Be the first to comment!Gozo Region joins MedSNAIL project looking at the agro-food sector
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The Gozo Region joined 6 other partners from 6 other countries (Spain, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia) in an ENI-CBC MED co-financed project.
Called the MedSNAIL project – Sustainable Networks for Agro-food Innovation Leading in the Mediterranean – will last till 2022.
Mediterranean basin countries present a rich variety of agro-food products deeply rooted in local culture and biodiversity and representative of the Mediterranean diet.
The Gozo Region explained that these territories also share common issues and challenges in the agro-food sector such as gradual loss of local varieties, rural poverty (mostly affecting women), limited investment capacity of rural entrepreneurs and lack of training on socio- environmental sustainability, business planning, and marketing strategies.
MedSNAIL intends to tackle these issues by fostering the valorisation and development of small-scale traditional agro-food value chains, combining enhancement of market potentialities and socio-environmental sustainability.
Project activities will build on the well-established experience, principles and methods of SlowFood, an international grassroots organisation promoting traditional food with a strong focus on biodiversity preservation.
The Gozo Region explained that the project aims to foster socially and environmentally sustainable development of agro-food SMEs by valorising traditional Euro-Mediterranean products according to a “slow” approach and short-chain principles.
In particular, the project intends to:
Structure and test consultancy, support and training services to be provided to local actors (agro-food SMEs, public authorities) in order to raise awareness on the “slow” principles and define new pathways for a sustainable and durable development, beyond major economic trends;
Promote clustering of traditional products/producers, through a common approach to selected products in the cooperation area, thus increasing their visibility and diffusion in domestic and Euro-Mediterranean markets and triggering rural development while preserving local heritage and identity.
