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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DIVERSIFOOD (Embedding crop diversity and networking for local high quality food systems)

Teaser

Summary

DIVERSIFOOD is evaluating and enriching the diversity of cultivated plants within diverse agroecosystems to increase their performance, resilience and quality. By developing new breeding approaches to increase diversity and by re-discovering genetic resources of a dozen underutilized and forgotten plant species for organic and low-input agriculture or marginal/specific conditions, DIVERSIFOOD is developing new healthy and tasty produce. Through multi-actor approaches and relevant cases, DIVERSIFOOD aims to develop:
-Relevant, locally developed innovations
-New biodiversity management models
-New approaches to plant breeding and management
-New crops, diverse varieties or populations
-Diverse healthy and tasty food products and market valorisation
-Original experimental and communication tools to connect activities and people.
DIVERSIFOOD is facilitating cooperation between multi-actor and participatory research networks to connect formal and informal seed systems. To that end, partners are suggesting a framework for the implementation of Farmersâ€™ rights and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as set up in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). Key lessons based on the diverse experiences of partners are shared to support on-farm seed production networks guaranteeing high quality seed. DIVERSIFOOD is demonstrating the socio-economic value of innovative biodiversity management systems, increasing food and environmental awareness at local policy levels in regional food chains. DIVERSIFOOD is also developing concepts and practices to support the spreading of a new culture of food based on biodiversity.

Work performed

-WP1 ensures connexion between WPs and disciplines. During review period 2, definitions of 9 project key-words were published in a four-page leaflet. To understand how to combine different ways of thinking, partners have described the linkage of paradigms, methodologies, methods and tools in their case studies. Then, a toolkit has been initiated to connect methods from the biological and social sciences to optimise multi-actor approaches.
-In WP2, existing knowledge on several underutilised genetic resources has been collected into an available inventory. This also includes a working definition of â€œunderutilised cropâ€, developed around three processes: (i) the reintroduction of old, forgotten species; (ii) shifting cultivation areas and (iii) supporting the use of underutilised genetic resources of common species. Experimental activities are exploring collections from farm-saved seeds, local and institutional collections and seedbanks.
-Several new populations have been co-designed in WP3 with farmers for different crops (tomato, broccoli, carrots, onion, bread and durum wheat, einkorn, barley, maize, white lupin, faba bean and buckwheat) and then multiplied. These populations were obtained as progenies of single or double crosses, by crossing more parents over several generations (synthetic populations), by mixing all binary crosses among 5, 6 or more parents, by mixing chosen genetic resources and growing the mixture over several generations.
-For both WP2 and 3, the evaluation of populations is carried out on-farm under an inclusive multi-actor approach, in which the type of actors involved varies, including breeders, farmers, processors and consumers, but also cookers / chefs. The range of traits considered is very broad, ranging from agronomic to nutritional, organoleptic and culinary aspects. Statistical methods adapted to decentralized/on farm trials have been developed as well as the databases, adapted for the management of data from PPB.
-In WP4, a survey that targeted social actors working on community biodiversity management showed that all organizations are affected by national and international laws as they consider themselves as a part of ITPGRFA system and the Nagoya protocol. The Community Seed Banks survey reached 85 communities and identified several groups according to links to actors of local farming systems. Specific agreements on joint activities have been developed with other EU projects (CAPSELLA), Bioversity International, ECPGR and the Secretariat of the ITPGRFA.
-In WP5, a preliminary analysis of data from case studies from eight EU countries, has allowed the emergence of many insights in relation to the valorisation strategies of diverse products. Based on the first inventory of labels/trademarks for newly bred lines of PPB or underutilized crops, five different labelling concepts were evaluated. To further develop the valorisation strategies, a consumer survey was conducted in August 2017 in Italy, Spain, France and Switzerland.
-Partners have intensified communication activities (newsletters, publications); one booklet, â€œ9 key concepts for food diversityâ€ is available in 7 languages on the project website, as well as 4 Innovation Factsheets and 8 short videos. During the past 18 months, partners managed about 100 public events involving more than 2 000 stakeholders, to involve efficiently new actors in research. Many partners submitted papers and/or presented the project and results in more than 20 international scientific conferences.

Final results

At the end of the project we will have holistic key-concepts that integrate knowledge from the biological and social sciences, a toolkit with methods for multi-actor approaches and an overarching interdisciplinary methodological framework for new projects similar to DIVERSIFOOD.
A wide range of populations, from ex-situ collections, is currently being grown in on farm contexts and characterised with farmers and other actors from the value chain. Existing knowledge has been gathered on several species to be included in potential innovation processes. On-farm plant breeding has already contributed to significantly increase crop diversity available for and used by PPB programmes to provide diversified food products with higher nutritional and organoleptic quality. The populations have not yet been distributed to a wider range of users, as they are still in the process of breeding that are supported by improved methods for statistical analyses and data mining relevant for decentralized approaches. Most partners involved have already used or will use the optimized designs and/or methods proposed.
At legislative level, various partners worked at national, EU and international level for improving the current legal situation on varietal diversity, e.g. certification schemes of heterogeneous populations. DIVERSIFOOD stimulated sharing experiences not only at European level, inviting Community Seed Banks (CSB) that emerged worldwide to the workshops in Rome in September 2017). The issue of CSB is becoming more and more relevant for the dynamic management of agricultural diversity and for food sovereignty, as demonstrates the collaboration with the ITPGRFA Secretariat on that and the side event that will be organised by DIVERSIFOOD on CSB during the next Governing Body in Kigali (October 2017).
The outcomes of the different case studies will produce recommendations and guidelines for marketing and valorisation strategies of biodiverse food products and get more recognition for the networks and initiatives involved in keeping and enhancing the diversity. For the consumers, trust in the products could be established based on personal contacts, farm visits and investment in relations along the supply chain.