Rural Europe on the move English_E_version_all | Page 79

Herbs, Health and Politics
4. 1st European Herb Gathering, Lesachtal, AT, 2012
of my products. I was curious to learn
more about the situation in other
“Let’s reconnect consumers with local herbal
products and the traditional knowledge
which helped produce them.”
countries.” We met back at Philippe’s
place in 2012 where we realised our
shared enthusiasm for herbs. Straight
away we decided to build something
together.
Simone and I thought “Let’s
gather all those working in the field
of medicinal and aromatic plants
across Europe. Let’s find out what they
are doing, how others are making a
living from producing, processing and
marketing herbs and how we can
support our small herb producers. Let’s
find out about the legal frameworks
within which these small businesses
have to operate. Let’s reconnect
consumers with local herbal products
and the traditional knowledge which
helped produce them.” That very same
year, we launched the first European
Herb Gathering in Lesachtal, Austria
as part of the Forum Synergies
RURAL ACTORS FOR HEALTH
A bit of an hommage to the holders of traditional local knowledge
about the potential of aromatic and medicinal plants mixed with
the awareness of the increasing threats to that knowledge.
The 1st EHG - European Herb Gathering (2012, Lesachtal, AT)
sought to bring together those local holders, actors on the political
level and/or actors involved in other NGOs in order to enable
a constructive exchange about challenges and needs in the
herbal sector and business. The diversity of more and more strict
legislative requirements in different countries was easily identified
as one main driver for insecurity and finally giving up of mainly
local, female actors to stay in or start a small business. In 2018,
the 2nd EHG in Romania, the contribution of herbal activities to
sustainable rural development was in the focus of the workshop.
Practical exchange on options of how to deal with the legislative
framework ended up in lively discussions and a positive spirit
that solutions can be found. The planning of the 3rd EHG has just
started and hopefully a next meeting will take place in 2020.
programme ‘Rural Actors for Health’.
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