DIVERSIFOOD Booklet #5
This brochure (DIVERSIFOOD Booklet #5, Feb 2019) presents the project’s general recommendations to anchor cultivated genetic diversity in food value chains. It summarizes findings from multi-actor work across Europe and outlines policy and practice measures needed to increase on-farm diversity and market access for diverse seeds and products. Key messages include: secure the legal status of heterogeneous cultivars and other diverse plant materials; adapt EU seed legislation and national implementation to be more inclusive (noting recent developments such as the EU organic regulation EC/848/2018 and temporary experiments on composite cross populations); ensure coherent policies (including the CAP and rural development measures) that support diversified cropping, participatory breeding and conservation in situ; embed genetic diversity in agri-food value chains through labelling, traceability and local networks; invest in awareness, education and multi-actor research-action to build capacities across farmers, processors, consumers and institutions. The brochure highlights legal and practical barriers (national differences in variety registers, commercialization limits) and calls for transparent notification, scientific support for specific rules, and respect for farmers’ rights as per the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Key topics: heterogeneous cultivars, EU seed policy, plant genetic diversity, Common Agricultural Policy, participatory plant breeding, community seed banks, agri-food value chains
