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Success Story

Photo: AED

"The Bubamara Association of Fruit Producers present its climate station that will help fruit growers in Velika Gorica develop an integrated system for fruit production. "

Franjo Meštrovic, president of the Bubamara Association, said “We noticed that our members took the issue of protecting their plants more seriously after we installed the climate station.”

Like farmers worldwide, fruit growers in the city of Velika Gorica, near Zagreb, struggle with adverse conditions that affect production and quality, such as heavy rain, hail, frost, insects and plant diseases. The Bubamara Association of Fruit Producers has been providing agriculture advice to local farmers since 1998. Amid its efforts to help farmers produce a healthier product through an integrated fruit production system it developed, it realized it needed a modern climate station that could serve as an early warning system for farmers.

With USAID assistance, local farmers now receive advance warning by mobile phone and e-mail about all weather changes, allowing them time to protect their orchards. According to Franjo Meštrovic, president of the Bubamara Association, “We noticed that our members took the issue of protecting their plants more seriously after we installed the climate station. During our regular visits and monitoring, we saw how our members devoted themselves to integrated fruit production.”

As a service to non-association members and other interested individuals, the association also disseminates the climate station’s data on teletext through public television. It estimates that approximately 1,000 local fruit farmers receive daily updates on weather and plant diseases. Robert Crep, the Association’s agriculture advisor, said, “We had a vision. I knew what we needed to ensure integrated fruit production among our members. We realized that by obtaining the climate station a great deal of our problems would be solved.”

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