A group of farmers of various ages (28 to 48 years old) from the area of Moires - Tympaki, Crete, are cultivating vegetables in a total area of around 800 acres, of which 50 are greenhouses. The cultivation of their vegetables is characterized by the existence of large quantities of sorting products whose commercial value is either very low or not tradable, with the result that this quantity is disposed of in landfills. There was, therefore, a need to find an innovative way to exploit this quantity of products and to bring out a new product of commercial value and to help avoid waste and, furthermore, sustainability.
The Strategic Project Management Office through the "Thought For Food" program has developed a support program aiming at the development of a new snack product for better utilization of the produced vegetable crops and a new branch of processing at the local level.
On January 25th and 26th, the first meeting for the presentation of the program to the farmers took place at the premises of Technical Institute of Heraklion (Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
Scientific Coordinator of the action
Dr. Maria Gougouli