European project CERERE revolved around sustaining and promoting the innovative approaches emerging in Europe to introduce and manage agrobiodiversity in cereal production. With a view to combining insights from practice with scientific research, CERERE set out to establish multi-actor networks for collaboration.
The project addressed such questions as:
- access to biodiverse seed for on farm breeding
- innovative breeding methodologies to enable adaptive evolution of cereals to local and environmental conditions
- policy impacts on agrobiodiversity
- quality of cereal products and related practices
Rete Semi Rurali was responsible for the organisation and facilitation of the European (Let’s Cultivate Diversity) as well as national events involving the various stakeholders to collaborate, spread innovation and share knowledge, making answers available to farmers.
Recommendations from the project can be summarised as:
- Short and alternative supply chains deliver sustainable, nutritious cereals and derived products, appreciated by consumers. Enabling regulations at local and regional level are essential and allocation of funds should favour a diversity of community and artisanal initiatives
- Biodiversity in the field starts with the seed that should be available at community level for on farm conservation
- Specific training for farmers and researchers in participatory research in necessary together with European-level support and alongside honest communication on the harmful effects of industrial agriculture and the potential benefits of collective management of biodiversity
Among the outcomes of CERERE were a wide range of technical booklets on cereals, cereal products and related artisanal practices, which are available on the website together with the project deliverables.
Project duration: 2015-2018
