• The cooperation project "Promotion and valorization of local food products" is promoted by Local Action Groups from the three provinces of the Valencian autonomous community.
• It aims to undertake actions to promote, disseminate and collaborate with agents in the agri-food value chain and improve territorial competitiveness.

The emergence of consumers who are increasingly aware of the importance of visiting local businesses and consuming local, zero-mile agricultural and livestock products is allowing some projects to emerge that champion these types of practices.

In the Valencian Community, five Local Action Groups ( LAGs ) have joined forces to promote the agricultural and food products of their regions. This is the LEADER project "Promotion and Enhancement of Local Agricultural and Food Products ," coordinated by the LAG ASIR – South of Alicante , and which covers a total of 155 rural municipalities in Alicante, Valencia, and Castellón.

Since the initiative was officially launched in January 2024, the goal of these associations has been to "highlight local agri-food producers and products " through their promotion, dissemination, and collaboration with various stakeholders. They aim to foster local identity and boost the primary sector in rural Valencia.

Specific measures and objectives

The approach to this valorization of agri-food products is based on inter-territorial cooperation. That is, pursuing this general objective thanks to the regional knowledge that each LAG possesses within its territory.

With this, the participating GALs are directed to:

• Primary producers .
• Agents of agro-food transformation .
• Retail stores .
• Bars and restaurants.
• Tourist accommodations.

A form is available for these agents to use to express their interest in collaborating on the project's activities to promote local products.

Thus, with this information, the GAL set a series of specific objectives:

• Create a database and digital directory of rural producers and other related stakeholders.
• Hold in-person events to raise awareness about the importance of consuming local products.
• Launch a campaign to promote products and local producers.

Phases and current status

The LEADER project began a preparatory phase in April 2023 to conduct a diagnosis of the territories. During this phase, they were able to identify the importance of common problems such as aging, lack of generational renewal, high unemployment, declining agricultural profitability, lack of rural entrepreneurship, and limited training in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT).

Thanks to this, an implementation phase has been designed that, according to the ASIR – South Alicante GAL (Lagal Association) reported to the PAC Network, will begin between April and May 2024.

There, the project will begin fieldwork to identify producers and pursue all specific objectives, as well as the database and identification of stakeholders.

Currently, the GALs are beginning an introspection study. That is, they are determining the conditions for contracting with companies and managing fieldwork, as well as the future design of promotional campaigns, corporate image, and communication tasks.

Partners and financing

The five LAGs participating in this cooperation project are LAG Castellón Sur 14-20 , LAG Turia-Calderona , LAG Rural , LAG Rural Muntanya d'Alacant and LAG ASIR – Sur de Alicante .

The project's total budget is €183,666.17, with 58% coming from the European Union's European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD ) , 38.14% from the Valencian Government (Generalitat Valenciana) , and 8.86% from the Spanish Government's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food .