Projects
ROTATES: Minor ROots and Tubers fostering AgrobiodiversiTy and Ecosystem Services
- Ref.º 101181532 — ROTATES — HORIZON-CL6-2024-BIODIV-02
- International research project
- From 2025 to 2029
Summary
ROTATES aims to sustainably enhance agrobiodiversity and ecosystem services by introducing and promoting minor starchy root and tuber crops (MRT) sweet potato, yams, cassava and taro, considered minor crops and currently underutilized in Europe, in both conventional and organic farming systems. These crops have substantial growth potential in temperate regions to meet the increasing demand in Europe, which has tripled over the last decade. The inclusion of MRT crops will complement the cohort of minor crops introduced into European agrosystems by the previously funded projects.
Employing a multidisciplinary and multi-actor approach, ROTATES will:
i) identify levers for MRT crop adoption along the value chain, through a comprehensive diagnosis of constraints and opportunities for MRT crop adoption, agronomic practices to inform farm typology analysis, genetic material
assessment, and disease pressure evaluation;
ii) deploy MRT crops by developing agroecological management practices, including crop rotation and intercropping, to leverage the benefits on provisioning and regulating ecosystem services, establishing breeding hubs to deliver varieties adapted to the agroecological systems, and creating a clean seed system relying on a policy framework for phytosanitary certification to support sustainable production and material exchange;
iii) unlock the value of MRT crops by establishing sustainable and innovative healthy and traditional food and feed transformation processes, integrating livestock to recycle unused plant by-products and provide crop amendments - gluten-low-to-free pasta, bread, and plant-based ice cream and feed for ruminants and monogastrics;
iv) promote adoption along the value chain, targeting primarily farmers and growers, through marketing avenues and capacity-building efforts.
ROTATES will contribute to improving producers’ income, enhancing product value, increasing agrobiodiversity, and reducing Europe's import dependence.
Funding Institution
European Research Executive Agency
Type of action: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Call: HORIZON-CL6-2024-BIODIV-02
Topic: HORIZON-CL6-2024-BIODIV-02-3-two-stage
Partners
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CENTRE DE COOPERATION INTERNATIONALE EN RECHERC (CIRAD), France, Coordinator
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INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTUR ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT (INRAE), France
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TECHNOLOGIKO PANEPISTIMIO KYPROU (CUT), Cyprus
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UNIVERSITE DE LIEGE (ULIEGE), Belgium
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UNIVERSIDADE DA MADEIRA (UMa), Portugal, Madeira
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UNIVERSIDADE DOS ACORES (UAc), Portugal, Açores
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INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGAÇAO AGRARIA E VETERINARIA (INIAV), Portugal
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CONSIGLIO PER LA RICERCA IN AGRICOLTURA E L'ANALISI DELL'ECONOMIA AGRARIA (CREA), Italy
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CENTRE DE RECHERCHE DE L'INSTITUT LYFE (ILRIC), France
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INSTITUTO CANARIO DE INVESTIGACIONES AGRARIAS (ICIA), Spain, Canary
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SCOTLAND’S RURAL COLLEGE (SRUC), UK, Scotland
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ASSOCIAÇÃO DA COSTA OESTE (ACOESTE), Portugal, Madeira
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EUROPEAN NETWORK OF LIVING LABS iVZW (ENoLL), Belgium
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INOVACIJSKO TEHNOLOSKI GROZD MURSKA SOBOTA (ITC), Slovenia
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THOMAS PLANTS, France
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AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS (AUA), Greece
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ASSOCIATION PANAKUH (PNKH), French Guiana
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UNIVERSITE MARIEN NGOUABI (UMNG), Congo
Project Coordinator
- Hâna Chair, CIRAD
CBA Team
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ROTATES Team
