Nordic user genebank

2016.04.28

Presentations from the workshop:

User genebank

NordGen’s primary task is to conserve the broad diversity of genetic resources linked to food and agriculture. Seeds of the species conserved in the genebank shall be available to all. On request, limited quantities of all accessions are delivered, between 25 and 250 seed depending on species. This means that those who want to propagate an old landrace of wheat, in order to use it for baking, must count on several years of multiplications. The interest in the NordGen’s assortment of vegetable for hobby growers is much larger than NordGen can handle. In addition, for vegetables there is a great need for knowledge about how the different species are propagated whether the species is self-pollinating or cross- pollinating, how to avoid inbreeding depression, and how to get biennial species to overwinter and produce germinating viable seeds. There is a need for an intermediary, called user genebank whose task is to produce larger quantities of the preserved varieties than the amount NordGen has the resources and mandate to produce.

Purpose of the workshop:

• Clarify the effect of the rules for amateur varieties and conservation varieties in the Nordic countries. • Discuss the need to revitalize the craft and knowledge about seed production. • Discuss and formulate a plan for how several Nordic user genebanks or other community-based seed-producing/small businesses can be created / strengthened so that seed of conservation varieties, amateur varieties and unregulated species and varieties can be maintained and produced on larger scale than NordGen has the resources to do.