The Horizon 2020 project DIVERSIFOOD is aimed at evaluating and enriching the diversity of cultivated plants within diverse agroecosystems so as to increase their performance, resilience and quality through a multi-actor approach. By integrating existing experienced networks and using specific and relevant cases across Europe the project will strengthen 'food culture' to improve economic viability of local chains resulting in a greater diversity of produce with a cultural identity.

New diversity is generated by innovative breeding methods designed for more intra-crop variation. DIVERSIFOOD helps to facilitate cooperation between participatory research networks and professional breeders as well as policy makers in connecting formal and informal seed systems in Europe. Key-lessons based on the diverse experiences in the project will be shared to support on-farm seed production networks to guarantee high quality seed. DIVERSIFOOD represents a contribution to the European implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and is closely related to international negotiations on Farmers’ Rights under the Treaty.

The project is organized in seven work packages. The first work package is devoted to developing new concepts and methods to enhance the innovative approach of the project. In the second work package, relevant plant genetic diversity is evaluated with a view to its potential, using a multi-actor approach on-farm. The third work package deals with participatory crop improvement for local/regional adaptation and production. The fourth work package focusses on innovative biodiversity management, including the political/legal dimension. The fifth work package is engaged in embedding crop genetic diversity in the food supply chain. The sixth work package is ensuring dissemination, training and technology transfer from DIVERSIFOOD and the seventh work package takes care of the project management.

FNI is mainly contributing to work package four on innovative biodiversity management. Here, FNI has the responsibility for task 4.4 on the political and legal framework conditions for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, with a particular view to informal and semi-informal seed systems contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of crop genetic diversity. The issues of Farmers’ Rights related to crop genetic resources are part of this task. FNI coordinates the work of DIVERSIFOOD with regard to task 4.4. Except for this, FNI contributes to other tasks of work package four, as well as to other work packages and to the dissemination of results from the project.

Project Period (for FNI): 2017-2019

Read more about the project on the DIVERSIFOOD Website.