Vielfalt in der Pflanzenzüchtung - Weiterbildung von Akteur:innen in biologisch-partizipativen Züchtungsprojekten

We wanted to promote the networking of organic participatory breeding initiatives in German-speaking countries, make our activities more visible to the public and thus bring plant breeding back in...

We wanted to promote the networking of organic participatory breeding initiatives in German-speaking countries, make our activities more visible to the public and thus bring plant breeding back into the wider society. We wanted to prepare information about organic-participatory plant breeding for various target groups by means of an online conference, a position paper, a short film and two training excursions. The aim was to highlight the importance of organic participatory breeding and motivate farmers and home gardeners to engage in this activity. People already active in breeding should be offered further training opportunities.

At the beginning of the project, the project partners presented their work on organic-participatory plant breeding and their objectives in this regard. The online conference was the first dedicated event for participatory breeding initiatives in German-speaking countries. Its main purpose was to exchange information on organizational methods and specific breeding activities. Two training sessions were organized, one in Saxony/Germany and one in Lower and Upper Austria, with 19 and 29 participants respectively. Internal position papers were written individually by ARCHE NOAH and ProSpecieRara before being combined into a joint position paper. This paper has been published on the websites of both project partners, together with the link to the short film on plant breeding. In the final month of the project and beyond, the short film was disseminated at events, via newsletters and on social media.

ARCHE NOAH and ProSpecieRara organized two training sessions in Saxony/Germany in June 2023 and in Lower and Upper Austria in August 2023. Employees of ARCHE NOAH and ProSpecieRara and farmers involved in seed multiplication and plant breeding participated in these trainings. Specific breeding projects were presented and organizational, horticultural and breeding know-how was exchanged. As a continuation, a modul-based plant breeding course is planned and will be developed by ARCHE NOAH from 2024 on. The position paper on plant breeding is the result of intensive internal discussions on how we as ARCHE NOAH and ProSpecieRara position ourselves on the topic of plant breeding, what activities we undertake in this regard and what we demand from politicians. This is the foundation for political and media work on the topic. With the approx. 8-minute short film and the 1-minute teaser, we present the topic of plant breeding - and the role we seed initiatives play and want to play in it - to a broad public. The film has been and will be shown at events and in various educational formats, and will be distributed via our social media networks.