DYNAversity project report
This report, produced within the DYNAversity project and in partnership with URGENCI, examines on-farm and in-situ management of cultivated biodiversity within European Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives. It combines an online questionnaire (75 responses: 65 complete, 10 partial) from 13 countries with semi-structured interviews and case studies to map practices, roles and challenges. Key findings: most responding CSAs cultivate a mix of modern, heirloom and peasant varieties across multiple production types; many farmers both use and produce heirloom/peasant seeds but often alongside modern varieties; direct participation of consumers in seed production and conservation is limited, with most consumer involvement being indirect (requests, purchases, awareness). The report presents four illustrative cases (ASAT in Romania, Brotes Compartidos in Spain, AMAP AURA in France, and a Turkish collective) showing different consumer and network roles in promoting traditional seeds. Main barriers identified are lack of time, technical know-how and equipment, market/consumer preferences, and the need for coordination and supervision for seed multiplication. Recommendations stress strengthening CSA and seed-network collaboration, producing communication and training materials, supporting seed-multiplying facilities or services, and developing participatory learning to increase both farmer capacity and consumer engagement in agrobiodiversity stewardship.
Key topics: Community Supported Agriculture, agrobiodiversity, heirloom varieties, peasant varieties, seed saving, consumer participation, seed networks
