Old varieties are a rarity in horticulture, fruit growing and arable farming. However, they are of particular value for biodiversity in the cultivated landscape, as they are part of typical regional habitats. The project "Niche Markets in Agriculture" aims to promote old varieties and thus biodiversity. This should also be attractive for small and medium-sized farms in particular via premium marketing such as through organic cultivation or protected designations of origin.
On October 17 and 18, the project consortium met in Granada (Spain). The meeting compared the institutional structures through which old varieties are conserved in Italy, Spain, Poland and Germany. It was shown that projects for the conservation and cultivation of old varieties are central and that cooperation between research institutions and farms is key to maintaining biodiversity in the field. In addition, the project consortium visited two farms. The first farm grows old bean varieties, peppers and tomatoes in addition to olives. Because of the effort involved, the farm does not seek organic certification. The lower yield of the old varieties is compensated by direct marketing and the extra price that customers are willing to pay for the taste.
The second farm specializes in old fruit varieties, which are also sold in direct marketing. As in the first farm, the old varieties are characterized by a good adaptation to the site. However, it was reported here that despite a good taste experience in fruit, there is the challenge that old varieties do not always match the classic ideas of a particular fruit. As a result, in practice, customers are less likely to reach for a pear variety that is less drop-shaped.
The project will develop information and learning materials on approaches and institutional structures for the preservation of old varieties for farms. These will be complemented by the topics of organic certification and protected designations of origin and the marketing possibilities of corresponding products. This will be illustrated by case studies from Italy, Poland, Spain and Germany.
Contact persons at IfLS: Ulrich Gehrlein (gehrlein[at]ifls.de) and Christoph Mathias (mathias[at]ifls.de)
