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Project 14

INTRODUCTION

Making local products and local circuits a lever of economic development for the territory: A goal shared by the LAGs of the three agglomeration communities of Martinique and the LAG of Seine Aval in the Paris region since 2022.

Martinique – Seine Aval, from one bank to the other, a story of cooperation between two territories with cross-stakes. The objectives of the inter-territorial cooperation project are:

– Strengthening skills: Improving knowledge and skills of local ecosystem actors.

– Increased visibility: Increase the visibility of local products to reach a wider audience.

– Sharing of good practices: Facilitating the exchange and dissemination of good practices between partner territories.

– Commercial innovation: Develop innovative marketing methods adapted to the constraints of small producers and processors.

– Encouraging cooperation: Stimulating the interest of actors in collective approaches and strengthening links with other territories.

This cooperation project is an opportunity to boost the local economy and strengthen the resilience of the territories involved.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

Genesis: The cooperation project was born in 2021 from a common desire of the three Local Action Groups (LAGs) of Martinique to come together around a central theme: the knowledge and the valorization of local products and short-circuit actors. Collaboration extended to a fourth partner, the Seine Aval LAG in France, thus reinforcing the inter-territorial complementarity of the project.

The cooperation project was carried out in 3 stages:

1. Initially, a joint approach of the 3 LAGs to model the cooperation project:

a. Implementation of a command grouping between the 3 territories in order to ensure consistency, optimisation of management and rationalisation of public action

b. Selection of a Project Master’s Contract to model the cooperation project in 3 phases:

• Modelling the project with partners and actors from the territories: Analysis of existing and potential development, diagnosis of producers, processors and consumers, analysis of their needs and expectations.

• Search for partners outside the Martinique territory: LAG of Seine Aval

• Definition of the action programme

2. Then identification of the issues shared between the 4 LAGs, including the LAG of Seine Aval: Develop a strong territorial identity

• Promote local agricultural production and processed products

• Encourage the creation of collective and innovative projects

• Provide sustainable communication solutions

3. The last step was to define and conduct the project with the partner selected according to the actions chosen:

• Action 1: Opportunity to implement a pooled food processing tool, in response to the problems of farmers and small processors in the territories: need to process raw products to increase their added value, lack of food processing tools that are adapted to small volumes, limited investment capacity of enterprises and not appropriate individual investment.

• Action 2: Communicate, raise awareness and educate on local products and channels. Creation of communication materials, documents and videos to promote local agricultural products and food supply chains among the general public, especially young people.

• Action 3: Organisation of food days in both territories to bring together the actors of the food ecosystem around various themes.

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

Three actions have been decided and implemented:

Action 1: Opportunity studies on the implementation of a shared agro-processing tool A study carried out on each of the territories (Seine Aval and Martinique) has made it possible to:

• Define local supply potential and farmers’ interest in sharing tools

• Determine the feasibility and relevance of a structure on and for the territory

• Propose a model of collective workshops for the processing of local agricultural products adapted to the needs of potential users

• Carry out a benchmark of existing tools locally, and other territories.

The objective is to create a workshop equipped for collective use, ensuring that the project is sized and adapted to local needs through thorough consultation. The sustainability of this tool will be guaranteed by an innovative legal and financial framework, allowing resources and know-how to be pooled. The study conducted in Seine-Aval concluded that a vegetable and canning plant is feasible, while in Martinique, the current study explores two options for developing tools adapted to farmers on the one hand and very small businesses on the other.

Action 2: Creation of a recipe booklet and promotional videos

The original recipe book, a real invitation to cook, is the result of a collaborative work combining local products from the four territories and the know-how of men and women, LEADER beneficiaries and Chefs. A digital version has been available on the partners’ websites and social networks since 29 May 2024, on the occasion of Europe’s Pretty Month. Video tutorials are in preparation. Four videos present the short circuits in Seine-Aval: a snail producer, poultry, a yogurt manufacturing company and an arborist. A video «filière» retraces one of the territory’s emblematic processing routes: wheat into flour, used for the manufacture of cookies.

Action 3: Organization of two food days in April and October 2023, bringing together nearly 200 stakeholders from the four territories’ food system: to improve the visibility of local products and increase their consumption; Work on the local product ecosystem and the entire food system; Enhance the chain from fork to fork; Meet stakeholders on the ground with invited delegations.

These meetings made it possible to:

• Publicize the cooperation project and involve the main partners, in particular health and food institutions as well as the educational environment;

• Highlight the talent companies of the territories in terms of agro-processing;

• Open the doors of agri-food companies financed by LEADER to a delegation of business leaders from the partner territory to exchange ideas between professionals on common issues: development strategies, workshop equipment, Processing, marketing.

• Involve young students by organizing contests to:

o Collect their proposals to increase the consumption of local products by young people «Alim jeunes: L’alimentation des jeunes vu par les jeunes» in Martinique. The winners had designed a fast food menu composed only of local products

o Improve the visibility of short circuit players: the solution: FARMIGO, an application for locating farm outlets to place orders, The European Commission has launched a project to promote the use of the River Seine in the French Alps. The students, accompanied by the LAG, have made their project a reality and are in the running for the local start-up incubator in September 2024.

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ADDED VALUES OF THE PROJECT

This project involves a wide range of people and organizations, strengthening the links between producers, processors, consumers, and institutions.

Added value of the LEADER aspect: The LEADER programme was essential to structure this project, providing a framework for cooperation between rural territories and facilitating the mobilization of necessary resources. The LEADER approach has made it possible to bring together local actors around a common objective, thus promoting synergy between the territories involved. This framework also ensured a participatory approach, with the active involvement of local producers, processors and consumers.

Territorial impact: The project has had a significant impact on the territories concerned, both in Martinique and in the Seine Aval. The actions carried out have made it possible to strengthen the territorial identity, to value local agricultural productions with concrete benefits for farmers and small businesses. For example, the study of the opportunity to set up shared agro-processing tools has made it possible to determine the specific needs of each territory and propose adapted solutions, such as the creation of a vegetable and canning plant in the Seine Aval. In Martinique, the current study explores scenarios to address the distinct needs of farmers and very small businesses.

Inter-territorial impact: The partnership with the LAG of Seine Aval has brought an inter-territorial dimension promoting exchanges of good practices and expertise between the territories, overseas and continental. Proving that the stakes could be similar despite the distance. The involvement of actors from both regions has made it possible to highlight local specificities while working on common issues. Actions such as the Food Days held in April and October 2023 brought together nearly 200 stakeholders from the four territories’ food systems. These meetings have fostered professional exchanges and networking, strengthening the links between actors in both regions.

