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Conservation and Sustainable Farming Research

This article explores the importance of conservation, biodiversity development, and sustainable farming in research. It highlights European projects and initiatives supporting these goals.

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Conservation and Sustainable Farming Research

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  1. Are conservation, development of biodiversity and sustainable farming goals for research? Seeds for a sustainable future 31 May 2011 Sébastien Crepieux European Commission Directorate-General Research and Innovation Project Officer, Unit E4 : Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Aquacualture

  2. Crop production in Europe 40 % (172 m ha) of the EU’s land area is farmed. Utilised agricultural area: 60 % arable land 33% permanent grasslands 6% permanent crops Annual agricultural output worth €360 billion 58% from crop products 42% from animal products 13.7 m agricultural holdings: 40% crop farming, 22% livestock 38% mixed-farming Diverse patterns of crop production across Europe. Agricultural activities impact significantly on environment, economy and social cohesion, not just in rural areas. * Figures from EUROSTAT 2007

  3. Challenges to current agriculture Main global drivers for change and associated challenges INNOVATION(biological, technological, management) AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE BIOECONOMY

  4. European support to foster agricultural research and the overall bioeconomy sector 10 Themes of the Cooperation Programme 32,4 Frontier Research CollaborativeResearch ERC €7.460m Infrastructures Human Potential Research Capacity €4.217m Total Specific Programmes: Total 53 billion € FP7 : 2007-2013. Theme 2 : Around 300 m€ / year

  5. Theme 2 - Structure KBBE - Activity 2.1 Sustainable food production and management of biological resources from land, forest and aquatic environments Knowledge/Discovery Translation Application/Innovation Policy development KBBE - Activity 2.2 “Fork to farm”: Food, health and well being KBBE - Activity 2.3 Life sciences, biotechnology and biochemistry for sustainable non-food products and processes

  6. http://cordis.europa.eu/ fp7/kbbe/home_en.html

  7. Are conservation, development of biodiversity and sustainable farming goals for research? Some examples

  8. Plant research in FP7 KBBE programme Outcome from calls 2007 – 2011 Within first 5 calls for proposals : 55 projects (covering sustainable plant production systems) 180m€ EU contribution Some funded projects: - (1) Biodiversity, low input farming, plant genetic resources - (2) Breeding and use of genetic resources - (3) Sustainable plant production

  9. PGR Secure project(website under development) The project aims at improving the conservation and use of European Crop Wild Relatives (CWR). To this end, it will investigate and test novel genotypic and phenotypic characterisation techniques, develop exemplar national and European CWR inventories and conservation strategies and facilitate breeders' access to CWR genetic resources. Consortium: 9 acad. / 1 private partners Coord: Birmingham Univ. N. Maxted Genera: Avena, Beta, Brassica Medicago EU-funding: 3M€ /3,5 years Start: Feb. 2011

  10. There is not a single project on breeding that does not emphasize the role and importance of genetic resources (2) Breeding, conservation and use of genetic diversity Genetic resources : Conservation, description, use… Direct use low input farming, organic Use in pre-breeding - breeding programs Discover new alleles Private and public breeding programmes Validation of genes / effects Ex: DROPS ADAPTAWHEAT ABSTRESS Release and registration of new varieties (conventional breeding)

  11. (3) Sustainable plant production: • Legume Futures:“Legumes: key multifunctional legume crops for an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly future European agriculture” reintroduce legumes in rotation for their multiple benefits (www.legumefutures.eu) • Multisward: “Multifunctional grasslands for sustainable and competitive ruminant production systems and the delivery of ecosystem services” Promote the sustainable and beneficial use of swards in European farming – roles, utility and expectations (www.multiswards.eu) • Cover Crops:“Development of cover crop and mulch systems for sustainable crop production” The introduction of cover crops, catch crops and (living) mulch into cropping systems is known to have beneficial effects in particular on soil improvement (e.g. organic matter and soil structure, nitrogen production, soil microbial activity…), pest management and weed suppression (…) • (+ many others, including WP2012 : Managing semi-natural habitats and on-farm biodiversity to optimise ecological services …  Balanced approach : Competitivity and production but with the sustainability criteria

  12. Final comments • Are conservation, development of biodiversity and sustainable farming goals for research? Clearly yes ! • Genetic diversity is a driver for sustainability of agricultural systems and food security • Strategies for agricultural genetic resources need to consider • Genetic diversity at various levels (plant - crop - agro-ecosystem) • Measures for in-situ and ex-situ conservation • The use : understand the evolution of diversity, molecular basis and variability of relevant traits to develop tools for pre-breeding and breeding activities (MAS). The release of performing varieties is one of the key issue to allow sufficient food production with the less arable land used (in Europe and in the world). • Strong link with all stakeholders need to be ensured – conservationists, farmers, research, public and private breeding… • But seeds/genetic resources are only a part of the agriculture sustainability equation : cannot miss the production, the cropping system, the agronomic techniques, the use of resources…

  13. Sources of information FP7/Theme 2: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/kbbe/home_en.html EU AGRINET Research portal: http://ec.europa.eu/research/agriculture/index_en.html DG RTD: http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?lg=en DG AGRI: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/index_en.htm Europe 2020: http://ec.europa.eu/eu2020/index_en.htm Innovation Union communication: http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm?pg=keydocs

  14. Thank you for your attention! Contacts sebastien.crepieux@ec.europa.eu, Project Officer Plant Breeding and Agronomy, Unit E4 timothy.hall@ec.europa.euHead of Unit E.4 Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Aquacualture maive.rute@ec.europa.euDirectorate E Biotechnologies, Agricuture, Food

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