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von Essen

Hans

von Essen

Ad-Hoc Expert

Generic Skills

B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development: 
Agronomist MS, worked as farm advisor and moved towards rural development. Initiated "LEADER Södertälje Countryside" with Rural and Urban cooperation as strategy and worked as Manager. Continued developing city of Södertälje towards sustainable food and developing the concept "Diet for a Clean Baltic" as Financial Manager of BERAS Implementation project with partners in 11 countries around the Baltic Sea. Later initiated URBACT III Diet for a Green Planet Pilot Transfer project with Södertälje as giving city and expert for current Regional fund project "Matlust" (supporting SME with development of sustainable food) led by Södertälje.
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level: 
Started 1989 with development projects in Estonia and Russia. Project Secretary for Baltic Sea Region "BERAS" project 2003-6 in BSR Intarreg IIIB with partners in 8 countries, local manager "Local Organic Food" in Interreg IIIC 2006-7, Financial Manager for BSR Interreg IVB "BERAS Implemenation" project with 24 partners in 9 countries 2010-13, project leader for Swedish Institute Thematic Partnership developing competence for organic agriculture with Sweden, Lithuania and Belarus 2013-15 and continued with Project Initiation "Farmers University Exchange Program with the same countries", initiator and Thematic Expert for URBACT III Pilot Transfer Project "Diet for a Green Planet" 2013-14.
B.3. Proficiency in English: 
Learned english at high school year in USA 1975-76, and keeps it up through continuous use through projects, almost daily communication in english with partners in different countries and report writing.

Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:

Thematic expertise:

Theme / Policy: 
Sustainable Food
Summary Thematic expertise: 
Everyone who eats food more or less consciously influence the world- in average 2000 square meter per inhabitant in the world - and Europeans above this average. A city therefore has a large impact on how the countryside will appear and on the environmental effects of that land- usually without knowing much about it . The potential is to turn a negative impact to positive - and this requires engagement, knowledge and dedication. Experience shows that this can be awakened and that this personal level transformation can lead to positive effects on many levels. I work with the food system in depth - connecting people to the soil and the animals the food comes from. Therefore the in depth knowledge of truly sustainable agriculture is a key. There are as many entry points as there are people on the earth and agriculture is deep waters for most. The real meeting between urban and rural can be most creative - but at some point the in depth understanding between actors is necessary to avoid getting stuck. I have many different communication tools with the potential to reach different groups from kitchen personnel, to politicians to children and teachers. But in the background are the professional Ecological Recycling Agriculture Guidelines (http://beras.eu/what-we-do/era-guidelines/) that are written for the farmer and for farm advisors as a support for converting farms are key to my work.They are built up with short illustrated chapters and four volumes. One of the volumes give real life examples. The Guideline package is translated to several different languages and is currently used to create education programs under the umbrella BERAS Academy/Farmers University and are used by farmers and farm advisors in different countries.

Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies

E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices : 
I was involved through the URBACT III "Diet for a Green Planet Pilot Transfer" project - as initiator of the project idea, main author to the application, expert for Giving city and Thematic Expert.
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies: 
In "Diet for a Green Planet Pilot Transfer Pilot Project" I designed the first version of the monitoring tool used based on a matrix of different categories of key actors and level of involvement. I was also involved in the continued development of this tool.
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level: 
Södertälje is today a partner in the URBACT IV Action Planning project Agri Urbe and is also leading the Stockholm Regional Fund project "Matlust", where I am active as an expert. I also keep contact with relevant Project Area Coordinators (PAC) of the EUSBSR (EU Strategy Baltic Sea Region) for Farmers University Exchange Program.
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities: 
I initiated and led the study that formed the LEADER strategy "Urban and Rural in cooperation for Sustainable Development" of LEADER Södertälje Landsbygd by recruiting the steering group from key local actors, suggested the process and drafted the document. I continued this through recruiting the board and starting the LEADER area as manager with the task of stimulating local project ideas, coaching and evaluating. later I have been forming a process in Belarus that has led to the start up of the first fully certified organic farm in the country and led to that there today is a real movement including several certified farms and complex development going on. In BERAS Implementation we had to understand 9 different countries and local situations and in Diet for a Green Planet Pilot Transfer we had to understand 4 different cities in different countries.
Summary Expertise: 
I was involved through the URBACT III "Diet for a Green Planet Pilot Transfer" project - as initiator of the project idea, main author to the application, expert for Giving city and Thematic Expert. Södertälje is today a partner in the URBACT IV Action Planning project Agri Urbe and is also leading the Stockholm Regional Fund project "Matlust", where I am active as an expert. I also keep contact with relevant Project Area Coordinators (PAC) of the EUSBSR (EU Strategy Baltic Sea Region) for Farmers University Exchange Program. I initiated and led the study that formed the LEADER strategy "Urban and Rural in cooperation for Sustainable Development" of LEADER Södertälje Landsbygd by recruiting the steering group from key local actors, suggested the process and drafted the document. I continued this through recruiting the board and starting the LEADER area as manager with the task of stimulating local project ideas, coaching and evaluating. later I have been forming a process in Belarus that has led to the start up of the first fully certified organic farm in the country and led to that there today is a real movement including several certified farms and complex development going on. In BERAS Implementation we had to understand 9 different countries and local situations and in Diet for a Green Planet Pilot Transfer we had to understand 4 different cities in different countries.

Informations

Residence location:
Sweden
Languages:
Swedish - Mother tongue
Foreign Languages level: 
Foreign languages: 
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Foreign Languages level: 
Foreign languages: 
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Foreign Languages level: 
Foreign languages: 
Email:
hans.von.essen@beras.eu

Area of expertise