The AHEAD project was created to respond to the growing challenge of preserving agri-food cultural heritage in a rapidly digitalizing world. With more people living in urban areas and traditional practices slowly fading, the project aimed to reconnect young people with their roots by promoting awareness of local food traditions.

Backed by the EU Green Deal, the project brought together partners from Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, and Slovenia, working in areas like agri-food, tourism, youth, and digital education. AHEAD focused on training young people aged 18–30 to become Agri-food Cultural Heritage Ambassadors—individuals who could help protect and promote traditional food knowledge while boosting agro-tourism and cultural tourism in their regions.

Five public events were held across the partner countries to spread awareness. The project also produced several tools and resources: a digital handbook with information about local food traditions, video tutorials on innovative farming methods, an interactive serious game for young people to apply what they learned, and an online seminar series for selecting and training the ambassadors.

As a result, the AHEAD project helped make agri-food heritage more accessible and relevant to young people. It raised awareness of its cultural value, encouraged healthy and active lifestyles, and brought new life to rural tourism. The project also built strong European partnerships and gave more opportunities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping communities recover from the cultural setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.