Relevance to LEADER Objectives: The project is in perfect alignment with the objectives of the LEADER programme, notably in terms of rural development, promotion of short circuits and support for local initiatives. Focusing on the development of food processing tools, awareness raising for local products and events to strengthen the link between producers and consumers, the project has contributed to the revitalization of local economies while promoting inter-territorial cooperation.

Project sustainability: The sustainability of the project is ensured by the implementation of sustainable initiatives, such as joint agro-processing workshops and communication tools, which can also benefit from funding through LEADER. These structures will continue to benefit local producers and enhance local products long after the initial project is completed. In addition, the involvement of young people in the development of digital tools such as the FARMIGO app shows a long-term commitment to fostering innovation and local entrepreneurship.

Impact in terms of affected people/organizations: The project has reached a wide range of beneficiaries: from local farmers and processors to educational institutions and the general public. Food days brought together 200 stakeholders from the sector, while the distribution of the recipe booklet and promotional videos helped raise awareness among an even wider public about short-circuit issues. The involvement of young people in the development of digital solutions or new initiatives to consume locally, supported by the LAGs, shows the direct impact of the project on the next generation and its potential to inspire future entrepreneurs in short circuits.

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Project n°13

INTRODUCTION

The project, initiated by the Pays de Fontainebleau with the support of the European LEADER programme, took place during the 2021-2022 school year. In cooperation with local farmers and the 1001 Sillons association, nearly 150 children from leisure centres in the area benefited from activities around cereal cultivation. In addition to raising children’s awareness of environmental issues, and helping them discover and develop the link between nature and food, this programme enabled them to learn about farming through participatory pedagogy. This project allowed a collaborative work between the animation teams of the same territory and the meeting between children from different municipalities. Also, by creating small agricultural plots in the heart of a city or village, the project has helped to build links between the inhabitants of the participating municipalities and the agricultural fabric.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

The project “When children get over” took place during the 2021-2022 school year (corresponding to the cereal crop cycle), during which the public was involved in a small agricultural plot. They participated in a dozen interventions of the partner association “1001 Sillons”, within each participating leisure reception. After working with the animation teams and the association, as well as purchasing raw materials (seeds, food products), three workshops on the cultivation and maintenance of the agricultural plot were organized in October, April and June. These plots were made available by the municipalities of the participating leisure facilities. Each plot was dedicated to the cultivation of a different cereal: wheat, corn and buckwheat. Each structure was responsible for the maintenance of its plot. Three collective and participatory workshops were organized for nursery and elementary children. It was a workshop “Tales, music, songs” around the plot, outdoors. A workshop on the Cooperative Territory provided an opportunity to better understand the global causal chains of climate change and to create a space for exchange on these issues. This workshop also allowed to locate the other plots created in the territory to follow the crops. The last workshop was dedicated to the creation of a recipe around local and seasonal food. It was an opportunity to use the cereal grown, sharing and valuing each other’s experiences and skills. In parallel, each leisure centre participated in two educational outings (sept-oct/ mars-june) to farms and agricultural holdings in the territory. The project concluded with a INTER-CENTRE day whose objective was to gather to celebrate the harvest around games and animations on the theme of agriculture. All the children’s learning was reinvested throughout the year through other projects carried by their animators (photo reportage, newspaper, artistic creation, vegetable gardens…). The project theme was a true guiding thread for activities aimed at different age groups.

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

• Promote quality agriculture and food and encourage biodiversity Enhance local natural heritage
• Raising public awareness of environmental issues
• To make the public discover and develop the link with nature and food, the farmer’s profession through a participatory pedagogy
• Promote learning of skills
• Strengthen and enhance the collaboration between the childhood and youth structures of the Pays de Fontainebleau
• Strengthening local partnership

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ADDED VALUES OF THE PROJECT

This project is a first successful operational experiment on the agricultural policy of the territory. All the actions carried out are powerful educational tools and supports to carry out and promote this policy among young people and by impact on families and inhabitants. The evaluation of the project showed a high level of satisfaction among participants (8.5/10) as well as supervisors and partners. The LEADER programme’s support in terms of engineering and funding was essential to the success of the project. The workshops were all very exciting for children and allowed them to learn a lot of knowledge through practice and discovery. In particular, the difficulties and uncertainties encountered in the workshops related to the cultivation of parcels confronted the children with the reality of farming. The involvement of municipalities in the choice of the location of the plot has given a greater collective impact. On the one hand, some plots were visible to the population, and on the other hand, they helped rehabilitate some communal spaces. Following the project, the municipalities were able to continue the investment initiated on these lands. In addition, the thematic workshops promoted sensory experience, imagination and knowledge of the rural environment. During outings on the farm and on farms, the link established between leisure facilities and operators worked perfectly by enhancing their activities and trades to the point of generating new vocations.The closing day was a chance to measure in concrete terms the public’s learning and understanding of the origin of food. The pedagogical approach in a leisure setting has made it possible to involve children, even the youngest nursery children, who sometimes recognize themselves less in a school setting. The project has resulted in an extension and development of activities in leisure venues, for example: exhibitions, extensions of activities related to the project for other audiences (great games, cultural and artistic activities, workshops composting…), making vegetable gardens in the reception of leisure… All the actions of the project have been designed with respect for the environment, especially with cycling rather than bus travel. Special attention was paid to the acquired materials. Numerous communications were made around the project, indicating the financial and operational partners and allowing to inform a wider audience and to highlight the action of children (see attachments to the dossier): Direct information to families, Family portal of leisure accommodation, articles in local magazines and communal and inter-communal social networks. The partnership with 1001 Sillons association was a major asset for success and played a driving role for the teams. The involvement of the teams has enriched the actions and encouraged public participation. This project has promoted mutual knowledge among local animation teams, local farmers, municipalities and the public.

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Project n°12

INTRODUCTION

The Silvicultural Museum project adds significant value to the LEADER initiative by improving governance through collaboration and the exchange of best practices, enhancing social capital by engaging local communities in heritage conservation and tourism, and achieving better results in heritage conservation and tourism compared to regular projects due to the holistic and integrated LEADER approach. The project addresses local communities, tourists, and educational groups, covering several geographical areas in Romania.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

The Silvicultural Museum project focuses on rural tourism and aims to increase awareness, responsibility, and appreciation of the cultural, aesthetic, and economic values of the local natural heritage. By promoting these elements, the project seeks to reconnect local communities with their cultural values while stimulating tourism.

The partnership for the Silvicultural Museum project includes diverse and complementary LAGs from different regions of Romania, each bringing unique natural and cultural heritage.

