The SOLIBAM Consortium The SOLIBAM partnership has been designed to tackle the challenge posed by the necessity to gather all needed competences required to achieve the ambitious objectives of the project and at the same time not to scatter resources with a too large number of participating organisations. SOLIBAM has solved the problem by gathering partners who are leaders in the domains they are involved in within the project and have multidisciplinary interest and expertise to participate to various workpackages. Competences range from crop breeding which is quite widely shared by the scientific partners and SMEs (breeding companies) to environmental assessment for which partners are very specialized. The partners expertise not only covers the range of the necessary academic scientific fields (crop breeding, molecular biology, population and quantitative genetics, crop management, nutrition quality evaluation, socio-economics, environmental sustainability) but also the many species that need to be considered to propose integrated and general breeding and management strategies, as well as the knowledge and access to specific agro-ecolgical conditions, and the more applied skills for a rapid and efficient exploitation of the methods, the plant populations and the varieties developed. This is possible due to the involvment of 15 scientific institutions both in Europe and Africa, 2 technical organisations in Europe, 1 international organisation for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, 1 farmer organisation in Africa and four European breeding companies. SOLIBAM gathers European specialists for all the competences needed to integrate plant breeding and crop management, in a sustainable development, considering the main geographical areas in Europe. Several of the partners have at the same time a great experience of Organic/low input agriculture as well in plant breeding and crop management. ORC is a leading research center in UK specialized in Organic agriculture (OA) and plant breeding for diversity. TUM is one the leading University on the fields of ecology, agriculture and breeding for OA. HAS is one the breeding and agronomic research centre in Central Europe. IAS and SSSUP represents the same competences for the Mediterranean areas. SSSUP brings also its long experience in matter of the biodiversity in the agrocecosystems (organic/low input), as well in Europe as in Africa. INRA has a very long experience of plant breeding, molecular analysis and was also leader in France for the initiation of participatory plant breeding for organic and low-input agriculture. Molecular and pland breeding will be re-inforced by the collaboration of UNIPG and ITQB. ESAC and ITQB have initiated experiences of PPB in the south of Europe. With ICARDA and MU, we will create exchanges of competences between Europe and Africa. The applicability of the results will be directly evaluated by the involvement of the four breeding companies representing all the considered species, the organic and low inputs systems and several climatic areas in Europe. Several aspects of the sustainability will be assessed by the leaders in Europe. RISO-DTU has an international reputation for their research in sustainable biomass production and environment. FDEA-ART will complete this aspect by its competence on environmental assessment of breeeding and management strategies. Socio-economical research from farm economics to the agricultural marketing will be performed by the UCPH. SOLIBAM gathers all the necessary competences needed to achieve successfully the claimed objectives, not only at the scientific level, but also in terms of project management and dissemination of the outcomes.
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University of Perugia (UNIPG)
The Dipartimento di Biologia Applicata (DBA) has nearly 50 years of research activities in Genetics & Breeding in addition to Botany, Plant Physiology, Microbiology and Animal Breeding. DBA activities in the field of plant genetics and breeding span from basic studies on genetic control of agricultural traits and involved gene isolation, to research on genetic diversity, to breeding work. DBA has coordinated the National Seed Plan aimed at identifying suitable varieties and techniques for OA seed production. DBA studies biodiversity conservation strategies in agro-ecosystems, diversity/diversity evolution of both wild and cultivated plants (especially landraces) and runs a seed bank, over 4500 accessions
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Mekelle University (MU)
The Mekelle University has started its academic, research and extension programs in 1993. Currently Mekelle University has more than 100 research projects in all its colleges (7 colleges as a whole). The University has several relationships with different organisations in several countries all over the world (Africa, Tanzania, Norway, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, India). The college of Dryland Agriculture and Natural resources contains several departments such as Departments of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Natural Resource Economics and Management. All the departments strive to establish themselves as a center of excellence in community-based and problem oriented developmental research.
