On the 24th June 2011, a local symposium entitled “Agriculture & Biodiversity” took place in the premises of the Conference Centre of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICH) (Region of Crete, Greece), organized in the framework of the REVERSE project by the Mediterranean Plant Conservation Unit of MAICh. The meeting was attended by approximately 80 people, mainly farmers, agronomists, researchers, students, NGOs, and representatives of local authorities (Municipality of Chania, Forest Directorate of Chania, and others).
After the presentation of the REVERSE project by Mrs. Panagiota Gotsiou, biologist of MAICH, and more particularly, of the best practices identified by the partners for the topic ‘Agriculture and Biodiversity’, there have been made presentations under the two following sessions: ‘Protection of the Agro-biodiversity’ and ‘Effect of agricultural practices on natural biodiversity’. During the first session, Dr. Lydaki Marina (agronomist from the Control and Certification Centre for Plant Varieties– KEPPYEL of Heraklio, Crete) presented the work of the Centre on the characterization of the local traditional varieties of cultivated plants and the legislative context under which these varieties can be valorized and commercialized. Mr. Koutis Kostas, agronomist and member of the NGO ‘Aegilops’, gave an overview of the actual situation on the conservation of local landraces at the national level of Greece and the work their organization is doing; the ‘Aegilops-Network for Biodiversity and Ecology in Agriculture’, founded in 2002 in Volos, Central Greece, deals with ‘on farm’ conservation of local landraces and has adopted participatory processes with producers for the evaluation and the selection of these local varieties (mainly cereals and vegetables). The importance and the function of the seed banks in general and more particularly, the activities of the seed bank of MAICh were presented by Dr. Fournaraki Christina, while more details about the ex situ conservation and characterization of local landraces of cultivated plants at the installations of MAICH (so far, about 400 different seedlots preserved) were given by Mrs. Kokkinaki Adamantia. The activities of the local NGO of the Park of the Technical University of Chania for the conservation and use of traditional local plant varieties, that was set up in 2005 and possesses about 200 different seedlots, were introduced by Dr. Skoula Melpo. Mr. Pagiavlas Nikos, member of the local association of organic producers from Chania, talked about the problems faced by the producers when they cultivate and trade vegetables or fruits from local landraces in the market of organic products (such as problems with the ‘organic’ certification bodies or cases of rejection from the consumers).
During the second session of the meeting, there have been two presentations by Mr. Bazakos Christos and Mr. Fragostefanakis Sotirios, both working at MAICH for the LIFE project ‘CENTOLIMED’, regarding respectively the characterization of ancient olive groves as High Nature Value Farmlands (HNVF) and the importance of the traditional practices used for their management in the preservation of biodiversity. Finally, other environmentally friendly techniques for the management of olive groves and orchards have been presented by Mr. Stamatakis Aristidis, Agronomist from MAICh. At the end of the presentations, there was a discussion among the audience and the speakers regarding mainly the traditional practices and knowledge that has also to be preserved along with the genetic material of the traditional landraces, the need for coordinated work among all the factors involved in the conservation of biodiversity and the need for a double targeted sensitization campaign, for both consumers and politicians, about the importance of local products from local varieties in the promotion of a more sustainable regional development.
source: http://reverse.aquitaine.eu