Leskovac is the second-largest city in Southern and Eastern Serbia and serves as the administrative center of the Jablanica District. According to official city documents, with as many as 144 inhabited settlements—among which Leskovac, Grdelica, and Vučje are urban types—this municipality is the most territorially dispersed in the Republic of Serbia.
Despite its historical role in Serbia’s industrialisation, Leskovac today faces significant demographic and economic challenges, including depopulation, youth emigration, insufficient investments, and a decline in industrial activity.
Its important place in the history of economic development raises the question of whether Leskovac can once again become a symbol of local economic revitalisation – this time not through an industrial revolution, but through social innovations, inclusive initiatives, and sustainable rural development.
Regional Dissemination Workshop of the ESIRA Project in Leskovac
On June 26, 2025, the Institute for Development and Innovation organised a regional meeting in Leskovac within the framework of the ESIRA project, implemented across the Jablanica and Pčinja districts. The meeting gathered 20 representatives of local organisations united in their mission to work with marginalised groups in rural areas.
Participants were introduced to the goals and achieved results of the ESIRA project to date. Special attention was given to expanding the partnership network, identifying local needs and ideas, and discussing opportunities to replicate existing socio-economic initiatives from the project, or to launch new ones.
The focus was placed on two key ongoing initiatives – Economic empowerment of women through training in entrepreneurship, graphic design, and marketing, and Direct support to farmers and encouragement of the transition toward regenerative agricultural practices.
Regenerative Agriculture Practices Presented in the Village of Bošnjace
Following the meeting in Leskovac, the Institute for Development and Innovation, in cooperation with the Center for the Development of Jablanica and Pčinja Districts, organised a field visit to farmers in the village of Bošnjace. The visit aimed to assess their needs and interest in adopting regenerative agriculture practices.
In discussions with the local agricultural advisory service, it was concluded that there is a clear need for further education and promotion of these practices. Based on this conclusion, an educational conference is planned for the autumn, with the goal of supporting and advancing the application of these sustainable agricultural practices and sharing experiences from the Vojvodina region.
