The Wild MAPs FiT project aims to create a contemporary and innovative curriculum of medicinal and aromatic plants cultivation, harvesting, processing, storage and marketing for young farmers. The project aspires to support the development of sustainable management strategies of wild harvests as well as easy-to-use post-harvest handling practices for various indigenous medicinal and aromatic plant species at local and regional food systems and enable very small farmers, wild herb collectors and rural entrepreneurs who simply lack the legal basis for direct sales of processed products to enhance their income. To achieve this, the project will link scientists with theoretical and methodological expertise with practitioners and stakeholders knowledgeable about the medicinal plant production value chain. This exciting education focused project will generate concrete actions for knowledge transfer, through the organization of workshops, training activities and peer-to-peer learning for wild herb collectors and rural entrepreneurs. Thus, the project will contribute towards the development of a highly trained and technology-ready workforce within the botanicals sector in order to support conservation, healthcare and livelihoods. It will have additional “down-stream” educational benefits for small-scale farmers themselves. The project will also develop a training and a validation procedure for those interested in sustainable small-scale medicinal plant production. The Wild MAPs FiT includes a strong partnership. The Project Wild MAPs FiT comes as an answer to the above, with objectives that include: • O.1: Analysis and preparation of a pathway for sustainable Wild MAP Collection Process. • O.2: Preparation of OER Materials for sustainable Wild MAP Collection Process • O.3: AgroCert for Wild MAP Collectors/ processors • O.4: Creation of a GIS-enabled tool for the identification and geographical allocation of climatic and ecological Data • O.5: Pilot implementation and engagement of local MAP Communities Wild MAPs FiT targets numerous and diverse groups of stakeholders, including: Beneficiaries: 1. Very small farmers 2. Wild herb collectors 3. Rural entrepreneurs Relevant stakeholders: 1. Herbs associations 2. Companies in the agricultural sector, mainly herbs 3. VET providers Results expected to be achieved during and after completion of the project include: • Result 1: 2 state of the art training Curricula (I.O.2) (1 for Wild MAP collectors/1 for Wild MAP processors) • Result 2: An online training material with OER and integrated into an interactive mobile application (I.O.2) (Audiovisual/educational videos) so as farmers and individual to be trained in Wild MAPS • Result 3: Creation of a completed Certification (I.O.3) (AgroCert) by ELGO Dimitra. This will contribute to the Strengthening of product value (Wild MAP), as the whole procedure will be certified. We will develop an assessment methodology for Wild MAP Collectors and Processors and an AgroCert Scheme. • Result 4: Introduction of sustainable methods for the transform and processing of Wild MAPS (I.O.2) and creation of new incomes methods • Result 5: Creation of the innovative GIS (I.O.4). This tool is going to generate impact fostering sustainability by providing accurate real time information on the intensity of specific Wild MAP in local areas, notifying about burdened areas where collection should be limited. that this tool can be enriched with content, covering other areas (flora and fauna) providing updated information on various aspects (i.e. agriculture and cultivation, etc) • Result 6: For first time we go local and we activate the local societies to embrace the whole project and we create the appropriate conditions for the prosperity and welfare of the people in local level. We will focus on an open consultation procedure with local authorities, agriculture communities. Also we will include face-to-face engagement with stakeholders and we will build Wild MAP Communities. • Result 7: Transferability. The methodologies of the project can be easily transferred into other sectors of agriculture (Mushroom, Cultivation). All the I.Os of our project could be implemented and in other agricultural projects.
The "Wild MAPs FiT" project aimed to improve and extend the offer of new tools and high-quality learning opportunities of existing and potential herbs’ collectors, farmers, and processors, including the introduction of a profile of identification and analysis.
The challenges associated with the wild harvest, post-harvest handling, conservation and quality of indigenous medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) and their role in the botanical sector are well established; they relate to lack of specific skills, unsustainable harvest, an aging farmer population and in some cases significant risk aversion. The wild harvest of various medicinal and aromatic plant populations provides the raw materials for the development of plant-based pharmaceuticals and herbal products in both traditional and modern healthcare systems. Conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants can play an important role in contributing to the livelihoods of small scale farmers and others in rural, peri-urban and urban communities. The potential gain environmentally and economically across the target sector is enormous and training as well as technology adoption can provide improved, efficient, sustainable harvest, postharvest handling and strengthen rural livelihood opportunities. Hence, the project supported the development of sustainable management strategies of wild harvests as well as easy-to-use post-harvest handling practices for various indigenous medicinal and aromatic plant species at local and regional food systems and enable very small farmers, wild herb collectors and rural entrepreneurs who simply lack the legal basis for direct sales of processed products to enhance their income.