• The Association LAG Dealurile Tîrnavelor aims to conserve and leverage the main competitive advantages of the territory, such as natural heritage, including traditional rural and cultural landscapes. Forests and natural resources have essential aesthetic and cultural value for preserving the community’s cultural identity, contributing to tourism potential.
• LAG Lider Cluj aims to combat rural poverty, stimulate economic development, and conserve rural heritage. This LAG’s territory includes a natural park, several Natura 2000 sites, and protected natural areas. The cooperation project adds value through actions to conserve and leverage the natural heritage.
• LAG Tinutul Zimbrilor focuses on biodiversity conservation and natural heritage, with the need for cooperation actions highlighted in the local development strategy.
• LAG Prietenia Mureș-Harghita emphasizes the importance of unexploited natural heritage, with numerous Natura 2000 sites and natural reserves.

As results, the virtual application MuzeuSilviCULTURAL was developed to showcase selected trails from four regions, each featuring GPS coordinates, photos, videos, 360-degree images, technical descriptions, and the story behind each trail, all designed to attract and guide tourists. Additionally, two nature camp were held in 2 of the 4 partners territory, with participation of children across the four partner LAGs. During these camps, daily activities such as hikes, presentations, and games were organized to raise awareness of the value of local natural heritage.

The “SilviCULTURAL Challenges” activity encourages tourists to collect custom stamps from various LAG territories in a special passport, earning rewards like badges and stickers for completing certain objectives. The project also included training local guides focused on flora and fauna, participating in a thematic workshop on utilizing natural resources, organizing a forestation event, and finally, hosting a promotional caravan where each partner presented their project’s results.

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

1. Increasing the level of awareness, responsibility and appreciation of the communities in the partner LAG territories on the cultural, aesthetic and economic values ​​of the local natural heritage, through the creation of the SilviCULTURAL Museum application

2. Development of capacities to interpret local natural resources, through training and education actions and didactic materials for the benefit of the target group in the partner LAGs, over a period of 21 months.

3. Promotion of the identified natural heritage elements, in order to reconnect local communities with their cultural values ​​and for tourism purposes during the implementation of the project through common advertising materials (prints, audio, video, online) and thematic workshops;

4. Increasing the organizational capacities of the partner LAGs following the implementation of cooperation actions and capitalizing on the cooperation experience of each partner during the 21 months of implementation.

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THE ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

The Silvicultural Museum project adds significant value to the LEADER initiative by improving governance through collaboration and the exchange of best practices, enhancing social capital by engaging local communities in heritage conservation and tourism, and achieving better results in heritage conservation and tourism compared to regular projects due to the holistic and integrated LEADER approach.

The project addresses local communities, tourists, and educational groups, covering several geographical areas in Romania and potentially other regions in the EU through transnational cooperation.

The project aligns with LEADER principles by promoting rural development, local heritage, and stimulating economic activities through tourism. It emphasizes community involvement, innovation, and sustainable development. The focus on heritage conservation, community involvement, and local economic support demonstrates the project’s commitment to LEADER objectives.

The sustainability of the Silvicultural Museum project is ensured by focusing on community involvement, education, and leveraging existing natural resources. The international passport and collaborative routes offer a scalable model that can be extended or replicated in other regions. Continued educational activities and local economic involvement ensure long-term viability. The project design includes mechanisms to maintain and extend its impact over time. The project’s added value lies in facilitating the reconnection of communities with local natural resources and promoting the tourism potential of these resources. The project is sustainable through community involvement, continuous education, and leveraging existing natural resources.

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Project n°10

INTRODUCTION

Project “Tastes of home!” was implemented in partnership with 3 LAGs covering the areas of two Croatian continental regions, Međimurje and Moslavina. The implementation of the activity contributed to the recognition of the rural area of Međimurje and Moslavina through the promotion and sustainable use of culinary heritage, which in the future will encourage new economic activities in the areas of LAG’s partners. New promotional channels, tools and materials for branding the two destinations were created, specifically through a monograph, cookbooks with recipes and video materials, ethnomotive design and application, workshops and public events, and created promotional materials. Through study visits, related exchange of knowledge and learning from examples of good practice, the human resources of partners in the area of promoting and sustainable use of culinary heritage have been strengthened.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

Project “Tastes of home!” is implemented in partnership with three LAGs covering the areas of two continental regions, Međimurje and Moslavina. The implementation of all activities contributed to the recognition of the rural area of Međimurje and Moslavina through the promotion and sustainable use of culinary heritage, which will encourage new economic activities (especially tourism) in the areas of LAG’s partners.

The project is also aimed at raising awareness of the possibilities of sustainable use and the importance of preserving the culinary heritage of rural areas.

The implementation of the cooperation project achieved the following results:

• The visual identity of the project was created, a series of useful culinary-themed promotional materials with an applied project logo, as well as posters to mark the visibility of the project at events
• A monograph on Međimurska gibanica was prepared, public promotion of the prepared monograph was organized, a culinary workshop was organized on the topic of Međimurska gibanica
• An ethnic motif was designed on the theme of Moslavina, which was applied to useful promotional items
• The “Slatko z Međimurja” cookbook was created with 10 dessert recipes, 5 accompanying video tutorials on the preparation of traditional Međimurje desserts were recorded, public promotion of “Slatko z Međimurja” was held through the festival of sweets
• A two-day study trip to the Međimurje area and a three-day study trip to the Moslavina area were organized and carried out.
• 10 traditional recipes were collected, an authentic Moslavina dish was designed, a Moslavina cookbook “Good just in Moslavina!” was created and printed, culinary workshops were held for the preparation of Moslavina dishes, a public event was organized where Moslavina cuisine and the cookbook were presented to the public With the aim of ensuring the transfer of knowledge and skills, the partners mutually participated in project activities that were organized locally in certain areas.

Thus, the representatives of the Međimurje LAGs participated in one culinary workshop each and the public promotion of Moslavina cookbook, while the representatives of the Moslavina LAG and the Mura-Drava LAG participated in a culinary workshop and the promotion of a monograph on Međimurje gibanica in the area of the Međimurski LAG. up and down.

Also, representatives of all partners participated in the festival of sweets in the area of LAG Mura-Drava. During the organization and implementation of the activities of the study trips to the areas of Međimurje and Moslavina, mutual knowledge, skills and experiences were exchanged between the LAG’s partners and the target groups of both areas. The partners continuously cooperated during the implementation of all project activities, organized meetings (online and physical) in order to exchange experiences and information and planned the successful implementation of the project.

