Project description
Recognising the benefits of neglected crops
One billion people are suffering from chronic hunger. Neglected and underutilised crops (NUCs) have the potential to reduce food and nutrition insecurity. In this context, the EU funded DIVINFOOD project aims to boost the value of NUCs. Specifically, it will focus on healthy plant-based food, products with a local/regional identity and diverse services and benefits received from agriculture and food. The researchers will study minor cereals and legumes in three geographical regions that face various climatic hazards. They will also explore the diverse socio-economic challenges to developing agrobiodiversity-rich value chains. With consumers, DIVINFOOD will co-develop new interactive marketing modes. Ultimately, the project will pave the way for breeding more performant cultivars of cereals and legumes with local adaptation.
Objective
The overall objective of this multi-actor, participatory project is to facilitate the use and increase the value of Neglected and Underutilised Crops (NUCs) in food chains to foster healthier diets and more sustainable food systems. To achieve this, DIVINFOOD will focus on interactive short and mid-tier value chains that can meet the growing consumer demand for: 1) healthy plant-based food; 2) products with a local/regional identity, and 3) diverse services and benefits received from agriculture and food. DIVINFOOD will study minor cereals and legumes in 3 geographical regions that face various climatic hazards and diverse socio-economic challenges to developing agrobiodiversity-rich value chains. DIVINFOOD will:
- Co-develop, with consumers, new interactive marketing modes and channels valuing biodiversity use and its services/benefits, with the support of participatory guarantee systems and digital tools
- Co-produce new and diversified plant-based healthy and appetising products and recipes from NUCs meeting consumers’ needs, from minimal or mild food processing and formulations better expressing NUCs’ potential
- Benchmark diverse agroecological farming systems and techniques that improve NUCs’ performance, inter-specific biodiversity and the provision of citizen-focused agro-socio-ecosystem services
- Breed more performant cultivars of cereals and legumes with local adaptation, intra-specific biodiversity, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, and potentiating nutritious and appetising food
- Demonstrate new business models that diversify income and activities for farmers and small-scale processors who are using agrobiodiversity
- Co-design pilot multi-actor territorial networks/social cooperatives in charge of managing, propagating and promoting NUCs. Design policy recommendations to promote their replication
- Disseminate the results to relevant stakeholders to optimise their exploitation
Fields of science
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutrition
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturegrains and oilseedscereals
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturegrains and oilseedslegumes
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
75007 Paris
France
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Participants (27)
Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
31076 Toulouse
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00184 Roma
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56126 Pisa
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1099 085 Lisboa
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5070 Frick
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1033 BUDAPEST
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
750 07 Uppsala
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7000 803 Evora
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11800 TREBES
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69009 Lyon
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
69390 Charly
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3250-165 ALVAIAZERE
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1349-017 LISBOA
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
00159 Roma
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2626 Nagymaros
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1114 Budapest
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3860 Encs
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1052 Budapest
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8200 AARHUS N
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1620 KOBENHAVN
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114 34 Stockholm
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
26400 AUTICHAMP
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94100 Saint Maur Des Fosses
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75595 PARIS
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
67412 ILLKIRCH
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69130 ECULLY
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
75013 PARIS
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