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On 1st of May with participation of 4 Central European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia), the project „Promoting traditional collection and use of wild plants to reduce social and economic disparities in Central Europe” project has been started.
The main aim of the project is to collect and preserve the information about the use, harvest and ethnobotany of wild growing plants as part of the cultural heritage of the regions.
The specific objective is to implement a pilot model by year 2012 that is socially and culturally acceptable, economically-sound and environmentally viable for the collection of wild plants, their processing and use.
The project is supported by the European Regional Development Fund.
For further information please click here.
With demographic and land tenure changes in CE leading to rapid urbanisation, marginalised groups consisting of women, the Roma ethnic minority and the elderly, have been left behind in rural areas with no or limited opportunities for income generation and for contributing to the economy. Traditionally these groups used to engage in collecting wild plants for various uses as a way of supplementing their income. Indeed the CE region has been an important source of useful plants (for medicinal purposes, aromatic, culinary uses etc) that have been exported to other parts of Europe (e.g. Germany represents a huge market). However, this long-lasting tradition is being lost and with it the knowledge about the plants and opportunities for income-generation.
The general objective of the project is to capitalise on cultural resources of traditional activities of collection and use of wild plants.
This knowledge has been present in the region for centuries. However, due to the recent political and economic changes common to each country in the region it is likely to disappear. Along with the goal of protecting and sharing this declining cultural heritage the proposed project intends to improve livelihoods of vulnerable groups, particularly the Roma, the elderly and women, in rural parts of CE. The specific objective is to implement by 2012 a pilot model that is socially and culturally acceptable, economically-sound and environmentally viable for wild plants collection and use to provide a sustainable source of income to vulnerable groups in selected areas of CE.
The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia face similar issues and have made re-integration of marginalised groups a priority. A transnational approach will help to develop a common strategy and address the problem in a comprehensive manner since it cuts across borders.
There are 9 partners in 4 countries in the partnership including experts in academia, policy and practice who, together, will be able to tackle grassroots issues in their own areas while feeding into a broader joint model.
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