REFRAME - towards a regional food frame

It is predicted that 5 million rural jobs will have disappeared before 2016. These changes do not
only concern farmers. In their decline all food chain related SMEs will be affected severely. New
business opportunities can be found in short food supply chains. However, they can only
succeed if handled professionally and on a proper scale. This presents opportunities on 4
interconnected strands:
Collect market relevant regional data
Develop innovative specialisation strategies for SMEs
Forge new forms of regional cooperation and partnership based on common benefits and
shared values.
Acquire specific skills
REFRAME takes up these challenges. In a living lab of 5 regional pilots, partners will
demonstrate the Regional Food Frame (RFF) as an effective set of measures to scale up and
accommodate urban food demands and regional supplies. New data will reveal the regions’ own
strengths and resources to match food demand and supply. REFRAME provides a support
infrastructure for food related SMEs to develop and implement their smart specialization
strategies in food chains on the urban-rural axis. On their way towards a RFF, all pilots will use a
5-step road map. A transnational learning lab will be set up in support of skill development and
training of all stakeholders. REFRAME pools the know-how needed to set up these Regional Food
Frames in a transnational network of experts, each closely linked and footed in its own pilot
region.