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

General goals of the project:

• Contribute to the recognition of the rural area of Međimurje and Moslavina through the promotion of cultural and culinary heritage.
• Encourage new economic activities (especially tourism) in the areas of LAG’s related to cultural and culinary heritage.
• Raise awareness of the possibilities of sustainable use and the importance of preserving the culinary heritage of rural areas Specific goals of the project:
• Create new promotional channels, tools and materials for branding Međimurje and Moslavina destinations through printed publications, public events and media
• Promote the culinary heritage of Međimurje through the production of monographs, cookbooks, public events, accompanying media reports and promotional materials
• Promote the cultural and culinary heritage of Moslavina through the design and application of ethnomotivs, creation of recipes and preparation of cookbooks, public events, accompanying media reports and created promotional materials
• Strengthen the human resources of LAG’s partners in the area of promoting and sustainable use of culinary heritage through study visits and related exchange of knowledge and learning from examples of good practice

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THE ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

The cooperation project of LAGs “Tastes of local!” is carried out in partnership with three LAGs from two historical regions, Međimurje and Moslavina. Both regions have a rich culinary heritage, which in the case of Međimurje is still weakly affirmed in the tourist offer, while in the case of Moslavina it is not affirmed at all, given that the region does not exist as part of one administrative entity. The promotion of culinary heritage and the strengthening of the authentic gastronomic offer can greatly contribute to the branding of the destinations of Međimurje and Moslavina and influence new tourist and other economic activities in the area of LAGs.

Therefore, it is important to contribute through a series of activities to the preservation and sustainable use of culinary arts, which has a long history and tradition in both continental regions of Croatia. All three LAGs recognized the common problems and goals they want to achieve, on the basis of which this project was created, and all activities were carried out through the continuous exchange of experience and knowledge from existing or previous projects. The implementation of the cooperation project by the joint forces of the three partner LAGs promotes the culinary heritage of Međimurje and Moslavina, which will contribute to the enriched tourist offer of the area. Tourist entities (private and public) from both regions will expand their offer and improve their business, and tourists will have more motivation to come and explore the culinary heritage of two regions. The prepared publications will be able to be used by all stakeholders in tourism, but also in culture and other areas through which the region is promoted.

Through workshops, study trips and produced publications, the level of knowledge and awareness will be raised among all participants of project activities and the entire local community about the importance of preserving culinary heritage and its role in stimulating the economic activities of the area, influencing the development of rural areas and raising the quality of life.

The end users of the project are all those who will be interested in using the results of the project, especially printed and promotional materials that will contribute to enriching the offer and improving business.

Representatives of local and regional self-governments, the local population and the local community in the area of the partner LAGs will also be the final beneficiaries of the project through indirect monitoring of the implementation of the project, because their level of knowledge and awareness of the importance of preserving the culinary heritage and its role in stimulating the economic activities of the area will be raised. The sustainability of the project will be ensured by the transfer and exchange of new knowledge between the participants involved in the implementation of the project and through educational activities that will strengthen the capacities of stakeholders for the promotion and preservation of culinary heritage. Also printed publications, new promotional channels, tools and materials for branding the destinations will contribute to the sustainbility of the project.

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Project n°10

INTRODUCTION

Cowocat_Rural is a LEADER cooperation project leaded by Consorci Intercomarcal d’Iniciatives Socioeconòmiques (GAL Ribera d’Ebre – Terra Alta) which arises from the possibility to transfer the rural coworking pilot experience born in 2014 in Riba-roja d’Ebre (Zona Líquida) to other rural areas in Catalonia, Spain.

Following this experience, eleven Catalonian LAGs launched a continuation inter-territorial cooperation project to create and expand a network of coworking spaces. Cowocat_Rural promoters thought that rural coworking spaces could stimulate economic activity and help maintain the population in rural areas where abandonment is a real threat. This offers opportunities for professionals who want to work in a collaborative space without the need to move away from a rural environment. From 2014 to 2024, 46 coworking spaces in rural Catalonia have joined the Cowocat_Rural network, which means more than 300 professionals linked to these coworking spaces. Beyond these numbers there are also small success stories like families staying in a rural area for a long holiday while a parent had to connect to their work via a coworking space.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

Coworking is a way of working that allows independent professionals, entrepreneurs and SMEs from different sectors to share the same physical and virtual workspace. In most European cities, coworking spaces are increasingly popular, the same happens in Barcelona where the COWOCAT association was put in place to connect these urban spaces. However, coworking spaces were not so common in rural territories, or they were not until a few years ago. Cowocat_Rural tries to transfer the pioneering experience of coworking to rural areas in Catalonia. In fact, the project was born in 2014 from Zona Líquida pilot experience, a coworking space settled in Riba-roja d’Ebre, a municipality of just over a thousand inhabitants in the south of Catalonia. The project promoter is the LAG Consorci Intercomarcal d’Iniciatives Socioeconòmiques and counts with ten Catalonian LAGs as participants. At the origin the project counted with the support of several strategic partners, which put their experience at the service of its conceptual and territorial development. These partners were COWOCAT, Associació Coworking de Catalunya; Secretaria de Telecomunicacions, Ciberseguretat i Societat Digital of the Departament de Polítiques Digitals i Administració Pública of the Generalitat de Catalunya; Research Group Collaborative Spaces, and PIMEC Joves. Cowocat_Rural was part of “CoLabora, European cooperation project on coworking spaces in rural areas” between 2018 and 2022. It is a project in which cooperated seven European LAG, including the Consorci Intercomarcal d’Iniciatives Socioeconòmiques Ribera d’Ebre – Terra Alta and other six LAG from Latvia, Germany, Ireland, France, Wales and the GAL Pays de Guéret (France) which was the coordinator. There is a determined interest in repeating this collaboration soon.

Cowocat_Rural works to create economic activity, attract young skilled professionals to rural areas and to tackle outmigration, through promoting the values of coworking. Its concept is based on the need to promote entrepreneurship through information and communication technologies. It has developed a methodology for setting up and supporting a network of coworking spaces and it advocates coworking among professional and local actors who might be interested in joining the network. Since the beginning of Cowocat_Rural, participating LAGs have supported the creation of new coworking initiatives. Nowadays there exist 46 coworking spaces in rural areas in Catalonia. Some of the main actions developed in the project are: design a digital platform to encourage networking; offer technical advice on the creation of spaces; create the figure of a ‘territorial animator’; encourage the Observatory of Catalan rural coworking or organise networking and meeting sessions. Finally, it is important to underline three initiatives: first, RuralPass, a passport that allows rural and urban coworkers to work three-day a quarter in any space of Cowocat_Rural network or in one of the urban friend spaces; second, Coworkfest, the rural coworking festival of Catalonia which program dozens of simultaneous activities in a week to create awareness about the social, cultural and economic dynamization that generate coworking spaces, and the third one that nowadays is not active is Rural&Go, that were getaways that combined training, the discovery of coworking spaces and cultural activities in rural areas.

