Upscaling minor crops with institutional catering

Projekter: ProjektForskning

Projektdetaljer

Beskrivelse

The CropCat project aims at developing the cultivation of minor crops in farmers’ fields and the consumption of related products in canteen guest plates following a co-innovation and interdisciplinary approach. To do so, the project (i) establish guidelines to run living labs, where innovations on minor crops will be developed across stages of the value chain, and assess the outcomes induced, including co-learning; (ii) characterize the agroecological performance of minor crops and improve cultivation techniques to close yield gaps, and promote the delivery of other ecosystem services; (iii) develop low-tech pre-processing technologies to prevent metabolic changes during storage and preserve the sanitary and nutritional quality of products derived from minor crops thus limiting spoilage; (iv) define a framework to capture the value of minor crop food products into new business models based on institutional catering; (v) develop a set of nudges to consumers’ choices of dishes based on minor crop food products to ensure their acceptance; (vi) identify policy instruments and governance frameworks supporting the development of minor crops from farmers’ fields to canteen plates through procurement arrangements.
The project will build on 6 living labs in 6 European countries gathering stakeholders concerned with minor crops from farm to fork: farmers, advisors, representatives of agrifood industries, catering companies, researchers, cooks and public agents. The living labs are located on a North-South gradient covering different soil-climate conditions suited to diverse minor crop species. Each living lab will work on a few (2-4) locally relevant minor crop species matching farmers’ and cooks’ constraints and objectives. All living labs are embedded in contexts where (i) farmers are motivated to grow new crops to diversify their land use and test adaptations against challenges such as climate change, and (ii) public authorities are increasingly considering to improve the sustainability of institutional catering. As a result, new value chains are being considered.

Lægmandssprog

To create a more sustainable future, we need to embrace agroecology by diversifying our farming systems. This means growing a wider variety of crops, including minor crops—less common plants that add richness to our food and landscape systems.
Right now, European agriculture is dominated by just a few major crops. As a result, many farmers lack the local knowledge to grow minor crops successfully. At the same time, there’s low demand because these crops aren’t widely consumed. Institutional catering—like school cafeterias and hospitals—can make a big difference. By incorporating minor crops into their menus, they can inspire change in both production and consumption habits.
To make this shift, we need to tackle key challenges together: how to grow, store, process, cook, and encourage people to enjoy these crops.
AkronymCropCat
StatusIkke startet
Effektiv start/slut dato01/04/202531/03/2029

Samarbejdspartnere

  • Roskilde Universitet (leder)
  • INRAE
  • Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research
  • University of Evora
  • Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development
  • CREABio
  • Ecocert
  • Les Bios du Gers
  • Pablo de Olavide University
  • LA RETORNABLE
  • Tuscia University
  • Aarhus Kommune