Congratulations to the Kythera Foundation for Culture and Development (KIPA) and the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Humanity (MedINA), the driving forces behind the Terra Kytheria program, according to a statement issued by the municipal coalition “Kythera-Antikythera, We’re Staying Here.”.
The faction makes special mention of the recent reference by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the Kythira Sustainable Rural Development Program, during the her speech at the Rural Pact conference, on the occasion of the island's participation in the Smart Rural 21 initiative as a smart village.
The announcement emphasizes the need to support both the primary and secondary sectors of local production and to pursue a more multifaceted approach to development for Kythira.
Read the full announcement:
“Warm congratulations to Terra Kytheria.
”To serve as a stepping stone toward changing the development model"
When a public official speaks highly of your hometown, it’s only natural to swell with pride. All the more so when that figure is the European Union’s top official, President Ursula von der Leyen!
The statement was made during the Rural Pact conference, where Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the value of supporting innovative and smart initiatives (precision agriculture and certification) that help address the food crisis. In fact, she chose to highlight the Terra Kytheria program, which is being implemented on our island, from among all of Europe!
The municipal coalition “Kythira-Antikythira, We Stay Here” would like to congratulate KIPA and Medina, the initiators of this program, which is being implemented in collaboration with the Agricultural University of Athens. Warm congratulations to everyone, and especially to the farmers who are participating and making this program a reality! We are confident that this will lead to an increase in the value of our products, to the benefit of the entire island.
At the same time, this particular initiative (and now its international recognition) compels us to revisit the proposals that have repeatedly been put forward by many parties (including by us) for a different approach to development on Kythira. A form of development that is not one-sidedly oriented toward budget tourism, but also includes other initiatives that benefit the people of Kythira rather than contractors…
The primary and secondary sectors of the local economy (agricultural and livestock production and processing) can and must be supported so that products from Kythira can gain recognition, and so that they can be sold at fair prices. And once again, we reiterate the need to establish and support the “Office of Agricultural Development” (as provided for by law), which, if properly staffed, will support this entire production process.
These require consultation (and not “Ludovician attitudes”), they require making use of all available human resources (and not just assigning tasks to “our own people”), they require knowledge (and not confrontation with anyone who says something different). In short, they require a different kind of municipal leadership and a modern approach to addressing critical issues…
Kythera benefits in many ways from the existence of the Terra Kytheria program, as well as from its international recognition.
We call on all Kythirians (and especially those with relevant knowledge and skills) to contribute so that our island can become a pioneer in charting a new course for development. So that our young people will stay in Kythira and so that we can become a magnet for other citizens—both Greek and foreign—who are able and willing to contribute to a modern, progressive path of development.
Solutions are the result of the work of many, not the “self-proclaimed authority” of a single individual…
«Kythera-Antikythera, We Live Here»
