The ACEA ( Collaborative Action for Artisanal Exports) project implemented in 2018 by the international organization FHI360 and funded by the US State Department in partnership with the National Office of Tunisian Crafts (ONAT) assists Tunisian handicraft artisans in upgrading and exporting their products, applying a collaborative cluster methodology that combines rigorous economic analysis with participatory market facilitation methods to engage private and public sector stakeholders throughout the value chain. Since its inception, ACEA has applied a holistic, locally owned strategy to support artisans in the medicinal and aromatic plants sector, most of whom are rural women who also serve as guardians of traditional medicinal knowledge and wisdom within their communities. Although they play a key role in sustaining the local economy, the artisans are often relegated to a subordinate position in the value chain and do not have equitable access to public lands and natural resources, which slows their development and hampers local economic growth.