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UNIPI
UNIPI's structure participating in SOLIBAM is the Interdepartmental Centre for Agri-environmental research Enrico Avanzi (CIRAA), which is the largest agricultural experimental centre in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. CIRAA mainly conducts on-farm research at field scale. Plot-scale experiments are usually included in the layout of larger scale (field) experiments. The main research topics of CIRAA include: low-external input cropping systems, soil tillage, cover crops, crop protection, organic farming, agricultural mechanisation, animal husbandry, food quality, biomass and bioenergy, economic and environmental impact. In the early 1980s, CIRAA has initiated a series of long-term experiments carried out at field scale on several cropping systems and agricultural management practices. These include the MASCOT experiment, the major trial comparing organic and conventional systems of the whole Mediterranean area. Long-term experiments host researchers with different expertise collaborating with a multidisciplinary system approach.
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INRA
Five INRA groups with complementary competences are involved in the project. 1.a. INRA Rennes conducts research on the spatial organization of agricultural and ecological processes within units of land management. 1.b. INRA Moulon conducts researchs on quantitative genetics applied to species of Agronomy (progress of molecular marking techniques and modeling). 1.c. INRA Grenoble has competences in industrial economics, business organizations and strategic management. It also develops researchs in environmental in agricultural production. 1.d. INRA Mirecourt leads researchs for reducing energy fossil use and aim to promote efficient systems of agricultural production. 1.e. INRA Montpellier leads researchs on the history, evolving capacities and the domestication of crop species. It also works on plants pathogens.
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The Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm
ORC is a UK based charity that develops sustainable land-use, agriculture and food systems, built on organic principles. It is the UK's leading research, development and advisory institution for organic agriculture. For the past decade it has led research in crop mixtures and populations, specifically in wheat, funded by the UK government and industry partners. It was a leading participant in EU COST Action 860.
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RISØ National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy (RISO-DTU)
The strategy of RISO-DTU at the Technical University of Denmark is to create new knowledge within sustainable energy and set targets for research through continuous dialogue with the business sector, the political system and the research community within energy research. RISO-DTUhas an international reputation for their research in e.g. sustainable plant production, and energy systems analysis. RISO-DTUhas coordinated or participated in many European research projects related to sustainable biomass production and the environment. Biosystems Division (BIO) at RISO-DTUhas competences within i) developing sustainable and multifunctional biomass production systems for food, energy and environmental protection; ii) modelling biological interactions and organic plant breeding.
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Institut Technique de l’Agriculture Biologique (ITAB)
ITAB is the French Technical Institute of Organic Farming. ITAB coordinates research and technical activities carried out in the field of organic farming, to i) link up stakeholders of the organic faming network, ii) assess research programmes and experiments, and iii) inform farmers and advisers about research results and technical knowledge. ITAB is a member of the ECO-PB (European Consortium for Organic Plant Breeding) board and a member of EUCARPIA.
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Technical University of Munich (TUM)
TUM is one of the leading universities in Germany, employing more than 8500 staff members. At the campus in Freising the Center of Life and Food Sciences is situated, including institutes on the fields of biology, ecology, land-use and agriculture. The Chair for Organic Agriculture and the Chair for Plant Nutrition conduct research and education into environmentally compatible and economically competitive farming. They are involved in a wide range of research activities ranging from plant breeding and plant physiological issues to the development of novel cropping and sensor based site specific farm systems. An addition focus of the scientific work lies on assessing farms and land-use systems in respect to ecological, social and economic aspects in an holistic approach.
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Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica e Biologica Organisation (ITQB)
The Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB) is a research institute of Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL). Its main objective is to provide advanced training in an interdisciplinary environment, through high quality research work in Chemistry, Biology and associated areas. Various strategies for molecular characterization were developed on ITQB and are being applied to different plant species
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Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS)
The Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, IAS) was created by CSIC in 1992 and is located in Córdoba. The scientific program of the IAS is directed at the sustainability of the agricultural systems, with a specific commitment to Mediterranean agricultural systems. The IAS strategic objectives are to increase the efficiency and stability of agricultural production by the optimal use of resources and the increase of the quantity and quality of the production; to preserve the natural resources of the agricultural systems and to reduce the negative impacts of agriculture on the environment and to develop decision support systems for the management of the agricultural systems.