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

In 2014, eleven LAGs launched a new inter-territorial cooperation pilot project called Cowocat_Rural. It was born from a pilot project to set up coworking spaces in Catalonia rural areas. The project aimed to generate employment in rural areas by offering new opportunities to professionals and entrepreneurs that can be attracted by the better quality of life and reduced living costs of these territories. More specific objectives of the project include:

1. Spreading and developing the coworking network as a new way of working through ICT in rural areas.

2. Attracting talent and maintaining (or increasing) the population in the rural areas.

3. Raising awareness and creating synergies with other territories.

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THE ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

Main results are the incorporation of 46 coworking spaces in the Cowocat_Rural network from 2014 to 2024, which means more than 300 professionals.

The key lessons of these ten years of project development are:

• Coworking in rural areas is an innovative concept that can potentially do a lot to encourage and enable people to live in these territories.
• Coworking offers an attractive life option to high school and university students that would like to live in rural areas.
• Even small successes in enabling individuals and families to spend more time in a rural area can have a positive impact on the local economy.
• The fact of being a pioneering project implies the need to generate knowledge based on own experience.
• It is useful to network and exchange with similar European initiatives to discuss common challenges and solutions and look for entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Coworking spaces depend on high-speed broadband, and other basic services.
• One of the most interesting findings is that it is more important to have motivated professionals than having an available space.

Cowocat_Rural shares the LEADER approach which is based on seven specific features: Bottom-up approach, area-based approach, local partnership, an integrated and multi-sectoral strategy, networking, innovation and cooperation. These seven features define LEADER, and as well are the foundations of Cowocat_Rural.

First, networking, innovation and cooperation are at the heart of the spirit of the project, they are the three main pillars on which it is supported. Second, his methodology conceives local people as the experts to drive the territory development and it understands the area as a whole. That is why the project develops a single strategy that is at the same time comprehensive. Third, beneficiary people of the project (mainly coworkers) become active partners and drivers of it. Moreover, coworking is a multi-sectorial strategy development that explores the needs and impulse of the opportunities of each rural area. Regarding sustainability, Cowocat_Rural was created with the aim to become durable and sustainable over time. That is why it took advantage of the experience and know-how of several agents in its beginning.

Also, the positive evolution of the number of coworking spaces and their collaborative communities are good indicators of its sustainability.

Finally, about the transnational impact Cowocat_Rural has been selected as one of the 5 finalists in the Rural Dynamization category at the Rural Inspiration Awards of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD, Brussels 2019). As well it was selected as one of the 40 best examples of rural development in the Post-2020: Local Action in a Changing World conference (Brussels, 2020) by ENRD and Red Rural Nacional (RRN). Also, the project was invited to participate in the transnational European cooperation project CoLabora because of its knowledge and expertise in coworking spaces in rural areas, and had participated actively in Smart Villages seminary (ENRD, Brussels 2018) as an example of innovation and digitalization in rural territories. Finally, the project has been an inspiration and has contributed to the creation process of rural coworking networks, such as COWOCYL.

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Project n°7

INTRODUCTION

Wild Work is a nature-based initiative with a social ethos that was developed by SECAD Partnership in 2017 to help people, help nature, help people. All around us, nature and biodiversity are facing serious challenges. The three partners, SECAD Partnership, West Limerick Resources and Cavan County Local Development secured LEADER Co-operation funding for what was the largest biodiversity project and second largest Co-operation project in Ireland for LEADER 2014-2022 (€680,000 Training €120,000 Analysis and Development, €200,000 Administration).

The Wild Work Co-operation Project involves four LAG areas in Cork (south coast of Ireland), Limerick (mid-west) and Cavan (north-east).

As part of a strategic plan, Local Development Companies have been using nature and the environment as a means of community engagement across a range of rural development and social inclusion programmes for many years. SECAD saw the opportunity for scalability and replicability of Wild Work in other regions in Ireland and Europe, but did not have the resources to do so. The inter-territorial partnership, benefitting from the combined experience of the project partners allowed us to collectively develop training resources, online toolkits, outdoor classrooms, virtual reality experiences and most importantly, to explore future opportunities.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

Wild Work training was delivered through a six-module biodiversity programme between 2021 and 2022 in 4 LAG areas and 20 locations with 600+ participants.

LEADER funds allowed the partners to introduce external expertise ie. a software development company, e-learning expert, immersive leaning / virtual reality and video expertise, biodiversity trainers for the creation of the online learning platform including the Wild Work Toolkit and Junior Wild Work Toolkit, a communications expert and an evaluator.

The online toolkits consist of over 200 pieces of e-learning material. Training participants contributed to toolkit creation by uploading video and photographic images captured during training in outdoor classrooms around Ireland. Thematic biodiversity training projects were delivered in each area ie. Citizen Science training in West Cork, Wellness training for businesses in South Cork, training in the development of Biodiversity Corridors in West Limerick and training in native Irish Seed Saving in Cavan.

In addition, 16 public lands training sessions were delivered across the four LAG areas to facilitate discussion, engagement and potential collaboration between community organisations and public authority/ landowners/state agencies regarding future land management.

A virtual reality experience was created using a series of hotspots containing images, video and audio content eg. meadows, rivers that were captured during the project. This technology allows those who cannot access nature to experience nature using VR headsets.

We identified an opportunity for better social inclusion and supporting mental health and well-being using this technology ie. for those who cannot access or experience nature due to age / disability / mobility issues. There is also an opportunity for inter-generational actions using VR. The project was specifically designed to address the shortcomings in knowledge and resourcing of biodiversity at local level, by encouraging awareness raising and up-skilling, culminating in informed, sustainable local biodiversity conservation and enhancement initiatives.

The project encouraged participants to improve their knowledge of biodiversity while engaging in practical biodiversity actions through experiential learning.

In October 2020, Wild Work was selected as a Best Practice example as part of the ‘Green Deal going Local’ initiative (a Call by the Committee of the Regions to highlight Best Practice examples from across Europe). The Committee of the Regions also selected Wild Work as one of the ‘Green Deal going Local’ projects to be showcased as part of World Biodiversity Day in May 2021.

