[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6598\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EForgotten crops making meals taste better\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELessons from traditional farming are revealing how agricultural diversity can make food production healthier, tastier and more environmentally sustainable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile there are over a million varieties of fruits and vegetables catalogued in European seed banks, only a handful of them ever find their way to supermarket shelves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Professor Antonio Granell at the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology in Valencia, Spain, modern crops made the cut because they boost the yields of large fields with minimal hassle. The man-made hybrids on our plates can typically grow throughout the year, adapt to different soils, and withstand diseases, pesticides and long periods of refrigeration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn spite of these perks, Prof. Granell said that crops in the shops typically lack one key quality: they don\u2019t taste very good.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The market currently rewards farmers for quantity, not quality,\u2019 said Prof. Granell. \u2018Fruits and vegetables can be delicious, but most fine-looking varieties sold today taste like water.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETraditional genomes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn an attempt to recover lost flavours, Prof. Granell is combing through tomato DNA in search of genes that affect taste.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPinpointing slight variations among the genome\u2019s 900 million base pairs is like searching for a needle in a haystack. To speed up the process, the EU-funded TRADITOM project has widened the search by comparing a broader range of tomato varieties.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough there are precious few varieties of tomato growing on Europe\u2019s fields today, over the past 40 years researchers have stored the seeds of local predecessors for safekeeping. By tapping into these repositories, TRADITOM partners have gathered DNA from over 1 500 forgotten breeds and started replanting many in the laboratory.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u2018It is not just a matter of taste, we have to reconnect with food diversity if we are to protect the ecosystems that feed us.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EDr V\u00e9ronique Chable, French National Institute for Agricultural Research\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy drawing on the diversity of their chemical properties, Prof. Granell hopes to cross-breed resilient, nutritious and flavour-filled tomatoes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome traits combine well. According to Prof. Granell, much of the antioxidants and branches of amino acids that make tomatoes healthy also taste good. The big challenge is to grow them at a bargain price.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen farmed over industrial scales, traditional crops typically yield less food, are more vulnerable to disease and parasites, and spoil sooner than modern varieties. Any losses inevitably inflate the price of produce that does reach the market.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The problem is that genes that offer resilience often compromise on taste,\u2019 said Prof. Granell. He expects that selective breeding can play down some of these drawbacks but that bringing down prices further will ultimately require changes in how the crops are grown and sold.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the one-size-fits-all approach of industrial farming is ill-suited to diversifying farming techniques or distribution channels, other agricultural experts have already warmed to the idea.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAgroecology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018For 15 years, we have been working with local farmers on what we call agroecological techniques,\u2019 said Dr V\u00e9ronique Chable at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research in Rennes. \u2018One thing that we have learnt is that nature needs diversity to remain resilient.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Chable works with rural associations across Europe to help breed, grow and market organic crops. She and her colleagues advise farmers on statistical methods to check the efficiency of traditional farming practices and how best to cross new populations. The seeds and farming techniques that come out of this research remain natural and environmentally responsible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Crops sustain vast populations of pollinating insects and life-giving microbes in the soil,\u2019 said Dr Chable. \u2018The homogeneity of factory farming threatens these species. It is not just a matter of taste, we have to reconnect with food diversity if we are to protect the ecosystems that feed us.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo explore new ways of reintroducing diversity in the food chain, the EU-funded DIVERSIFOOD project has brought together farmers, bakers, scientists, consumers and local governments across the EU. Together they are helping agroecological networks share seeds, food processing machinery, expertise and new ideas on how to bring their produce to the market.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Farmers meet in Brittany, France, to discuss the on-farm breeding of a new variety of cauliflower as part of the DIVERSIFOOD project. Image courtesy of DIVERSIFOOD\u0022 height=\u00221617\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/DIVERSIFOOD_crop.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Farmers meet in Brittany, France, to discuss the on-farm breeding of a new variety of cauliflower as part of the DIVERSIFOOD project. Image courtesy of DIVERSIFOOD\u0022 width=\u00222816\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022italic mb-4\u0022\u003EFarmers meet in Brittany, France, to discuss the on-farm breeding of a new variety of cauliflower as part of the DIVERSIFOOD project. Image courtesy of DIVERSIFOOD\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Some farmers have branched out into bakery,\u2019 said Dr Chable. \u2018By selling crops as traditional bread instead of organic grain, they can market the superior quality of their product while competing with the price of a supermarket baguette.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQuality labels, farmer markets and on-site product transformation are some examples of how DIVERSIFOOD partners are broadening the appeal of traditional food. In France alone, the number of farmers involved in organic networks has grown over the past decade from a few dozen to several thousand. Demand for their produce continues to outstrip supply.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Dr Chable, interest in food diversity is emerging globally. She is involved with agroecological networks across Europe, has met with peers as distant as North Korea, and points out that most of the crops consumed around the world are still grown from traditional seeds today.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Traditional agriculture requires manpower, reorganised food markets and informed consumers,\u2019 said Dr Chable. \u2018But it is sustainable, it is healthy and it also tastes better.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-exx1iuzvfulvprmgkuyrctbxro5-vvw-gs1buawprhy\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-eXx1IuzVFUlVpRmGKUYrcTBxRO5_vvw_Gs1bUAWPrHY\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]