DIVERSIFOOD Booklet #6
This DIVERSIFOOD booklet (Booklet #6) presents ten novel ideas and approaches aimed at embedding crop and food diversity across supply chains, from field to plate. Drawing on case studies and multi-actor experiments conducted by the DIVERSIFOOD consortium, the booklet defines “underutilised crops”, outlines smart on-farm assessment methods, and sets out strategies to valorise biodiverse products. It describes the multi-actor research approach and tools for participatory plant breeding (including databases and the PPBstats software), and discusses the role of community agrobiodiversity management and community seed banks in conserving, using and circulating genetic resources. The publication also addresses social dimensions of GxE interactions, farmers’ rights under the International Treaty, and the need for enabling policies and new market approaches. The overall message advocates decentralised, participatory, transdisciplinary research and networked action to support resilient, diverse and locally valued food systems.
Key topics: underutilised crops, participatory plant breeding, community seed banks, agrobiodiversity, multi-actor research, seed valorisation, farmers’ rights
