The EcoChestnut project was a European project on organic production and marketing of chestnuts. The EU chestnuts market has been experiencing a strong growth in demand for organic chestnut products for the last 10 years. This demand is unsatisfied in volume, so it has to rely on non-EU imports to be satisfied. The maintenance of the European chestnut grove goes through the continuous development of quality channels, valuing know-how & local products, combining agriculture, transformation & heritage discovery. The organic sector is at the very heart of this economic system. For the European chestnut producers, the knowledge & competences they must acquire & master, are quite multi-folded.

EcoChestnut aimed at fostering professional knowledge and competences of the European chestnuts producers on organic chestnuts production through an e-learning platform that comprises in one place, online, free learning resources focused on technical aspects, as well as marketing and diversification of the activity. It tackled all steps for “conversion” to organic chestnut growing, marketing strategy, communication with customers, etc.

The project also targeted awareness raising on the chestnuts & chestnut groves as part of the cultural, historical and landscape heritage of our countries.

EcoChestnut was developed by 7 partners from France, Greece, Spain, Portugal & Bulgaria. The Mediterranean Center of Environment worked, in Greece, in association with the Meloivia Agricultural Cooperative of Fruits and Chestnuts Producers “ ATHANATI”.

Together with the MCE, partners of EcoChestnut

Petra Patrimonia Corsica – France

Universidad de Vigo – Spain

Polytechnic Institute of Bragança – Portugal

DAKOM- Bulgaria