DIVERSIFOOD, is a European project funded by the Horizon 2020 programme, set out to identify and promote local and regional activities as a new paradigm for the food system, integrating crop diversity into networks for high quality local food systems. A multi-actor project, DIVERSIFOOD involved a wide range of stakeholders in the food system from field to table in different European countries: public and private research institutes, universities, technical organisations, professional breeders, processors, retailers, citizen networks and farmer networks involved in on-farm breeding and seed production. The project addressed three main issues:
- supporting and promoting innovative models of biodiversity management
- supporting the use of quality, healthy and tasty products and their valorisation on the market
- promoting participatory research and communication tools to support and extend collaboration
Il progetto si e’ concluso con le seguenti raccomandazioni:
- Promuovere la diversità e’ essenziale per la sostenibilita dei sistemi sementieri, e questa diversità richiede circolazione sia di materiale genetico che di conoscenza tra i soggetti coinvolti, facilitato da legislazione e regolamentazione specifica
- La comunità e le sue norme ed aspettative sono elementi fondamentali per lo sviluppo dei semi sementieri a livello locale e vanno considerate nei loro impatti;
- Le case delle sementi colmano a livello locale il vuoto tra gli agricoltori e le banche del seme, tale ruolo richiede quindi valorizzazione
The project has closed with the following recommendations:
Promoting diversity is essential for the sustainability of seed systems, and this diversity requires circulation of both genetic material and knowledge among stakeholders, facilitated by specific legislation and regulation
The community and its norms and expectations are key to seed development at the local level and their impacts must be considered;
Seed houses fill the gap between farmers and seed banks at local level, this role therefore requires valorisation
Available on the project website are a series of factsheets on biodiversity in all its aspects in the food supply chain (from seed, through field research to product marketing), farmers’ rights and seed houses. Website: http://www.diversifood.eu/ Duration: 2015-2019