Nearing completion of the project, a webinar involving the four LAG areas was organised. This allowed participants across Ireland to share learning, particularly around the thematic training. There were also facilitated planning sessions organised in each of the areas with the participants, through an ecologist employed by one of the partners. This resulted in the creation of ‘100 Actions for Nature’ highlighting actions for a range of stakeholders including communities, farmers, schools, public landowners. This has been incorporated into the Local Development Strategies for LEADER 2023-2027 in the project partner areas. In Autumn 2024 the LAG partners will launch a new Junior Wild Work which will animate our youth to become leaders of tomorrow. www.wildwork.ie https://wildworkpodcast.podbean.com/ https://youtube.com/@wildworkers?feature=shared

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

SECAD Partnership developed the Wild Work concept in 2017. In 2019, SECAD approached other LAG’s in Ireland through our national network, the Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) to explore the idea of expanding Wild Work into other geographic areas. The inter-territorial partnership was designed specifically to achieve a scale of action, benefitting from the combined experience of the project partners. Since the interterritorial and transnational approach is designed to achieve scale beyond that which is possible at the level of individual LEADER LAG’s, the objective was to achieve synergies, leading to opportunities for the positive engagement of the community sector, business and public landowners. It was hoped that the project would give us the opportunity to explore long-term sustainability, scalability and replicability of the Wild Work model, in other regions in Ireland and Europe. Based on the collective experience of the project partners and a long track record in delivering on the LEADER principles, (re)introducing the principles of environmental management and biodiversity to those living in rural areas through training, was seen as a way of renewing their interest in natural heritage and environment. In turn it was anticipated that this would lead to a positive impact for people in terms of a sense of place, improved community cohesion, engagement in climate action at a local level and improved overall well-being when engaging with nature and biodiversity

Wild Work – helping people, help nature, help people.

Background: Wild Work was created in response to a number of very big but different challenges facing communities in Ireland:

• A decreasing level of interaction between young people and older people (intergeneration links) living in the same community, resulting in a loss of opportunity to transfer local knowledge, skills, stories, traditions and beliefs
• The challenge of a rapid increase in local populations caused by various factors including the movement of people into an area to find employment or as a result of national policies to move large numbers of refugees into rural settings, thus putting strains on local services, causing issues relating to a lack of integration supports
• Large numbers of young students, who are moving away from studying science and art-based subjects mid-way through their second level education cycle
• Mental health and wellbeing issues eg. especially amongst certain groups such as the youth sector, people living alone and people working in solitary occupations (such as farming)
• A growing biodiversity crisis, a key indicator of the impact of climate change By 2017 SECAD Partnership had been working through the LEADER Programme (and a number of other initiatives) to support and invest through actions that were attempting to address each of these five challenges. As part of a formal review at that time, it was recognised that there was one common connector, a way of doing our work, that would connect each of these issues in a manner that could potentially bring about some positive impacts and perhaps even address some of these challenges in a fundamental and sustainable manner.

This new approach (movement) called Wild Work was thus created, aiming to develop an approach of working with nature-based projects that would encourage people to work together, linking older people and youth, linking community to community, natives with new neighbours. In all cases the focus was on a collective approach to addressing a common concern, a common interest, protecting our natural environment. A number of actions would emerge, some generic across the community sector and others that would focus on specific grouping such as landowners, schools, public bodies etc.

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THE ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

A commonality of vision formed the foundation of the inter-territorial partnership and informed the subsequent actions included in this innovative co-operation project. The partners bring specific and complementary dimensions and skills. New and novel approaches, like those designed and delivered through Wild Work require scale in order to be developed and the inter-territorial approach offered that opportunity. While the participating areas are not homogenous and have some location specific assets and opportunities, the imminent threat of climate change and biodiversity loss presents significant concern for all areas involved. An inter-territorial (and future transnational) approach to a project of this nature has the potential to provide increased opportunity over local approaches. The model was developed with the objective of replicability.

Organisations engaged in CLLD are ideally positioned to engage with all relevant stakeholders to deliver Wild Work in both rural and urban areas. The Wild Work Toolkit and Junior Wild Work Toolkit are key outputs from the project. They are hosted on a Moodle learning platform with the capacity for scalability in terms of numbers of concurrent users.

There is an on-going technical and financial resource requirement for the hosting and maintenance of the website and e-learning platform as well as the roll out of training using the Toolkits. The Junior Wild Work Toolkit is aimed at young people age 10-12. For the academic year from September 2024 ‘Junior Wild Work facilitators’ will deliver an education programme in primary schools in Cork using the Junior Wild Work Toolkit, contributing to the STEM curriculum. A combination of classroom and outdoor classrooms will be used. The programme is designed to upskill teachers and biodiversity ambassadors in order for them to be able to deliver the programme themselves in the future. The Toolkits are also being used for community engagement and the integration of new communities.

There are plans to translate toolkits into other languages and some modules are already available in Ukranian. The project contributed to skills development using a range of technologies and outdoor classrooms in each partner area and between areas, across a range of stakeholders including LEADER LAG’s, community representatives and organisations, farmers, schools, teachers, young people, public bodies and other landowners. There is huge potential to use the concept and outputs of this project on a much wider scale for STEM education, biodiversity awareness raising, community development, integration of new communities, intergenerational learning, well-being, accessibility and social inclusion. The project partners will use the resources we developed in various ways. As multi funded organisations engaged in CLLD, we will incorporate the use of the project outputs into other public programmes where possible. Another output, 100 Actions for Nature has been included in the four Local Development Strategies for LEADER 2023-2027. We saw a clear benefit and purpose to our co-operation and collectively we overcame any implementation challenges. We planned carefully, chose the right topic and the right partners. The Wild Work Co-operation project is complete, but the work continues and we are planning for the future!

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Project n°6

INTRODUCTION

Birding Aragón unites all the stakeholders of rural Aragón in the promotion of nature tourism. Through this project we have made the main objective to get behind the already existing brand as a destination for both the local and foreign market. Birding Aragon belongs to a bussines asociation, one of the partners, which ensures its continuity.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

Birding Aragón unites all the local stakeholders in the promotion of nature tourism. The main objective of this project has been to converge support around the strengthening of Aragón as a destination for local and foreign visitors. Thanks to its landscapes, geology, flora, fauna and its strategic position along major bird migratory routes, Aragón has great potential as a Nature tourism destination. Over the last three years we have tried to develop a tourism product which both protects nature and is sustainable. We have worked following different approaches: local promotion of those agents who are dedicated to local nature conservation, training local representatives of the tourism sector to increase their awareness of nature resources in their territory as well as how to exploit them sustainably, technical innovation through digitalization, providing support and some financial backup to conservation and environmental education projects, as well as one of the most important, generating alliances with other bodies involved in nature tourism to provide cooperation and training, thereby genrally improving the nature tourism product as a whole thanks to smooth transfer of knowledge amongst all the local stakeholders.

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this project has been to converge support around the strengthening of Aragón as a destination for local and foreign visitors. Create a network between the agents involved in nature tourism and create a common product

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THE ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

Nature and ornithological tourism is an unknown natural resource of Aragon. Through the LEADER project we have achieved the positioning of the Birding Aragón brand in the territories, thanks to the involvement of the Local Action Groups and their knowledge of their endogenous resources.

