The location of the implementation of the project is the Black Sea broader region and in particular all the eligible regions of Greece, Romania Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

All involved regions are deeply influenced by their dependency on agriculture and face several development challenges. Traditional agricultural and food products are of paramount importance for the local development as a whole.Rural areas can offer a diversity of traditional regional agricultural and food products. In the participating counties, a new demand for quality food is increasing in urban areas.In many regions, there are still many farms producing traditional products for home consumption or for limited markets.Urban demand creates incentives to preserve traditional products but a on the other hand preference for western fast food type foods is a clear threat both to the local economy as well as the health and the well being of the general population.The project aims to promote slow food products like those produced locally of exceptional taste and nutritional quality, give them an added value according to the EU Regulation No1151/2012 i.e designate them as Protected Designation of Origin(PDO) Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), Traditional Specialities Guaranteed(TSG), thus boosting the local economies secure tradition preservation, but also addresses safety issues.

The overall objective of the project is to support the sustainable economic and social development in the agricultural rural areas in the region of intervention through integrated initiatives that incorporate economic, environmental, social and cultural dimensions and to enhance the regional cooperation. In specific the project will support the development and promotion of local traditional agricultural food products, contributing in rural community, social inclusion, cultural and biodiversity conservation by implementing common strategies for common challenges and support the local, people-to-people activities.

The project, targeting to the heart of rural economy, which is the agricultural sector is expected to have considerable effect on the local development. The challenges to be effectively addressed by the project are:Economic development(challenge: under-developed local economy) and Environmental protection(challenge: threatened biodiversity and natural resources), Social issues(challenge: significant gender issues in employment and general unemployment in the rural areas, under-developed knowledge-based society) and Culture preservation and promotion(challenge: threatened local cultural heritage, and under-developed tourism and gastronomy market). The consortium is formed to cover all project dimensions.

The proposed activities of the joint action will promote the transnational partnerships for good practices exchange, information days, training seminars, site visits, establishment of Associations of Traditional Food Producers, a Black Sea Network to promote Agro-Food products etc.