Mission

Building practical pathways from local agriculture to dignified household income.

Agro Info Centar helps Serbian producers, cooperatives, and municipalities translate information into action through field advisory services, transparent partnerships, and measurable rural development programs led by Director Maria Thomas.

Climate-smart production Market readiness Public accountability
Timeline

Organization History

Key milestones showing how a local civic initiative grew into a trusted rural development platform.

2014

Association Registered

Udruzenje gradjana Agro Info Centar formalized its public-benefit mandate and began producer advisory outreach in South Backa district.

2017

Farmer School Launch

The first seasonal training model combined agronomy coaching, finance basics, and cooperative planning for smallholders.

2020

Digital Help Desk

Remote advisory channels reduced travel barriers and connected producers to subsidy updates, market bulletins, and peer learning.

2023

Monitoring Upgrade

Program tracking moved to outcome dashboards with gender-disaggregated reporting, baseline surveys, and verification visits.

2025

Regional Partnership Hub

Municipal, university, and funder relationships expanded into a multi-partner platform for resilient agri-food livelihoods.

Programs

Programs Grid

Four flagship initiatives designed for enrollment, continuous support, and measurable producer outcomes.

Rural Enterprise Academy

Hands-on support for new and early-stage producers focused on crop planning, bookkeeping, and buyer readiness.

Enrollment: February-April Format: 12-week cohort Seats: 60 producers

Market Access Lab

Producer groups receive packaging guidance, compliance mentoring, and contract preparation support for wholesale channels.

Enrollment: Rolling intake Format: 1:1 advisory Priority: Cooperatives

Climate Resilience Clinics

Seasonal demonstration plots and adaptation planning on irrigation efficiency, soil health, and risk-reduction practices.

Enrollment: June-August Format: Field sessions Eligibility: Municipal partners

Youth Agri-Leadership Track

Career exploration, apprenticeship matching, and civic leadership training for rural youth entering agriculture and food systems work.

Enrollment: September Format: Hybrid Ages: 18-30
Monitoring

Monitoring & Evaluation

Performance is reviewed through baseline data, quarterly field verification, and beneficiary follow-up after each program cycle.

92%
Attendance completion
67%
Practice adoption
54%
Income increase reported
31
Verification visits
Financial Transparency

Year-over-Year Comparison

Program spending and unrestricted support are disclosed annually to help donors, regulators, and communities review resource use.

2023
€420k
2024
€535k
2025
€658k

Direct program delivery accounted for 78% of 2025 expenditures, while governance, audit, and compliance controls remained below 10%.

Governance

Board Composition

Board structure is presented through diversity and expertise visuals to make oversight capacity legible at a glance.

Diversity Balance

Women leadership representation
Municipal and civic voices
Youth and producer seats
Independent specialists

Expertise Areas

Agronomy and extension services
Finance, audit, and compliance
Community mobilization
Data, monitoring, and learning

Committee assignments are reviewed yearly to keep technical oversight aligned with the active program portfolio.

Leadership Note

Director Maria Thomas reports to the board on strategy delivery, compliance, risk management, and stakeholder commitments.

Meeting attendance averaged 96% in the last cycle, with conflict-of-interest declarations refreshed before each procurement review.

Case Studies

Data-Driven Stories

Swipeable field examples combine human outcomes with the underlying metrics used to verify progress.

Berry Cooperative Recovery

Three villages pooled procurement and cold-chain scheduling after coaching on cost models and delivery planning.

Net revenue +22% in 9 months

Women-Led Greenhouse Cluster

Targeted mentoring helped a 14-member group secure municipal co-financing and adopt water-saving production methods.

Water use -18% per cycle

Youth Placement Pipeline

Career coaching and employer matching connected rural graduates to paid apprenticeships across the agri-food value chain.

26 placements in 6 months
Network

Partner & Funder Logos

Relationship groups are organized by function so stakeholders can quickly see who supports delivery, finance, and technical learning.

Public Partners

City of Novi Sad
South Backa District
Provincial Secretariat

Funders

EU Community Facility
Rural Equity Fund
Harvest Resilience Trust

Knowledge Partners

Faculty of Agriculture
Regional Extension Network
Agri Data Lab
Procurement

Procurement Transparency

Open procurement materials help suppliers understand process requirements and give the public visibility into vendor relationships.

Current Practice

Purchases above defined thresholds are reviewed against conflict-of-interest declarations, comparative quotations, and approval records. Vendor performance is logged after each delivery cycle and summarized for board oversight.

Careers

Career Opportunities

Three featured roles for candidates who want field proximity, accountability, and measurable public-interest work.

Full Time

Field Agronomy Advisor

Lead producer visits, training sessions, and technical follow-up across cooperative and municipal partner sites.

Novi Sad Apply by 30 May
Quick Apply
Contract

Monitoring & Learning Officer

Maintain dashboards, validate field data, and support reporting for funders, board committees, and public disclosures.

Hybrid Apply by 7 June
Quick Apply
Part Time

Community Partnerships Coordinator

Manage outreach with municipalities, supplier networks, and civic stakeholders participating in Agro Info Centar programs.

Regional travel Apply by 15 June
Quick Apply
Contacts

Stakeholder Contact Section

Dedicated contact routes help farmers, funders, suppliers, and media reach the right team without delay.

Office

Bulevar oslobodjenja 114, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Director: Maria Thomas