Hello everyone,
We are currently active in the BASCIL project (Innovative Solutions for the Rural Food Production Sector to Diversify into Sustainable Culinary Tourism Services) and have been working intensively with pilot organizations by organizing and participating in three workshops on different topics.
The BASCIL project focuses on small producers in rural areas that have recently experienced economic difficulties due to the pandemic. Food producers are currently facing higher production costs due to rising energy prices and inflation. All of this has severely affected the resilience of the local food sector in the Baltic Sea Region. The BASCIL project therefore aims to develop culinary tourism services in rural areas of the Baltic Sea Region and to increase the resilience of local food producers by diversifying their business activities in the tourism sector. It is important to collect and analyze existing knowledge and good practices in the region. This will then lead to a sustainable and comprehensive solution to mitigate the various risks for local food producers and networks in the Baltic Sea Region. Addressing similar problems and jointly analyzing the various opportunities, strengths and weaknesses creates synergies that allow for a common and flexible solution for these target groups.
One of the workshops took place at the Sadauskas homestead, where we learnt how to empower different skills in crafts, cooking or knowledge about nature to create an engaging and immersive education! The Sadauskas Farmhouse tandem of mother Laimutė and daughter Monika told us how to find our own way, prepare for the education, how to promote and sell them, expanding the range of services and increasing the income of the farmhouse.
The second meeting was organized in Radviliškis and Kėdainiai districts, where together with the pilot organizations of the BASCIL project, we tested their newly developed culinary education. We were able to experience the programme through the eyes of a tourist and provide comments and advice to the developers so that they can launch a quality and interesting tourist product when the season starts!
In August, we have a very exciting event coming up, the „Šaltibarščių Championship 2024”, where we will have the opportunity to spread the word about the project’s potential to help small local food producers by diversifying their activities to include culinary tourism services. It will also be interesting to see and hear the new food ideas presented by the participants.
So we spend our time not only having fun, but also being active to achieve our goals. Overall, the whole experience is very rewarding, productive and inspiring, and makes you feel like you are contributing to something bigger.
– Kornelija , IVY Project Partner at the Lithuanian countryside tourism association for the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Project “BASCIL”.
