MedSNAIL

Mediterranean countries cultivate a rich variety of agro-food products, rooted in local culture and representative of traditional the Mediterranean diets. But they also share common issues and challenges in the agro-food sector, such as gradual loss of local biodiversity, rural poverty (mostly affecting women) and the limited investment capacity of rural entrepreneurs—not to mention a lack of training on socio-environmental sustainability, business planning and marketing strategies. 

The project intends to tackle these issues by fostering the valorization and development of small-scale traditional agro-food value chains, combining the enhancement of market potentialities with socio-environmental sustainability. 

The project has set itself following objectives:

• Foster the sustainable development of agro-food SMEs by valorising traditional Euro-Mediterranean products through a Slow approach and short-chain principles.
• Implement sustainable pilot projects that enhance local food production and promote sustainable business models and marketing initiatives in the food value chain.
• Focus on specific food products which follow the good, clean and fair principles of the Slow Food Presidia model.
• Strive for at least half of the pilot projects to attain Slow Food certification as Presidia, enhancing their market presence and recognition.
• Incentivize the establishment of farmers’ markets, including at least three Slow Food Earth Markets, to support marketing and promotional efforts.
• Create narrative labels for six target products, adding value and authenticity to the offerings.
• Form a Euro-Mediterranean Chef Alliance, fostering collaboration among culinary professionals in promoting and utilizing traditional products.
• Integrate MedSNAIL target groups, especially MSMEs, into the Terra Madre network, facilitating networking and knowledge exchange.
• Provide SMEs with consultancy services through Slow-hubs in each partner region, creating permanent networks and clusters of stakeholders for continued collaboration and engagement even after the project’s completion.

The Partnership includes