MountainHER
FULL PROJECT NAME: Empowering women associations as drivers for agroecological transformation to generate income for Mountain farming communities
The MountainHER project is funded by PRIMA – Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area.
DURATION: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025 (The project duration has been extended until December 31, 2025.)
TOTAL PROJECT VALUE: €2,750,000.00
PROJECT VALUE FOR LRA PINS: €380,000.00
Project Description
The MountainHER project focuses on recognizing and empowering women in rural mountain areas, highlighting their crucial role in the social and economic development of remote communities in Algeria, Croatia, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Innovative Approach to Local Resources
At the heart of the project are barley and durum wheat as key crops, and traditional dishes and malt products as the main value chains. MountainHER promotes sustainable business models that ensure a fairer distribution of income within short value chains, with an emphasis on women’s associations. The goal is to improve existing management systems within these associations to fully utilize their economic potential and ensure equal and favorable conditions for all members.
Measurable Impact and Sustainable Development
Our Impact:
The project will significantly support the role of women’s associations in processing agricultural products into high-value food and malt products. This transformation can yield ten to one hundred times higher revenue compared to harvesting raw materials alone. Effective connections with physical stores and digital marketplaces will be ensured, along with preliminary consumer interest studies to successfully capture market shares.
MountainHER offers education and tools that encourage women’s associations to purchase local agricultural products at higher prices. In turn, farmers are motivated to implement agroecological practices that are not only more environmentally friendly but can also significantly increase the value and price of the food produced.