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Escola Superior Agraria de Coimbra (ESAC)
The Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra is a high education public school in the domains of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental engineering (foundation in 1887). Research expertise on the area of genetic resources, prebreeding and breeding mainly on maize and participatory plant breeding. Among the several national projects, highlight can be given to: FCT “Analysis of the breeding potential of fasciation traits in Portuguese maize landraces” and “Portuguese maize bread quality: from technological aspects to controlling genes”.
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Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS)
The ARI HAS is one of the leading breeding and agronomic research centres of field crops in Central Europe. ARI HAS started organic plant breeding at the end of the last Centure, in comparaison of the success of conventional breeing, and already several organic varieties had been released in cereeals and maize. As a main filed crop breeding centre, it’s activities cover all fields of plant science and agronomic research able to supply the real need of farmers and consumers. ARI HAS is also involved in climate change research at internetional level, and it is able to set up successfully sustainable plant production systems.
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Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa (SSSUP)
SSSUP is an Italian public university funded by the State to pursue excellence in higher education and research through a multidisciplinary approach. SSSUP can make full use of and contribute to maintenance of research and experimental facilities at the Centre for Agro-environmental Research ”E. Avanzi” (CIRAA) of the University of Pisa, where several long-term field-scale experiments on low-input and organic management systems are being carried out. Research carried out at SSSUP is focused on the development of sustainable low-input and organic farming/cropping systems, on functional biodiversity in agroecosystems, on the physiology of higher plants with a molecular and post-genomic approach, on the genetic diversity of staple crops in Europe and developing countries (e.g. Ethiopia). Additional expertise available at CIRAA is the study of symbioses between plants and arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi (AMF).
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Federal Department of Economic Affairs/Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station (FDEA-ART)
FDEA-ART located in Zurich, Switzerland is a research institute funded by the Swiss government. By integrating agro-ecological and socio-economic research, FDEA-ART is the competence centre for agricultural sustainability in Switzerland with around 350 employees. They are the leading house in life cycle assessment (LCA) studies in agriculture in Switzerland and responsible for organic farming research within Agroscope. In order to recommend cereal varieties suited best for organic farming systems, variety trials are conducted already for more than 20 years. Besides agronomical aspects also quality aspects are investigated with external partners.
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Institute of Food and Resource Economics (UCPH)
UCPH is a research institute affiliated to the University of Copenhagen. The institute has 6 divisions. The Farm Management and Production Systems Division is concerned with research of farm as well as food chain management, technology assessment,systems analysis and production economics. Research areas are: farm economics and resource management, bioenergy and biorefineries, farm business management and organisation, new agro-industrial technologies and products, agricultural marketing and food production chains. The research includes conventional as well as organic production systems and food chains. The Farm Management and Production Systems Division at UCPH has participated and participates in several national and EU research projects regarding farming systems, farm management, bioenergy crops, the economics of biorefineries and coexistence of organic, conventional and GM-crops in food and feed supply/processing chains. The most recent and ongoing EU projects are FertOrganic, SIGMEA, PROBIOGAS, COEXTRA, SAFIR, SWUP-MED and FutureFarms
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International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is one of the 15 Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA contributes to the improvement of livelihoods of the resource-poor in dry areas by enhancing food security and alleviating poverty through research and partnerships to achieve sustainable increases in agricultural productivity and income, while ensuring the efficient and more equitable use and conservation of natural resources. ICARDA serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil and faba bean. ICARDA has pioneered the use of participatory approaches in both breeding and NRM research and has put emphasis to understand, document, and supplement indigenous knowledge with modern tools and technologies. ICARDA has a long history of planning and implementing research in cooperation with its NARS partners in several developing countries. ICARDA will be present in SOLIBAM through its research center in Syria and the Nile Valley and Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Office which meets the research and training needs of Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen and Egypt.
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AIAB
Associazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica (AIAB) is a cultural association recognised by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and IFOAM and active in the promotion of organic agriculture, sustainable rural development and healthy nutrition. AIAB is responsible for the publication of organic production and processing codes of practice in the food, textile, timber, catering, retail and eco-tourism sectors. It also co-manages an observatory on the prices of organic products, the “Centre of Ecological Agronomic Demonstrations” (CEDA) and “Self-organized Offer and Demand Groups” (GODO), and publishes the national magazine Bioagricultura.
