| |
The
Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs of Great Britain and North Ireland
DEFRA
British Embassy in Bulgaria
———————————————————————
"Mountain Eco Kiss" Project
|
| Mountain
Eco Kiss Project looks for a solution for the problem with the high
unemployment rate among women from ethnic and religious minorities
and economically disadvantaged women by using the available natural
resources of wild berries, which are of the highest quality. |
| Project
Goal |
The
main goal of the project is to develop new methods to decrease poverty
by using the available natural resources of wild berries and mushrooms
in an ecologically-friendly manner. .
Objectives
: |
- The creation of a
Training and Production Center for processing technologies of
wild berries and mushrooms
- Stimulation of new
businesses owned by local women connected to collecting and processing
wild berries and mushrooms using ecologically-friendly methods
- Training
of young people in wild berry and mushroom harvesting and processing
technology.
|
| Target
Groups |
- Women from
ethnic and religious minorities (Romas, Wallachians and Muslims).
- Economically
disadvantaged women and children.
|
| Main
Project Activities |
- Reconstruction and
furnishing of The Training and Production Center for Processing
technologies of wild Berries and mushrooms;
- Training sessions
for the ecologically-friendly harvesting of wild berries and mushrooms;
- Training sessions
for the processing of wild berries and mushrooms;
- Development of preserve
samples as well as development of a marketing strategy for wild
berries and mushroom preserves;
- Organic certification
of the wild berry and mushroom fields and their processing methods;
- Creation of an organizational
plan for the sale of wild berries and mushrooms;
- Initiation of preserve
micro-production.
|
| Expected
Results |
- Jobs for 60 women
from the villages in the municipalities of Velingrad and Rakotovo
and on additional source of income for their families.
- Wild berry fields
organically certified for the first time in Bulgaria
- Developed and applied
better technologies for preserve processing
- Better utilization
in an ecologically-friendly manner of available sources of wild
berries
- Created a
Training and Production Center for training providing and development
of new wild berry and mushroom interesting products
|
| Project
Partners |
- Velingrad
Municipality
- Vasil
Levski Secondary School
- Hristo
Botev Technical Forestry School
|
| |
