Raising Awareness about Underutilised Crops (UCs)
Raising Awareness about Underutilised Crops (UCs)
Farmers play a crucially important role in cultivating the plants that feed the world, including underutilised crops (UCs). It is farmers who have managed these crops for centuries and without their continued involvement and commitment, UCs risk remaining as such, resulting in further reduction of the diversity of plants upon which humans rely for food and nutrition. In Europe, farmers have been incentivized to continue to grow and harvest these important opportunity crops by demonstrating their multiple advantages, e.g. economic benefits, increasing market demand, nutritional value and climate resilience.
Farmers cultivating UCs often use traditional knowledge passed on to them by elders. This is also true in the unexpected uses of the UCs. The videos and brochures developed also highlight different uses, both the traditional and the new/innovative. Each brochure also includes an easy recipe. To share this information and raise awareness about the multiple benefits of UCs for farmers and for consumers, it is important to create engaging communication material.
The primary objective of these communication/informational products is to raise awareness about the value, benefit, and importance of growing and consuming UCs, and to showcase the important role of farmers and traditional knowledge in cultivating these crops.
In keeping with the mandate, under WP3 of the RADIANT project, a shortlist of AURORA farms was created in various parts of the EU, focusing on various UCs. Four AURORA farms were identified to feature in videos and brochures, keeping in mind environmental and regional representation, variety of UCs, harvesting times and availability of interviewees and visually engaging material. Four videos and brochures have been produced featuring each of the four identified AURORA farms participating in RADIANT.
The four videos and brochures produced, thus far, have been very well-received. With additional resources, it would be useful to create a longer video featuring all four of the featured farms and their Ucs. Both the individual videos produced and the longer video being suggested could be more widely shared with the addition of subtitles in various European languages. Additionally, one or more additional videos could be developed to feature more Ucs in different parts of Europe. The International Treaty is also available to provide training in the use of DOIs and the Easy-SMTA to support global benefit-sharing of PGRFA.
Farmers play a crucially important role in cultivating the plants that feed the world, including underutilised crops (UCs). It is farmers who have managed these crops for centuries and without their continued involvement and commitment, UCs risk remaining as such, resulting in further reduction of the diversity of plants upon which humans rely for food and nutrition. In Europe, farmers have been incentivized to continue to grow and harvest these important opportunity crops by demonstrating their multiple advantages, e.g. economic benefits, increasing market demand, nutritional value and climate resilience.
Farmers cultivating UCs often use traditional knowledge passed on to them by elders. This is also true in the unexpected uses of the UCs. The videos and brochures developed also highlight different uses, both the traditional and the new/innovative. Each brochure also includes an easy recipe. To share this information and raise awareness about the multiple benefits of UCs for farmers and for consumers, it is important to create engaging communication material.
The primary objective of these communication/informational products is to raise awareness about the value, benefit, and importance of growing and consuming UCs, and to showcase the important role of farmers and traditional knowledge in cultivating these crops.
In keeping with the mandate, under WP3 of the RADIANT project, a shortlist of AURORA farms was created in various parts of the EU, focusing on various UCs. Four AURORA farms were identified to feature in videos and brochures, keeping in mind environmental and regional representation, variety of UCs, harvesting times and availability of interviewees and visually engaging material. Four videos and brochures have been produced featuring each of the four identified AURORA farms participating in RADIANT.
The four videos and brochures produced, thus far, have been very well-received. With additional resources, it would be useful to create a longer video featuring all four of the featured farms and their Ucs. Both the individual videos produced and the longer video being suggested could be more widely shared with the addition of subtitles in various European languages. Additionally, one or more additional videos could be developed to feature more Ucs in different parts of Europe. The International Treaty is also available to provide training in the use of DOIs and the Easy-SMTA to support global benefit-sharing of PGRFA.
REALISING DYNAMIC VALUE CHAINS FOR UNDERUTILISED CROPS
Ongoing | 2021-2025
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Portugal