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Climate Resilient orphan Crops for increased diversity in Agriculture (CROPDIVA)
Project
Project code: JKI-ZL-08-8029, 101000847
Contract period: 01.11.2021
- 31.10.2025
Purpose of research: Applied research
Agrobiodiversity is a crucial prerequisite for ecologically and economically sustainable agricultural and food systems and is an important tool for ecological intensification of agricultural systems. However, agrobiodiversity is a complex concept that can be defined as a vital subset of biodiversity that is the result of the interaction between the environment, genetic resources and management systems used by culturally diverse people (FAO, 2004). Therefore, CROPDIVA will reinforce agrobiodiversity in European agricultural cropping systems on different levels and along distinct geographic and socio-economic areas resulting in resilient food and feed production systems that deliver safe and healthy food and feed products as well as innovative non-food products for European consumers.
To realise the project objectives CROPDIVA will focus on (1) the promotion of six underutilised crops: oats, triticale, hull-less barley, narrow-leafed lupin, buckwheat and faba bean in various cropping systems and (2) on the creation of new value chains based on these selected underutilised crops. The selected underutilised crops are chosen on realistic and unique features, which will facilitate the integration of these crops in existing European cropping systems and in turn will result in spill-over effects in relation to functional agrobiodiversity, local added-value chains and enriched food systems. Furthermore, all of them could be cultivated in intercropping systems together with other high agro-ecological valuable crops. Thirdly, these crops possess a high nutritious and food technological value which create many possibilities to develop new food/feed and non-food products; a more diversified value chain will provide new market opportunities for the local food/feed and associated non-food industry and will provide opportunities for new innovative products tailored to the local demand. In addition, a decision support system (DSS) will be developed. This DSS will provide a collection of integrated decision tools for managing biodiversity at different levels and for balancing various ecosystem service goals. As such, CROPDIVA will lead to highly resilient agro-ecosystems with increased adaptability to climate change, enhanced use of genetic resources and an enlarged food diversity with an improved nutritional value.
Section overview
Subjects
- Crop Production
- Specialised crops
- Agroecology
- Climate Change
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Institute for Breeding Research on Agricultural Crops (JKI-ZL)