Grani di Tradizione
dell’Oltrepò: from wheat landraces to bread
“Coached imitation” may reduce the start-up time of short food chains.
Paolo Santinello Anna Rodeghiero
(Ass. GRADITO)
Short food chains
●
'a supply chain involving a limited number of economic operators, committed to cooperation, local economic development, and close geographical and social
relations between producers, processors and consumers'. EU legal frame (Reg. 1305/2013)
●
... only supply chains involving no more than one intermediary between farmer and consumer (Reg.
807/2014).
Short food chains
● Agroecological value
– Food security / sovereignty → In 2014, the share of the top five retailers exceeded 60%
in 13 Member States.
– Social / community glue → consumers share / know producers’ work, decision, risks
– Biodiversity recovery → small quantities, wide variety; crops adapt to soil, not the other way
– Contribution to science → open field laboratory; producers as science collaborators
● Economic value
● Farmers → escape the barganing
power ol large corporations / merchants
● Citizens → get better value for money
● BUT
● limited capacity, higher costs of
production, processing and transport
● limited resources for marketing and communication
● over-reliance on key individuals
Landraces cereals
●
Wheat landraces in one image
●
The loss of biodiversity and adaptability
●
Key experiences
●
Controversial issues
–
safe seed
–
health effect
OLTREPÒ
25 M ay 2 017
14 J uly 201 7 14 J uly 201 7
21 October 2017
13 A pril 201 9
Timeline
2013 2017
PIONEERS
S. Ceccarelli (ICARDA) S. Benedettelli (UniFI) G. Dinelli (UniBO) F. Castioni (Agron.) ...
20... 2018 2019 2020
IMITATION Kick-off Association
GRADITO established
Agronomic Assistance Agreement
CREA Seed choice
Sowing
Catalogue fields
Agronomic Assistance Harvesting
Mill choice Promotion
events Wheat analyses
Bakers selection
Reinforcing local demand
Start business organization
Start Talento selection
Experimental new crop rotations
Start rye and barley chains Networking and
integration w/
SNAI OP Agreement
La Barca bakery
Extend cooperation
Results as of May 2019
● 10 farmers, 20ha, 45 tons capacity
● 1 permanent breeding field
● agreement with a certified miller
● agreement with an expert baker (La Barca)
● collaboration with local agri- tourism businesses and restaurants
● links with the academia (Unimont)
permanent collaboration with
●
CREA governmental research institution
●
national landraces seed conservation network RSR
●
ITAS agronomic high school in Voghera
●
Slow Food Condotta Oltrepò
GRADITO 2019-2020
● Improve economic capacity of farmers: start-up of a local business network
● Launch participatory breeding of a wheat population well adapted to local conditions (TALENTO); requiers scientific, technical and public support
● Integration of the trademark within the regional markenting effort (environment, landscape)
● Agronomic development: development of an integrated chain of quality cereal landraces (wheat, barley, rey, millet)
● Becoming an active actor in Oltrepò: promoting the region as a development lab for biodiversity
How did all this happen in such a short time?
Well coached imitation
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“initiating” chain
–
farmers,
–
miller,
–
baker,
–
local administrators
“replicating” chain in Oltrepò
●
farmers
●
coaches / animators (A.
Rodeghiero, P. Santinello)
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expert agronomist (F.
Castioni)
●
local administrators
Well coached imitation
Supporting actors
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local authorities (municipalities, CMOP)
●
members of the academia and research communities who gave advice
– Unimont (A. Giorgi), CREA (P. Vaccino), UniBO (G. Dinelli), UniSI (S.
Benedettelli), S. Ceccarelli
●
food awareness groups (Slow Food, Selvatico Restaurant)
●
Rete Semi Rurali
●
ITAS Gallini
Conclusions
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The active participation of the “example to be imitated”
is a cornerstone
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Three years is a plausible timelapse if and only if all actors are involved
●
Producers, research and community must all be involved
●