Leader projects have a strong track record of supporting the valorisation of rural products and services. This is especially true for local food products because many LAGs are able to offer funding assistance to help farmers and processors grow their businesses through innovative projects that improve overall competitiveness.

Sustaining viable agricultural activities can be a major challenge for many rural areas. Structural complications like natural handicaps, small farm sizes or distances to sales points can combine with market issues (such as strong competition and price pressures on farm products) to create difficult conditions for farmers. One solution is the valorisation of agricultural raw materials by converting them into quality food products. The potential rewards from this rural development approach have been verified by an array of different Leader projects that have added value to farm products through processing and marketing initiatives. Innovation has been a powerful force behind these developments, and actions by a pioneering Portuguese Leader project typify the benefits that can be generated for rural areas by creative approaches to product valorisation.