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Coordination Nationale des Organisations Paysannes du Mali (CNOP)
The National Coordination of Peasants’ Organizations (CNOP) is composed of Peasants’ Organizations (PO) with national and/or regional competences which cover all the under-sectors of agriculture, breeding, fishing, forest. The CNOP objectives are: to promote a competitive family agriculture; to reinforce the capacities of design, elaboration, follow-up, plea and lobbying of the leaders as regards Agricultural policies; to develop at the local, regional and national level dialogue frameworks between the PO and between the CNOP and the other actors of rural development and to promote a representative national peasant movement effectively ensuring the representation, the defence of interests as well as the supply of economic and technical services to the family farms.
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Saatzucht Donau (Donau)
Saatzucht Donau GmbH&CoKG (SME) breeds and develops high quality, healthy, adapted and high yielding varieties of cereals, oil and protein crops with the help of modern technologies, taking advantage of the synergies offered by the different locations of Probstdorf and Reichersberg and in close cooperation with partner companies and research institutes. Dauno is the leading private cereal breeding company in Austria with special emphasis towards breeding for organic agriculture. Up to date, Donau has released five winter wheat varieties for organic agriculture in Austria based on organic VCU test which is performed by AGES.
Donau took part in the COST 860 action SUSVAR as well as in national projects dealing with breeding for organic agriculture. The wheat working group of Donau contributed to the international discussion on breeding for organic agriculture by the publication of Löschenberger et al (2008) as well as by contribution to Wolfe et al (2008). |
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Gautier Semences (Gautier)
Gautier Semences is an independent family owned company specialised in vegetables seeds. For over 50 years Gautier Semences has been breeding vegetable varieties for the fresh market sector and dealing seeds to conventional and organic growers. Gautier Semences has a team of breeders in brassiceae (cauliflowers, broccolis, cabbages), solanaceaes (tomato, eggplant, pepper) and others vegetables (Cucurbitaceae, leguminoseae, lettuce and leafy vegetable, roots vegetables. Breeders can rely on plant pathology, molecular assisted selection and quality assessment departments to develop new varieties for conventional and organic agriculture. Gautier Semences has also an expertise in seed production and quality control.
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Agrovegetal
Agrovegetal S.A. is a foundation-seed company participated by ten different societies (seven of them “growers Cooperatives”, with 70 % of the capital). The main activity is research and development of new varieties in winter cereal and grain legumes. The Agrovegetal breeding group has a ten years experience of International colllaboration with CIMMYT in Mexico, and University of Cordoba and CSIC in Spain looking for new cereals and pulses varieties well adapted to the conditions of the South of Spain. In the very variable agroclimatic conditions typical of Mediterranean area, a lot of emphasis is done in order to have new lines with combined resistance to diseases, drought conditions, and low inputs requirements. In the last years ten wheat and triticale varieties have been released in Spain and breeding lines are under agronomic testing in order to develop new cultivars. Agrovegetal participate in several regional, national and European projects aiming for new characters to be incorporated in new commercial cultivars.
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ARCOIRIS
Arcoiris s.r.l is a highly specialized company producing and supplying certified organic and biodynamic seeds. Arcoiris mainly distributes vegetables seeds (150 varieties), aromatic herbs seeds and cover crops seeds to organic farmers, specialized shops and privates. The productions are expanding in different regions of Italy and the goal is to extend the range of organic vegetable varieties for our customers. Arcoiris is involved in the organic agriculture for many years and have gained much experience in this sector and it has two different level of certification: organic certification (Codex) and biodynamic certification (Demeter Italia). In its trial field, Arcoiris breeds vegetable selections adapted for the Italian climatic zones and for the organic farming with projects on squash, tomatoes and corns.
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INRA Transfert (IT)
Inra Transfert is a project management consulting company specialized in the field of innovating technologies. Inra Transfert exploits research results and innovative technologies, and develops them into concrete business opportunities. Inra Transfert manages the technology portfolio of INRA and supports development of innovative start-up companies.
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