BALKAN BEETS
Supporting Biodiversity Seed and Fruit Tree Actors in South Eastern Europe
In 2018, Arche Noah and Pro Specie Rara, with funding from the Gen-Ethische Foundation, launched BALKAN BEETS. This project aims to promote the conservation of crop diversity and the production of organic seeds and planting materials in South Eastern Europe. Various on-site organizations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia and Romania, each with their own set of diverse solutions adapted to their respective local context, will be supported under BALKAN BEETS until 2022 to build sustainable and economically self-sufficient systems.
BALKAN BEETS set out four different goals over its three-year lifetime:
- Support start-ups in creating alternatives to the use of imported industrial seeds and fruit trees
- Support a community seed bank in increasing their capacities to become central actors of crop biodiversity management
- Re-introduce endangered genetic resources collected in the “hot-spots” of crop biodiversity and embedding them into local and sustainable value chains
- Engaging gastronomy and tourism in crop biodiversity management to create revenues for small actors
Workshop and Lecture Series, Sept. 2020 - June 2023
We believe that working together and learning from each other is the key for the preservation of fruit and vegetable varieties. By establishing an exchange of knowledge and thus connecting biodiversity seed actors across Southeastern Europe we wish to further empower each other and create new opportunities.
Therefore, we are currently working on a series of workshops and lectures that takes place online.
Here is an overview of past workshops.
- 18th of September 2020: "Fundraising for NGOs" (Marion Schwarz, ARCHE NOAH)
- 10th of June 2021 : “In-garden conservation and the coordination of a network” (Bela Bartha, Pro Specie Rara and Michaela Hofer, ARCHE NOAH)
- 30th of June 2021 “Organic management of seed-borne pests in crops: practical examples” (Michaela Arndofer, ARCHE NOAH)
- 15th of July 2021 “Using volunteering programs for plant genetic resources conservation” (Emil Platzer, ARCHE NOAH)
- 12th of October 2021 “Seed Marketing Legislation in Europe and Easter Europe” (Fulya Batur, Kybele)
- 30th of November 2021 “Participatory Selection and Plant Breeding” (Helene Maierhofer, ARCHE NOAH)
- 25th of January 2022 “Financial planning for projects and businesses” (Vera Gjokaj)
If you are interested in joining this workshop series please send an e-mail to: magdalena.aigner@arche-noah.at and we will send you the access links. We can also send you the recordings or presentations of previous workshops.
Further topics will be membership-based financing; practical examples and instructions; project management: writing proposals; applying for projects together with a group/consortium.
BALKAN BEETS Project partners
Preserving and marketing traditional plant varieties in Albania
The leading Albanian experts on crop diversity have formed the non-profit Association for Plant Genetic Resources of Albania (APGR) in order to promote the conservation and use of Albanian landraces in close cooperation with farmers, gardeners, processors and the gastronomy. The first step includes the establishment of a training and seed propagation garden, followed by facilities for seed processing, later on new marketing channels will be developed in cooperation with local market organisers, farmers and restaurants. In the course of collecting missions, traditional varieties are furthermore searched for and documented. The aim of APGR is to raise awareness among farmers and agricultural stakeholders, policy makers and society in general on the importance of preserving and using autochthonous plant varieties.
On-farm Conservation and Farmer Based Seed Systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Under BALKAN BEETS, the Institute for Genetic Resources at the University of Banja Luka offers trainings to farmers to enable the on-farm propagation of seed samples with the goal of bringing these onto the market. Contents of the trainings are variety description, avoidance of seed-borne diseases as well as seed and seedling production. The program focuses on vegetables, namely Lettuce Lactuca sativa L., pepper Capsicum annuum L. and tomato Solanum lycopersicum.
Contact: The Institute of Genetic Resources of the University of Banja Luka (IGRUNIBL), Gordana Đurić, gordana.djuric@igr.unibl.org
Seed Production in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Vojin Kopuz and his team are building a small seed production company with the help of BALKAN BEETS in Čelinac. Among other activities they organized heirloom expositions and a local seed library. You can visit their webshop online.
Contact: Factory of Joy Foundation, Čelinac Seed Library, Vojin Kopuz, bibliotekasjemena@gmail.com
Community Seed Bank in Bucharest, Romania
Community Seed Bank in Bucharest, Romania
For several years Adina Moise has been organizing seed-exchange events across Romania, several of such seeds belonging to local crop varieties, which have been passed down through generations. BALKAN BEETS is supporting the founding of a community seed bank called “Casa Semintelor” (House of Seeds).
Contact: Casa Semintelor, Adina Moise, contact@casa-semintelor.ro