The agents involved in rural tourism have been trained so that they can take advantage of this valuable resource that we have in Aragon. The impact generated has been very positive, small rural businesses have learned about the nearby natural resources, how to begin to make themselves known in the sector and what specialized professionals they have nearby to be able to cooperate with them and create a product, always from a sustainability approach. conservation and reduction of environmental impact.

A work team was created to design the actions and events that were organized, a network through which everything is organized and decided. We have worked on nature conservation through calls for projects carried out by schoolchildren, conservation and environmental NGOs,…

Communication through social media has grown exponentially, as has the number of followers, both national and international, the content of the website has been expanded and translated into English and French. The presence of the brand in specialized national and international fairs has positioned us as a destination in the nature tourism sector at a national and European level. The local population has also participated in the project, in addition to training on local ornithological resources in schools, guided ornithological outings have been carried out that have made the endogenous resources known. The specialization of professionals and their continuous training in different aspects of the sector has also played an important role in the project, in addition to an exchange of experiences with the Valencian Community, in which important business relationships emerged.

We showed entrepreneurs in the sector in situ how Ornithological tourism was worked in each type of business, as a guide, as accommodation, as a photographic hide, as a travel agency,… a sample of support from the network created and how it is They share experiences.

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WEB: https://birdingaragon.com/en/birding-aragon/
Facebook Instagram and Youtube: @birdingaragon
Final video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv9ibztKxVM
Partners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSDtkyYHXeE

Project n°6

INTRODUCTION

The VÉGÉT’ALPES cooperation project aims to structure the agricultural sector for perfume, aromatic and medicinal plants (PPAM). It brings together a local development agency, an association of organic farmers, a processing company and a university in a Research and Development initiative on the scale of a French department.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

The VEGET’ALPES project involves 4 LAGs and covers the whole of the Hautes Alpes département. It is led by the Economic Development and Tourism Agency (ADDET 05) and AGRIBIO 05 (an association of organic producers). The Acanthis laboratory and Grenoble-Alpes University, through its botanical garden at the altitude of Le Lautaret, are also involved.

This cooperative project will bring together complementary skills to build a solid, integrated network around PPAM, capable of responding to current economic challenges and future climate change. The project initiates strong actions throughout the sector, from technical and economic support for producers, scientific knowledge and processing, to marketing and promotion at national and international level.

The project brings together expertise from the worlds of agriculture, academia and business:

– botanists and agronomists to identify and cultivate plants that can be used and adapted to climate change;

– plant processors to innovate in extraction and distillation techniques;

– project managers to understand viable economic markets and establish a reputation for the Hautes-Alpes PPAM sector.

Around the 4 partners in the VEGET’ALPES project, a network of around a hundred players has been set up, bringing together researchers, producers, gatherers, herbalists, processors, distributors and public institutions in a collective dynamic.

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

– Identify value-creating species, to be confirmed and prioritised, in the cosmetics, food supplements, perfumery, etc. markets;

– Cultivate and monitor cultivation itineraries at producers and experimental sites;

– Identify a viable economic model for producers and industrialists in order to organise short supply circuits, creating value for Hautes-Alpes companies;

– Determine plant processing, conservation and valorisation processes. These investments will enable all the region’s players to offer diversified products from the Hautes-Alpes PPAM sector;

– Identify the growing conditions most favourable to the production of molecules of interest by the plant (environmental conditions, altitudinal conditions, harvesting period, etc.).

– Develop a comprehensive package of support for the development of the industry: experimental agricultural plots, identification of available land, local investment in processing, public policy incentives, financial engineering, promotion, etc.

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THE ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

The perfume, aromatic and medicinal plant (PPAM) sector is highly diversified, both in terms of production and uses: food, perfumery, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food supplements, veterinary, etc. It is a sector that plays a role in the region’s economic balance through positive externalities (tourism, beekeeping, etc.), with a strong impact in mountain areas where these crops enable people to make a living from their production. This production is also unique in that it has a strong local identity, and this ‘popular pharmacopoeia’ is recognised as a genuine intangible heritage by the French Ministry of Culture.

The industry in the Hautes-Alpes represents 100 companies, 150 direct jobs (not including seasonal harvesting), 400 hectares of crops and sales of over €10 million. PPAMs account for a significant proportion of certified organic acreage.

VEGET’ALPES is a large-scale project in terms of its geographical scope, its cooperative nature, and the impact it is seeking to have on an entire innovative agro-industrial sector. The project aims to develop local synergies in response to both local and global issues. Given the multifaceted and multi-actor dimension of the development of the PPAM, this unprecedented cooperation project has been rolled out across 4 LAG territories to ensure it is effective and relevant: Sisteronais-Buëch, Gapençais, Serre-Ponçon-Ubaye-Durance and Grand Briançonnais. The 4 LAGs have provided combined support in terms of engineering, guidance and financial resources. These essential conditions have enabled each component to become stronger and more skilled.

– On-site technical monitoring of agricultural crops has been combined with training, work on regulations and the drafting of technical documents to support future installations;

– Laboratory work with Grenoble-Alpes University and the Jardin du Lautaret has made it possible to study the physico-chemical and biological qualities of numerous endemic plants, constituting a substantial database with potential for future development;

– The Acanthis Laboratoire company has been able to invest in a new, modern distillation unit to diversify the range of plant processing and ensure better outlets.

– The Agence de Développement des Hautes-Alpes has taken on the role of lead partner to ensure that all the players involved work together upstream and downstream, exploring opportunities on the European and global markets, against a backdrop of strong growth in demand for ‘Made in France’ organic products.

Thanks to the VEGET’ALPES project, knowledge of the players in the sector and the resulting mutual recognition are now making it possible to secure the sector, move towards short-distance supply and encourage conversion to organic farming. The technical and methodological results obtained are intended to be disseminated and spread to improve knowledge of mountain PPAM and establish the reputation of the Hautes-Alpes in this field.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QFpp62T2GN9iydo34XefLbRiZfvuzUzi/view?usp=sharing

Project n°5

INTRODUCTION

ARAGÓN INFOENERGIA CLIMATE CHANGE, BIOMASS AND EMPLOYMENT is a cooperation project between eight local action groups in Aragón.

This project aims to ‘INFORM’, ‘ADVISE’ and ‘ENCOURAGE’ local councils, tourism and agri-food companies on how to redirect them to a NEW SUSTAINABLE ENERGY MODEL, implementing RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY in each of the PARTNER TERRITORIES, creating new energy models and with the aim of creating local employment.

