiveness of the training, pre- and post-training knowledge assessments were conducted, and feedback from the participants indicated a high level of satisfaction with the training.

The second half of 2023 will be focused on the completion and submission of the training needs assessment manuscript. All data from the assessment have been analyzed and the manuscript has been written, so now it will be reviewed, checked, and prepared for submission to a journal. In addition to the manuscript identifying training needs, the plan is to combine microbiological data from the PEER project (100 samples) with previously analyzed milk samples (200 samples). This combination of data sets will allow for a comprehensive analysis that will provide valuable insight into the hygiene performance of small dairy producers. The final goal is to submit a comprehensive manuscript to a respected food safety journal. Three in-person trainings are planned in Valjevo, Zaječar, and Niš. These trainings will be organized in cooperation with the regional chambers of commerce in these cities, as they have shown interest and willingness to provide technical assistance in organizing these events. The goal is to complete all three training courses by the end of October. A no-cost extension has been made through April 2024 to allow time for all necessary data analysis, manuscript preparation, and other project activities.


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