EU Supports Agricultural Producers in Azerbaijan

Baku / 05.04.19 / Turan: With the financial support of the EU Delegation in Baku, Slow Food (Italy), in partnership with the Public Association for the Protection of Animals and the National Association of Rural Municipalities of Azerbaijan, is implementing a project to support small farmers in the Greater Caucasus region.

The project, which closely involves local authorities, civil society groups and other stakeholders, will use the EU experience in identity and gastronomy, as well as biodiversity conservation and cultural heritage.

The diverse soils and climatic conditions of Azerbaijan led to a rich variety of plants and animals. This variety of crops and livestock has evolved over millennia and needs to be protected and preserved. Therefore, the first phase of the project will lay the foundation for an inventory of traditional crops, species and food, as well as methods for their production and processing.

During the first six months of the project, local products were identified in five pilot areas (Gabala, Sheki, Ismayilli, Shamakhi and Gakh).

As a result, about 40 products have been identified: local varieties of vegetables and fruits, as well as their traditional processing methods, handmade sweets, animal products, local grapes and much more.

The results also confirmed that in Azerbaijan, as in other countries, the introduction of imported varieties has led to the fact that local cultures and breeds have practically disappeared. A particularly vivid example was found in the region of Gakh, where a variety of tomatoes from the village of Marsan almost disappeared and was preserved only thanks to the actions of a local producer.

The next steps will be to select the communities associated with the products, check which products can be included in the Slow Food global Ark of Taste catalog, and decide which food production chains can be further developed as part of the project. ----06D--