The project started in July 2017 and ended in October 2020. Budget = 363.198,40 €, aid 80% 290.558,72 €.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

The most important function of the project has been to develop a joint strategy, valuing the energy potential of each of the territories, and at the same time being aware of their energy problems, in order to finally put them together and raise awareness and create a multiplier effect for the implementation of renewable energies. For this reason, a series of aspects and energy improvements have been prioritised in each territory, aimed at different sectors, in order to unite them at the end of the project. For which several meetings of the partners have been held and at the same time we have been able to visit some examples of good practices.

Several studies have been carried out:

• Study ‘Estimation of mobilisable biomass.
• Study of alternatives for its valorisation as ‘Natural heat’. The amount of extractable biomass per year in each municipality has been determined. The different models of exploitation of this biomass in the territory are analysed and evaluated. Within the framework of the study and general report, different biomass recovery models have been analysed, specifically seven proposals have been studied: cogeneration plant for the production of heat and electricity, woodchip production plant, pellet production plant, joint woodchip and pellet production plant, heat distribution plant or District Heating, biomass logistics centre and feasibility of setting up a forestry management company.
• Evaluation of the social, economic and demographic impacts of solar and wind energy generation in the Campo de Belchite region and other municipalities in the framework of the ARAGÓN INFOENERGÍA cooperation project’
• Direct solar pumping guide.
• Shared self-consumption guide.
• Travelling exhibition about the CHOPO CABECERO

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

To promote, as a team, the development of the participating territories through a strategy for the promotion of energy saving and efficiency, taking advantage of local resources, endogenous sources, with the aim of combining the study of biomass, solar, hydraulic and wind energy resources that the territories possess, with the points of consumption.

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THE ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

ARAGÓN INFOENERGIA has had a demonstrative and multiplier effect, which has resulted in numerous local councils and private entities submitting applications for aid to different calls for proposals from the Government of Aragon, IDAE, MITECO and LEADER, in the areas 4.1 Production of renewable energies for self-consumption and energy efficiency in companies, and 4.2 Energy efficiency in public infrastructures, including public buildings.

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Project n°4

INTRODUCTION

The objectives of the project are promotion products and trades, international marketing of agricultural products in five EU countries, networking, tourism promotion, transferring knowledge, raising awareness of eating healthy, branding local products, promotion of organic local products, social inclusion of inhabitants from remote rural area, mobile promotion platform.

We achieved excellent marketing opportunities for producers and tourism representatives in partner countries through international fairs organisation and a mobile platform. Project enabled product placement and networking in five European Union countries. Moreover, seminars and international fairs also included promotion through the scope of tourism and cultural heritage. Project participants included inhabitants of marginalised remote rural areas. Through the promotion of rural tourism in the partner countries, we influenced the promotion of the tourist aspect of the area of our LAGs. Increasing the scope of knowledge about local production is also one of the results of the project. By organising agricultural, study visits and workshops we enabled project stakeholders to gain insight into the processes and marketing of products in the partner countries. Rural Flavour promotes a healthy lifestyle measurable through the local products placed on European market, number of organised healthy eating programs in kindergartens, schools, homes for the elderly.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

Project was implemented in the areas of Harjavalta (Pori) in Finland, Limassol and Paphos in Cyprus, Maslenica and Starigrad in Croatia, Hiiumaa in Estonia, Torres Novas and Tomar in Portugal. We decided to to make Rural Flavours cooperation project in order to provide our stakeholder from remote rural areas possibility of promotion and networking in partner countries in order to gain access to foreign markets, as well as the placement of products in the territory of the project’s partner countries. Moreover, our goal was to implement and increase food awareness of organic food for children and adults, sustainability as well as to increase respect and knowledge of different traditions and nations. We have organised agricultural fairs, study visits of local producers, children calendar, online platform, workshops on sustainability and marketing of local autochthonous products, promotional tourist videos, promotion of marginalized groups and remote areas. Project was successfully started in Portugal on 27th September 2018 and finished in May 2020 in Finland.

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PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the implementation of the cooperation project, we increased marketing opportunities for the promotion of our local stakeholders in five European countries.

The project resulted in a change in experience and an increase in the number of tourist arrivals. Through the promotion of rural tourism in the partner countries, we influenced the promotion of the tourist aspect of the area of our LAG.

Increasing the scope of knowledge about local production is also one of the results of the project. By organizing agricultural, study visits and workshops we enabled our stakeholders to gain insight into the processes and marketing of local products.

Rural Flavour promoted rural way of life and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle is measurable through the number of organized healthy eating programs in kindergartens, schools, homes for the elderly, which are indirectly affected by the project. Also, a measurable result of the project is an increase in the number of local products placed on local and European markets. LEADER throughout the projects provided us with financing, examples of good practice, support for our action. Rural Flavours being part of LEADER program gave us an opportunity to use LEADER concepts method partnership, multi-sectoral approach, bottom-up approach and provided our project with an extra ordinary value.

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THE ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

Strengthening the competitiveness of local agricultural activity – The basic intention is to use spatial and natural prerequisites as levers for the development of agricultural activity and to strengthen the recognition and quality of products from the LAG areas.

Strengthening the competitiveness of local agricultural activity and strengthening the capacities of LAGs and stakeholders are the goals of Local Development Strategy that correspond to the goals of the “Rural Flavours” project. Local agriculture through “Rural Flavors” project increased competitiveness of local agriculture on an EU level and strengthened the capacities of LAGs and LAG stakeholders via various project activities.

It addressed demographic change as it included stakeholders from remote rural areas. Promoting rural areas is a tool of attracting people to rural agriculture, products and way of life in a reoccurring problem of depopulation of rural areas. Moreover, we included environmental issues through workshops on healthy eating programs, product placement on fairs, children calendar, and online platform. Social issues were included through promotion of gender equality and equal chance for everyone to be part of the project.

This project concept can be transferred to other LAGs who want to promote local autochthonous products, promote healthy food and lifestyle by making similar collaboration, networking, EU product placement, organising international agricultural fair and establishing a networking tool for farmers in their area. Moreover, organizing workshops on healthy lifestyle especially aimed at kindergarten and school children emphasizes ecologically grown food which is a primary sustainability concept.

This project inspired GAL Trei Collini from Moldavia to make a study visit to LAG “Bura” in September 2023 and inspired them to organise a similar type of event on a smaller scale in Moldavia in August 2024.

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CONTACT

Referral person : Ana Mamić

Partners:

• Local Action Group “Bura”
• Development Agency of Lemesos LTD
• LEADER Karhuseutu
• LAG Hiiumaa
• LAG ADIRN
• Paphos District Development Agency “Aphrodite”